Latin: Ephedra sinica
Chinese: Ma huang
WHAT IT DOES: Ephedra is
pungent and slightly bitter in taste, and warming in action. It
relaxes the muscles surrounding the lungs, dilates the surfaces vessels
of the skin and increases metabolism. SPECIAL NOTE: THIS HERB HAS
BEEN BANNED FOR USE IN SEVERAL COUNTRIES, INCLUDING THE UNITED STATES.
RATING: Red, due to high potential for misuse
SAFETY ISSUES: Here are the the
warnings I wrote in 1999, prior to the banning of this herb due to
problems caused by inappropriate use of extracts of this herb in weight
loss products:
Use only under professional medical guidance. Do not use
long term. Do not use during pregnancy or nursing. Do not
exceed recommended dosage. Do not use with MAO-inhibiting drugs,
blood pressure lowering drugs, steroids, beta-blockers or
anti-depressants. Do not use if you have glaucoma, hypertension,
heart disease, insomnia, cardiac asthma, adrenal weakness, prostate
enlargement, arteriosclerosis, hyperthyroidism, diabetes, anorexia or
bulimia, kidney disease or a history of kidney stones. Do not use
as a weight-loss agent unless under medical supervision.
Symptoms of ephedra overdose include rapid heartbeat, increased blood
pressure, nervousness, insomnia and sweating. Discontinue
immediately if you experience any of these symptoms.
STARTING DOSAGE:
Adults
• Total alkaloids: 15-30 mg per dose, not to exceed 300 mg per day
• Crude herb: no more than 1.5-9 grams per day in divided doses as a tea
Children
• Total alkaloids: 0.5 mg per dose per weight kilogram, not to exceed 2.0 mg per kilogram per day
Note: total alkaloids in crude herb can be as high as 3.3%
Ephedra (ma huang) is a very useful herb that the Chinese use to
disperse coldness, open the pores and promote perspiration, which can
be helpful in treating chills, fever and headache. It also
controls wheezing and relaxes the muscles around the lungs, which
explains its wide use as a treatment for asthma and cough. This
plant contains ephedrine and pseudoephedrine, powerful alkaloids found
in many over-the-counter asthma medications (ephedrine) and nasal
decongestants (pseudoephedrine). These components also stimulate
the central nervous system. If you have high blood pressure,
ephedra can be deadly. TCM doctors do not generally consider
ephedra to be dangerous, but they prescribe the whole plant, not the
extracted alkaloids, to patients with specific symptoms, and usually as
only 10% of a prescription. Ephedra is an essential herb of TCM
that simply is not prescribed when there are signs of heat or
hypertension.
It is possible for healthy people to safely use products containing
ephedra when consumed in moderate amounts, and many people taking
over-the-counter hay fever remedies do so with little or no
trouble. Unfortunately, ephedra is now sold as a stimulant and a
weight-loss product for its metabolism-stimulating and
appetite-suppressing properties. Many people who are overweight
also have hypertension--just imagine how dangerous ephedra can be in
these particular cases. That's not to say the herb doesn't work
for weight loss. In fact it does, and the result is even more
powerful when combined with green tea, due to the additional action of
caffeine. The combination of these two types of stimulants can be
especially powerful. But again, this should be done under the
guidance of a professional with experience about safety and
dosage. Asthma and weight loss are both complex, serious
problems. You can't treat them safely just by swallowing
over-the-counter herbal pills.
Research Highlights
• When used over time, ephedra can weaken the adrenal glands.
Michael Murray N.D., faculty member at the John Bastyr Naturopathic
Univeristy and best-selling author, recommends combining it with
adrenal supportive herbs such as licorice root, ginseng root and
nutrients like vitamin C, magnesium, zinc, B-6 and pantothenic acid
(Murray, 1991).
• There continue to be numerous reports of ephedrine-related toxicity
and death. In a random study of nine commercially available
supplements, only three contained the ephedrine content listed on the
label, and the alkaloid content ranged from 1.08-13.54 mg. per
pill. There were also significant variations among different lots
of the same product (Gurley et al., 1998). In a second study, the
same researcher concluded that ephedra toxicity "results from
accidental overdose often prompted by exaggerated off-label claims and
a belief that 'natural' medicinal agents are inherently safe" (Gurley
et al., 1998).
• Ephedra exhibits anti-inflammatory activity (Ling et al., 1995) which may enhance its usefulness for treating asthma.
• In the Canadian Forces Warrior Test, the combination of caffeine and
ephedrine improved performance. Doses tested were 375 mg of
caffeine and 75 mg of ephedrine, within safe levels for healthy
subjects (Bell and Jacobs, 1999).
• In a study of obese monkeys, the combination of caffeine and
ephedrine caused an increase in energy expenditure, a decrease in food
intake, and weight loss (Ramsey et al., 1998).
• Although unsupervised use of ephedra or ephedrine can be dangerous,
researchers conducted a controlled double-blind study on 136 obese and
normal patients undergoing proper treatment with blood pressure
lowering drugs as they attempted to lose weight. Subjects took 20
mg of ephedrine and 20 mg of caffeine. All groups lost weight,
and the combination of ephedrine and caffeine did not reverse the
effects of the blood pressure medications (Svendsen et al.,
1998). An earlier clinical trial also found that ephedrine plus
caffeine was as effective as dexfenfluramine (Astrup et al., 1995).
• A Harvard Medical School study found that the combination of
ephedrine, caffeine and aspirin was "well tolerated in otherwise
healthy obese subjects, and supports modest, sustained weight loss even
without prescribed caloric restriction (dieting)" (Daly et al., 1993).
references
Despite FDA Ban, Ephedra won't go away
More on Ephedra / Ephedrine