Rant continues below...
God dammit. Ephedra sinica is one of the most valuable decongestants at my disposal. Yes, it has stimulating properties which cause bone-heads (companies and individuals alike) to abuse the plant. But dammit, don't spoil it for the rest of us.
This entire article underlines the misconceptions about this plant. At no time to the refer to the plants proper usage, and instead speak about the herb as if it were only valable to get high off or cause weight loss. Here are a few choice excerpts:
...blamed on the amphetamine-like stimulant...
Ephedra is linked to heart attacks and strokes, even when used by outwardly healthy people at recommended doses...
Bullshit. If you've got a heart condition (even though you may appear "outwardly normal", don't take Ma huang.
The supplement industry's Council for Responsible Nutrition said it didn't oppose a ban, noting that very few companies still make the stimulant its members who once did no longer do so.
Make the stimulant? God dammit. You can't "make" Ma huang, it grows. And, god dammit again, stop referring to it as a stimulant! That's the whole problem!
NOTE: There is another species of Ephedra which is native to this continent, Epehdra nevadensis or viridis or torreyana. Also called Mormon Tea, this native is also an excellent decongestant, though much milder than the asian variety Ma huang. This is not covered by the ban (bastards), though it is difficult to procure. I wonder if that will change now that Ma huang is banned. No, probably not. I can't see anyone drinking enough Morman Tea to get a high. Good.
My understanding is that it is the synthetic Ma huang that caused the deaths. If so, that is what should have been banded, as it is essentially a drug. The natural version should have been excluded from the ban. Therein lies the outrage for me.
Posted by: Russ Harvey on December 30, 2003 05:43 PMRuss,
Actually, the ban is on Ma huang the plant. That is the ingredient in the weight loss suppliments which is causing the rift.
The "synthetic" is simply epinepherine, which is found is most OTC decongestants. However, it is not epinipherine, which is an isolated constituent and regulated as a drug, but Ma huang or Ephedra sininca itself which is impacted by this ban.
Did I mention "bastards"?
Ciao... Evo
Ma Huang will still be available to Chinese herbalists, according to Yahoo News.
http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=594&ncid=594&e=6&u=/nm/20031231/hl_nm/health_ephedra_chinese_dc
I don't know if this means it will only be available through licensed acupuncturists or OTC in Chinese formulas.
Posted by: Bernie Simon on January 3, 2004 08:13 PM"The 'synthetic' is simply epinepherine"!
Huh? The active consistuents of ephedra, which can be synthesised, are ephedrine and pseudoephedrine. These in fact are contra-indicated wrt epinepherine...
Posted by: BrokenBeast on January 9, 2004 09:15 AMBeast,
I don't take a reductionist attitude towards botanical medine. As such, stating two compuonds as the only active ones in a plant is counter-intuitive to how botanical medicines affect (not effect) the human condition.
Yes, you can synthesize both ephedrine and psuedoephedrine, coupounds wich occur naturally in Ephedra sinica. I listed epinephrine (adrenalin) insead of ephedrine by mistake. My bad.
Morman tea does contain some significant levels of pseudoephedrine, though presented in the whole plant form I've never had a client with negative reactions as you might expect and see from many OTC prodcucts containing synthesized and purified pseudoephedrine.
The whole is definitely greater than the sum of the parts!
Posted by: Evo on January 9, 2004 05:00 PMI've given this issue a lot of thought, and here is my opinion:
One: The FDA did, in fact, do its job in this situation. The ephedra/caffiene/aspirin/whatever combination diet pills WERE hurting people. Were they hurting people as much as, say, certain pharmaceutical drugs? Perhaps not, but the simple fact is, they did lead to an increased risk of stroke, increased blood pressure, and a lot of other problems. They were working to take a risky product off the market, and they did.
Two: The herb Ephedra has NEVER been used traditionally as a weight-loss product, especially not concentrated and combined with caffeine. Ephedra, when used in traditional herbal remedies under the supervision of a good herbalist for bronchial spasm or other indications, is good medicine, and it is SAFE.
Three: The sad, sad, sad fact is that the FDA has not differentiated between Number One (irrationally dosed concentrated Ephedra mixed with other stimulants for a speedball diet pill) and Number Two (traditional herbal remedies combining whole-plant Ephedra--not a concentrate--with other herbs for relief of bronchial spasm). So, while they HAVE removed a dangerous product from the marketplace, the side effect is that they've also removed a really useful herb, too.
I'm not quite sure how this should be dealt with, but I can't entirely fault the FDA here. I don't think that we really have the framework in place to properly regulate herbal medicine in this country without "throwing the baby out with the bathwater". Any ideas?
Posted by: Sarah Hasler on January 19, 2004 03:28 PM