Category - Ephedra sinica [Ephedra, Ephedrine, ma huang]

Ephedra has been used in traditional Chinese medicine for 5,000 years. The stimulant and thermogenic effects of Ephedra sinica is due to the presence of the alkaloids ephedrine and pseudoephedrine. These compounds stimulate the brain, increases blood pressure, increases heart rate, increased thermogenesis. In August 2006 FDA has banned Ephedra in the U.S. due to accumulating evidence of adverse effects and deaths related to its use.