Ephedra has been used safely in China for centuries. Ephedra is grown in China and recognized in the Pharmacopeia of the People's Republic of China, and the Chinese Materia Medica. An alkaloid found in the stems and leaves of ephedra have shown beneficial effects ranging from .5%-2.5% depending on the type of species, time of harvest, and weather conditions. ephedrine was isolated from ma huang in the late 19th century in Japan, and was shortly thereafter produced in the United States as synthetic ephedrine. The synthetic ephedrine was used as a nasal decongestant, broncial asthma treatment, and also as a central nervous system stimulant.
ephedrine and pseudoephedrine make up the dominant alkaloids found in ephedra. Ephedrine makes up anywhere from 30-90 percent of the total alkaloid content. The total group of alkaloids have been dubbed "ephedrine group alkaloids".
Ephedrine has shown to have significant weight loss benefits. In the early 1970's a Danish doctor treating asthma patients with ephedrine, caffeine, and phenobarbital noticed unintentional weight loss occurring in the patients. Eventually other researchers caught on and began studying the effects of ephedrine and caffeine on weight loss. And the rest is history! Ephedra alone had sold approximately 425 million ephedra "servings" in 1995. By 1999, ephedra sales had reached 3 billion! As you can see, the effects of ephedra on weight loss has not been lost on the ingelligent American public.
jr
ephedrine and pseudoephedrine make up the dominant alkaloids found in ephedra. Ephedrine makes up anywhere from 30-90 percent of the total alkaloid content. The total group of alkaloids have been dubbed "ephedrine group alkaloids".
Ephedrine has shown to have significant weight loss benefits. In the early 1970's a Danish doctor treating asthma patients with ephedrine, caffeine, and phenobarbital noticed unintentional weight loss occurring in the patients. Eventually other researchers caught on and began studying the effects of ephedrine and caffeine on weight loss. And the rest is history! Ephedra alone had sold approximately 425 million ephedra "servings" in 1995. By 1999, ephedra sales had reached 3 billion! As you can see, the effects of ephedra on weight loss has not been lost on the ingelligent American public.
jr
