There’s a quickly diminishing fad in town thanks to the FDA and it’s called Ephedra. But this new fad is going down quick because at the time of this writing, it’s been long declared illegal in all dietary supplements and taken off the shelves of every store and banned in the United States.
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Ephedra is an herbal medicine closely related to amphetamines (speed). It can be found in sports products like energy drinks, herbal uppers, and weight loss aids. But many of the herbal pills that contain ephedra also contain caffeine for an extra kick. However, people don’t realize the ephedra dangers from using or abusing the popular drug.
Ephedra is also known as ‘ma huang,’ because it’s health benefits were discovered by the Chinese thousands of years ago. And to this day, if used correctly, it can have many useful positive medical purposes. Ephedra is especially useful in the treatment of respiratory problems such as asthma and bronchitis. It also eases the discomfort that is brought upon by minor illnesses like the common cold, nasal congestion, and allergies. Since it’s been banned, there is a synthetic form of ephedra called ‘pseudoephedrine.’ You can no longer find it in the aisle at your local drug store, you must ask the pharmacist for any medicines that contain the drug, and you must sign for it before purchasing. They even put a limit on how many boxes you can buy at a time.
But because of its stimulant nature, it usually ends up being misused or abused by many, especially the younger generations. Some of these adverse reactions that have been reported and documented include: dizziness, increased blood pressure, angina, memory changes, hepatitis, diarrhea, constipation, skin rashes, and more dangerous reactions include: coma, psychosis, seizures, and in some cases…death. And as of 2000, according to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), there have been more than 675 complaints of some or all of the symptoms, and 39 reported deaths.
Some of the more harmful ephedra dangers that could potentially be directly or indirectly fatal include: irritability, restlessness, anxiety (sometimes chronic), severe headaches, nausea and vomiting, urinary problems, high blood pressure, irregular or rapid heartbeat, strokes and addiction, and ultimately…death. However, as long as it is used as directed either by a physician or on the package if bought at a pharmacy, many of these unpleasant side effects can be avoided.
After May of 2004 however, the food and drug administration proposed to reduce the risks with dietary supplement products containing ephedrine by limiting the amount of ephedrine alkaloids in the supplements as well as labeling and marketing the dangers of the use of ephedrine on all products containing the drug.
The Deputy of Food and Drugs said in a statement, ‘Consumers should be aware that just because a product is labeled ‘natural’ or from an herbal source it is not guaranteed to be safe. The effects of ephedrine alkaloids are potentially powerful ones. We urge people to talk to their doctors before using dietary supplements containing ephedrine alkaloids, and to always use them with caution.’
