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Ephedra, ephedrine, Ma Huang






Summary


Ephedra, also called Ma Huang, is a naturally occurring substance derived from botanicals. Its principal active ingredient is ephedrine. It is a dietary supplement that was used by people to lose weight. But, using it carries significant health risks. It has been banned by the FDA.


 

Description


Ephedra is a shrub-like plant that is found in desert regions in central Asia and other parts of the world. It is a stimulant containing the herbal form of Ephedrine.

This stimulant promotes weight loss by increasing your body's metabolism and thus burning more calories. It was also use an an energy booster and for increased athletic performance. Ephedrine is also found in some over-the-counter Asthma medications.


History


Ephedra use was popular in the mid to late 1990s and into the new millennium. On February 17, 2003 Baltimore Orioles' baseball player, Steve Bechler died. His death was linked to Ephedra use. By the end of 2003, the FDA started cracking down on Ephedra.

The FDA cracked down on Ephedra, requiring that warning labels be placed on bottles. It was linked to the death of a professional baseball player, Baltimore Orioles' Steve Bechler.


Criticism


Ephedrine has been shown to have serious adverse effects, include hypertension (elevated blood pressure), palpitations (rapid heart rate), neurophathy (nerve damage), myopathy (muscle injury), psychosis, stroke, memory loss, heart rate irregularities, insomnia, nervousness, tremors, seizures, heart attacks, and death.

Also, studies have shown that Ephedrine-based supplements only provide short-term weight loss.




Tags:

Related Diets:   Xenadrine RFA-1   Lipo 6   Fenphedra   Xenadrine EFX   Hot Rox  


  23-Jan-2006 11:20am created by bill
  23-Mar-2006 9:06am last update by bill


Comments (143) Pages: prev ( 1 [2] )

kiddo
posted 18-May-2009 1:05pm

you can also do what i'm going to do when they get here in the mail and plant some ephedra sinica plants which are the plant that contains the ephedrine alkaloids in it. then when it is harvested you can make a tea out of it or mix the ground up stems with your coffee to make your own diet concoction. i'll also let everyone know how it went. but the seeds are cheap and the growing is easy so why not give it a try. i know i will.
j.s.
posted 17-Jun-2009 3:21am

i tried rip fuel,speed stack,( it was favorite)and so on. and as long i did it in moderation,it never resulted on any bad side effects. and it for some reason or other
i felt yo much the"jitters",i would`v eat something high in proteins and it would balance me. trust it works!
Anonymous
posted 30-Jun-2009 10:51pm

Well, I remember riding the ephedra train a few years ago. My weight had ballooned to about 260 lbs (I'm 6' tall) from 180 lbs when I was in my early 20's. I kept a regular diet and excercised, but for some bizarre reason, my body would not go below 220 lbs (still unhealthy and I still had fat) over the course of 6 months. So, I found the solution in Xenadrine. Reading the instructions and ingesting the minimal amount of the drug, I went down from 220 lbs to 170 lbs in the next 6 months. The only side effects I had were occassional dizziness and restlessness. I bought 3 more bottles of it, and along with the same diet and reduced exercise/intake of Xenadrine, kept that weight for 2 years! I must honestly say that the drug worked wonderfully for me, with little or no side effects. However, once they banned the drug (due to some retarded steroid using baseball player who OD'd on it), I ballooned backup to 240 lbs, then worked twice as hard working out and dieting to get back down to 175 lbs two years ago. However, due to finishing my BA in Chemistry at UCSB, I have since gone back up to 215 lbs. Again, I wish that they would allow the drug for use in prescription weight loss pills for people considered obese or larger.
MICHELLLEY
posted 2-Jul-2009 12:57am

WELL I RECENTLY BOUGHT A BOTTLE OF HYDROXY SLIM,AND THE FIRST TIME I TOOK IT MADE ME FEEEL JITTERY,AND MY HEART WAS RACING REALLY FAST AT NIGHT! I CAN SAY I GOT SCARED BECAUSE I HAD ALREADY READ THE WARNINGS,AND I ONLY TOOK HALF OF ONE!! SO THAN I GAVE SOME AWAY JUST TO SEEE MAYBE IT WAS ONLY MY BODY,BECAUSE EVERYONE IS DIFFERENT RIGHT? MY FRIEND HAS BEEN TAKING IT FOR ABOUT A WEEEK AND LOST 5 POUNDS AND DIDNT REALLY FEEL WHAT I FELT!I KNOW I WAS MAD..:(BUT IT SEEMED TO WORK FOR HER, I SEE THE DIFFERENCE IN HER BODY SINCE I SEE HER EVERYDAY! SO I DECIDED TO START TAKING THEM AGAIN TODAY AND I TOOK HALF AGAIN AND FEEL FINE!! IM SOOO HAPPY!!! TRY MAYBE IT WILL WORK FOR U TOO!!
Anonymous
posted 10-Jul-2009 5:21am

im starting 30mg pure epherdrine tomorrow
do they work on there own?
and whats the best doseage
ps
i dont want any one tellin me its gonna kill me and all that crap..
iv researched it fully jus need to no if it works alone. thanks!
Anonymous
posted 23-Jul-2009 10:05am

