What is Ephedra
Known as Ma Huang, ephedra is a member of the family of herbs known as the Ephedracae. It has been used in China for more than 5000 years to treat symptoms of asthma and upper respiratory infections. Varieties of the herb are also grown in Europe, India, North-America, Australia and Afghanistan. American ephedra, native to the dry southwest, was used as tea by the early settlers, and was known as "Mormon tea" and "Squaw tea". It has also been used in the treatment of headaches, fevers, colds and hay fever. Today, compounds derived from this herb are commonly found in many (over-the-counter) cold and allergy medications.
What is Ephedra
Dietary supplements utilize ephedra, as it is a stimulant similar to amphetamines; it raises blood pressure and increases the heart rate. These dietary supplements frequently include caffeine as an additional ingredient alongside ephedra in their products.
Action And Clinical Pharmacology
It stimulates both alpha and beta receptors and its peripheral actions are due partly to norepinephrine release and partly to direct effects on receptors. Ephedrine stimulates the heart, elevating the systolic and usually the diastolic blood pressure. Its vasopressor effect results largely from increased cardiac output and to a lesser extent from peripheral vasoconstriction. Ephedrine produces relaxation of bronchial muscle which is more sustained but less pronounced than that produced by epinephrine.
Contraindications
Ephedrine can cause shivers, insomnia, nervousness, palpitation of the heart and high blood pressu
Ephedrine hydrochloride in pharmaceutical preparations
Ephedrine (EP), (1R,2S)-2-methylamino-l-phenylpropan-1-ol, is a sympathomimetic amine, that is, its principal mechanism of action relies on its indirect action on the adrenergic receptor system, which is part of the sympathetic nervous system (SNS). Although it may have weak agonist activity at [alpha]-and [beta]-adrenergic receptors, the principal mechanism is expected to displace noradrenaline from storage vesicles in presynaptic neurons. The displaced noradrenalin is released into the neuronal synapse, where it is free to activate the postsynaptic adrenergic receptors. Chemically, it is an alkaloid derived from various plants in the genus Ephedra (family Ephedraceae; 1).
Warnings In Clinical States
Do not exceed recommended dosage or take for more than 7 days except on the advice of a physician. Consult a physician prior to use if you have heart or thyroid diseases, high blood pressure, diabetes, glaucoma, difficulty in urination due to an enlargement of the prostate gland or if you are taking any prescription drugs. Do not take if you are currently taking or have recently taken MAO inhibitor drugs. Use only on the advice of a physician.
History
The first written account of Ephedra sinica's use is recorded in the Pen Ts'ao of Shen Nung, a Chinese herbalist. This was written in 2800 BC, and lists 366 plant drugs, including Ephedra sinica (Griggs, 1982). It is possible that ancient Greeks had knowledge of Ephedra and its medicinal properties. An ancient Roman writer named Pliny described a plant called "ephedron" used by the Greeks.
However, the Greeks used ephedra for the same purposes as the Chinese, but it's unknown if they got this information from them or discovered it themselves (Schultes and von Reis, 1995).
Western medicine's interest in ephedra began in 1923, with the demonstration that the isolated alkaloid ephedrine possessed a number of pharmacological effects. Ephedrine was synthesized in 1927 and since this time both ephedrine and pseudoephedrine have been used extensively in over the -counter cold and allergy medications.
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