Is ephedra safe and effective?
What is the difference between ephedra (Ma Huang) and ephedrine? Ephedra (Ma Huang) refers to the whole branchlet which is traditionally used. It is typically made as a tea by cooking in water. Ephedrine and pseudophedrine refer to alkaloid constituents of the whole herb. Although chemically derived ephedrine is used in pharmaceutical medications, dietary supplement manufacturers are required by law to use the crude herb. Typically an extraction is made to bring out the alkaloids when selling stimulant products or products for weight loss. It is common in the weight loss industry to combine alkaloid rich extracts with caffeine or caffeine containing herbs such as cola and guarana, and even aspirin. Typically, ephedra herb contains 0.5-2% alkaloids including ephedrine, pseudophedrine, norephedrine, norpseudoephedrine, and methylephedrine. The plant also contains flavonoids, proanthocyanidins, tannins, and volatile oils. It is likely that these other constituents are buffering agents whi