I've been taking ephedrine Hcl (formerly known as mini thins / mini two-way) for the past 20yrs. Now all of a sudden thanks to some jerkoffs that decided to smoke them, nobody can purchase ephedrine in any form anywhere unless it's the 1/2 dose Pimatene Tablets. 8 tablets for 100mg is prohibitive at $12/box of 60!
Even the herbal web-stores that advertise herbal ephedrine often list their product as out of stock indefinatly or it redirects to some triple-dose caffine tablet.
Is there anyone anywhere that sells legitimate ephedrine tablets or raw stems? or are they all false links & abandoned pages now???
Anonymous
posted 2-Aug-2009 1:23am

is superdrine really the same as exenadrine?
asa123
posted 8-Aug-2009 1:45am

where can i buy ephedrine?
Anonymous
posted 9-Aug-2009 5:01am

I have gotten some Sida Cordifolia which says it's 6% Alkaloid. Does anyone know if that would be considered real ephedra, and if so, with the 6% alkaloid what the potency of this is compared to older ephedra?
TC
posted 12-Aug-2009 4:46pm

Can someone just please tell me where online to get ephedra. I use to take metabolife 365 and it worked and now I can't get it. Where can I get diet pills with the "real" ephedra like back in the day?
AnonymousCA
posted 14-Aug-2009 9:37pm

I got my ephedrine HCL 8mg tab from www.gorillajack.com They are about $4.50 for 50 tabs and shipping to the US is $15.
Anonymous
posted 16-Aug-2009 9:53am

it says on google that in 2009 the ban on ephedra has been lifted in the US. so does anyone know wher we can get some genuine ephedra now? so sick of these fake products.
Anonymous
posted 18-Aug-2009 12:15am

you can still buy most of the ephedra based diet pills over the counter in south africa.
Anonymous
posted 14-Sep-2009 10:09pm

i have a question!!!! I have been taking ephedra broceze ones for many years and want to find something else. but which one?
Anonymous
posted 22-Oct-2009 10:15pm

would taking 12.5 grams of ephedrine help me lose 5-10 pounds if i take that dosage once or twice a day. I am 114 pounds. I will also excersice
Anonymous
posted 30-Oct-2009 11:20pm

I love ephedra in the yellow jacket form and i want it back! The only people that got hurt by it are people who abused it! it helped me lose weight and i havent found any other pill that comes close to being like that yet and i have been looking since it was banned FDA BRING IT BACK PLEASE!!!!!!
Chemist4Thermogenics
posted 1-Nov-2009 10:05am

Ephedra extract vs. alkaloids- what's the difference?

Ok, well I must clear up this alkaloid business. I am a chemist who works in the supplement manufacturing business. I know some of the posts I am talking about were earlier in the thread, but here is the break down.

There are several different species of ephedra.

Ephedra sinica (Ma Huang) <-high alkaloid content in extracts

Sida Cordifolia <- less alkaloid content

Ephedra Nevadensis <- little to no alkaloid content

+ more

Herbs in general are used in many different ways. For instance no extraction would be referred to as a raw herb powder which is just the dried and milled plant material. This is a highly non-concentrated material. An extract uses a chemical based solvent to "extract" the actives (in this case the alkaloid content) Extracts are much more concentrated in alkaloid content. These can come in 10:1, ratios or percentages thus with ephedra around 8% alkaloid content.

Basically when we refer to an extract it is a concentrated active material that has been drawn/extracted by chemical means out of the raw herb.

