Ephedra and Ephedra Products 

Ephedra is known by many names around the world, some of the common names for ephedra are Ephedrine or Ma Huang. Ephedra is mainly found in central Asia and is believed to have been used by the Chinese for many centuries to cure conditions such as common cold, asthma and bronchitis. The most common active compound in Ephedra is ephedrine.

There are many ephedra products available in the market helping users in many different ways. Ephedra or ephedra based products are mostly used for weight loss as ephedra increases the rate of metabolism in the body, reducing weight, relaxes the air passage in the lungs. Ephedra is also considered a performance-enhancing drug and is prohibited in most competitive sports.

Well, despite ephedra having many beneficial usage western medical professionals have doubts about ephedra and don’t recommend the use of ephedra. Beginning in the 1990s, concerns about the safety of Ephedra and Ephedra-based products began to be publicly raised in the United States.

After receiving many reports of "adverse events", the US Federal Food and Drug Administration (FDA) proposed regulations in 1997 for a warning label, and a limited dose of 8mg (no more than 24mg per day).

On Dec. 30, 2003, FDA issued a consumer alert on the safety of dietary supplements containing ephedra. The alert advised consumers to immediately stop buying and using ephedra products. Further, FDA notified manufacturers that it intends to publish a final rule stating that dietary supplements containing ephedrine alkaloids present an unreasonable risk of illness or injury.

Ephedra, also called Ma huang, is a naturally occurring substance derived from plants. Its principal active ingredient is ephedrine, which when chemically synthesized is regulated as a drug. In recent years ephedra products have been extensively promoted to aid weight loss, enhance sports performance, and increase energy.

The state of California banned Ephedra dietary supplements in January 2004, followed by New York and Illinois. These laws are not affected by the federal court decision.