Pure Ephedra
Pure ephedra is a stimulant which is often sold in pills or tablets and comes from the ephedra plant. The ephedra is taken from shrubs of the ephedra genus or was made synthetically. It was used as a treatment for asthma or allergies. It was also used as a weight loss aid, a sports enhancer, and an energy booster. Ephedra was banned in the United States in 2003 then again in 2006. It was first thought that a small dose would not be harmful but after people suffered from strokes and heart attacks from only 8 mg. Of the ephedra, it was decided to ban it altogether in the United States. There were over 800 victims, reported to the Food and Drug Administration , who suffered or died from the use of ephedra products since 1994. Other side effects reported were high blood pressure, irregular heartbeats, insomnia, nervousness, tremors, seizures, and death. This was just too big a number not to do something about it. If the small amounts caused these serious side effects there was nothing left to do but ban the product altogether. The National Football League banned their players from using it after some of them suffered from serious side effects. There were many misleading warnings on the labels of the products and some of them stated they contained a certain amount of ephedra when in fact they contained more or less than what they stated. This was just too dangerous to take chances with people’s lives and health.
Ephedra is a stimulant herb which is found in arid regions of the world. The herb goes by several different names so it can be confusing for some who do not know this. The other names ephedra may be found under are Mormon Tea, Ma Huang, Squaw Tea, and Herbal Ecstasy. It is a powerful stimulator which increases metabolism. The Chinese have used it for more than 5,000 years to treat ling problems. It has been used in many countries to treat common colds and congestion of the bronchial tubes.
The Federal Drug Administration has started a new program to analyze all herbal ephedra products to make sure they are all natural products and not synthetic ingredients. If you believe you have suffered from any ephedra products or any herbal supplement, you should contact your doctor as soon as possible. You can also contact the FDA Consumer hotline 800-532-4440 and your local health department and let them know your experience with the ephedra product and what product it was. There were many products which contained ephedra but there should not be any in the United States now.
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