In the coming months you will notice ephedra sinica extracts to be obsolete (alkaloid). Right now distributors are able to sell off remaining (old) stock of ephedra sinica products. The ban is in full effect, over the past few years since the initial ban the ruling was still up in the air after it was over turned. Now the FDA has made a stern decision that the ban is 100% in full effect. Many manufacturers were raided such as hi-tech Pharm. and ephedra extracts where confiscated. It is illegal for a manufacturer to market any ephedra alkaloid product as a weight loss or diet aid. Many manufacturers have been selling products with "ephedra extract" however it is generally ephedra nevadensis or some other species with no alkaloid content whatsoever. This is simply to fool the consumer; the FDA has a new rule that products that contain the words "Ephedra Extract" must state that there is no alkaloid content. If you see a label that says Ephedra extract (leaves) You know it is bogus and is not likely to contain any alkaloids because ephedra sinica does not have leaves. They use this as a marketing tool to make people think they are getting something they are not. You would be surprised with the things that we see in the lab.
Disgruntled Woman
posted 25-Nov-2009 11:46pm

Let's face it, the real Ephedra is gone for good and i've spent hundreds on ephedrine replacements claiming to be the real deal only to be dissappointed. NOTHING and I mean NOTHING suppresses the appetite like Ephedra (ROOT ALKALOID). I took it for over 10 years, never had a probkem. It even helped with my allergies. Now, the industry is losing millions because everyone, by now, realizes that NOTHING works like it. The people that got hurt while taking it were no doubt abusing it and taking it with loads of caffeine and aspirin. I took the NVA PURE EPHEDRINE with NO caffeine or additives and NEVER had a problem. Now, my allergies are back and so's the weight. Oh well, my search is over. I'm ready to ban together with other disgruntled people and get something happening!! YOU WIT ME???? o.k then let's post some suggestions on HOW we can make something happen??
Annonymous
posted 25-Nov-2009 11:51pm

I bought the Energy Nutrition brand of PURE MA HUANG, and it did sort of work like the old ephedrine but it yields only 10 mg of alkaloid. You have to take 5 to equal what you need per day. I think it works, or maybe it's all in my mind. Has anyone tried this?
Super Stoked Dude
posted 30-Nov-2009 4:35pm

Dear Disgruntled Woman,

News flash: Ephedra is back! Now you can purchase pharmaceutical grade ephedrine from CANADA.

Word to your mother.

Nissa
posted 22-Dec-2009 3:11pm

Where do you get ephedrine in Canada? What stores?
Anonymous
posted 27-Jan-2010 10:25pm

I'll sign a petition as well.....I agree that we should be able to take whatever we want- as american citizen's- we can practice any religion that we want and we all know the dangers of some of them out there....worse than this stuff.....if we are willing to take on any potential risks....who gives a f___
Anonymous
posted 16-Feb-2010 1:43am

IT'S THE CAFFEINE THAT GIVES HEART ATTACKS NOT EPHEDRA SO BE SURE THAT THE REPLACEMENTS YOU ARE USING ARE CASSEINE FREE OR YOUR PRESSURE WILL BE THROUGHT THE ROOF. ALSO, NO ONE WILL EVER GET EPHEDRINE AGAIN UNTIL THE BAN IS LIFTED. THE EPHEDRINE HCL IS MAN MADE EPHEDRINE AND YOU MAY FEEL A LITTLE APPETITE SUPRRESSINGEFFECT BUT NOTHING LIKE THE REAL MA HUANG.
Anonymous
posted 16-Feb-2010 1:44am

I MEANT TO SAY "CAFFEINE FREE" NOT CASSEINE
Silvia
posted 17-Feb-2010 9:27am

ROgaec I am always excited to visit this blog in the evenings.Please churning hold the contents. It is very entertaining.
need help
posted 26-Feb-2010 9:27am

So after reading all of this - which one do I want to buy - I know I don't want the extra caffine but do need a kicker to help with weight loss. Can I buy what I need at a local store like a GNC? Thanks for the info
billy
posted 28-Feb-2010 5:35pm

come on people,have u tried fruit 4 energy?a bowl of oats with jelly?cardio?we cant use ephedra because of this right here?quite simply either work hard or go to jail.
billy
posted 28-Feb-2010 5:44pm

basically everything in moderation will give you energy.even ephedra.
Anonymous
posted 12-Mar-2010 3:11pm

They have the REAL deal at TWS warehouse! I bought some, got the next day, and it is REAL! Good luck! Thank Heaven!!!!
Anonymous
posted 15-Mar-2010 11:35pm

how if its banned.its ephedrine that you have.because it says its ephedra dont mean its real.white willow bark is aspirin.supplement business is very unregulated.
Anonymous
posted 24-Mar-2010 12:52pm

gross
Anonymous
posted 28-Mar-2010 6:19am

i have asthma and am trying to get just ma huang without any caffeine, can anyone help me with this?
Anonymous
posted 28-Mar-2010 6:22am

we're all gonna die anyway

Anonymous
posted 31-Mar-2010 5:42pm

I wish we could have this available again. I was on Ma haung for over 10 years and I was so very healthy.
Anonymous
posted 1-Apr-2010 6:58pm

@asthma person...try find ma huang tea.sip as needed.dont however confuse asthma attack with panic attack.you may have to import tea btw.1 last thing ... when it comes to ur lungs be careful.buy an air purifier and check the filter after one months use and ul c my point.
you want X RFA-1 ORIGINAL HERE IS HOW
posted 4-Apr-2010 8:57pm

OK THIS IS REAL TALK I TOOK X RFA-1 BEORE THE BANN AND IT WAS A fudgeING MIRACLE BUT ANYWAYZ I TRIED OTHER crap NOTHING WORKED THEN 3 WEEKS AGO I ORDERD SOME STUFF AND I STARTED TAKING IT 100MG A PILL THEN I COMPARED IT TO A OLD X RFA-1 BOTTLE AND FOUND OUT IT HAD 335MG OF MA-HUANG AND THIS STUFF HAD 100MG SO INSTEAD OF TAKING 2 PILLS TWICE A DAY I STARTED TAKING 3 TWICE A DAY TO MAKE IT 300MG AND THERE IT WAS BABY XENADRINE RFA-1 ALL OVER AGAIN HA HA HA AND THE NAME OF THE STUFF IS XIMO AND THEY TOOK OUT THE STUFF THAT SPEad your heart and raised blood press this is the new improved xRFA-1 SEE FOR YOUR SELF OR STAY A FAT LARD DEPRESSED AND INSECURE
VantEphedra
posted 10-Apr-2010 3:21pm

I suffer from Asthma, is tea or ephedra pill(w/o caffine) more helpful? May have to drive up to Canada?? Anybody know where to get???
Anonymous
posted 10-Jun-2010 12:47pm

I think the FDA has a deal with the diet industry so we will never lose weight with the crap they are selling us..but we never give up and keep spending our money on stuff that doesn't work. And since they know that they are getting rich...very rich. And us poor fatties are still spending our money and we are still fat.
Anonymous
posted 12-Jun-2010 11:43pm

You can still get ephedrine at the pharmacies, its just regulated how much you can buy so you have to show your id every time you purchase it.
spyke130
posted 17-Jun-2010 9:20am

look the FDA and the entire government is corrupt. nobody gets anything in this country without making money, and you cannot patent marijuana or MaHuang for the same reasons.....they occur in nature, and you CANNOT patent what grows naturally.

having gotten that out of the way, the CHinese have managed to OVER POPULATE THIER COUNTRY WITHOUT BENEFIT OF "WESTERN MEDICINE" SO THEY OBVIOUSLY KNOW SOMETHING.

So all you idiot doctors out there need to shut your holes. You don't know everything and quite honestly, this is a free country...so far, but I must say taking the doctors down a notch or two with Obama-Care may be a good thing for the arrogance of some of them.

just so you know, I came within 8 HOURS of loosing my infant son to an idiot who wanted to wait for a virus? after I argued my point to the head of pediatric surgery at Mott's Childrens hospital, they found what I thought was right, and apologised to me, and I NEVER saw that doctor, anywhere in that hospital again. SO god bless the doctors who care for their patients and to *(^%^$ with those who care for thier money! and this includes the FDA, and the pharma companies they are in bed with....butt banging each other!
Anonymous
posted 26-Jun-2010 9:56am

I have Psoriasis for 20 years. I took the original Hydroxycut 8 years ago and lost weight through diet, exercise and tons of extra energy. I always took the recommnended dosage and didn't abuse it. I also drank tons of water as directed. My Psoriais disappeared completely, which at one point was one every part of my body and really embarassing. Even to the point that I was able to get naked in the middle the day at a bar in Key West. I have been racking my brain for the past 6 years to try and figure out why I didn't have Psoriasis that summer and just realized that it was the alkalizing effects of Ephedra. My skin is horrible now and I have tried everything from Holistic measures to whole food crazy diets. I am going to try this Ximo stuff or the Tea form or find someone in Canada to send it to me.
i luv ephedra
posted 15-Jul-2010 7:27pm

i have 24 boxes of stackers 2 lite with 12.5 mg of the good stuff for sale or 12.99 per box plus shipping thanks ct06902@hotmail.com
Anonymous
posted 16-Aug-2010 4:01pm

You people got to get this straight, YOU MUST DRINK LOTS AND LOTS OF WATER WHEN TAKING EPHEDRA THROUGHOUT THE WHOLE DAY!!!! period

stupid people take the stuff dont drink water get dehydrated and collapse. If people would just use half their brain and common sense, nothing would have ever happened and ephedra would be still easily available.

Its always dumb people that have to ruin a good thing. Then again that how everything is nowadays "a good thing will never last"

Comments (143) Pages: prev ( 1 [2] )




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