Ephedra: Legal or Not?
If ephedra is banned - why are there ephedra-based diet pills appearing on the market? The answer lies in the amount of concentrated ephedra alkaloid that these new products contain.
So what exactly is the status of this supposedly banned herbal supplement?
Nutrition label for an
ephedra product currently on sale
No less than a year later US District Judge Tena Campbell struck down the ban. This was in response to a lawsuit from supplement company Nutraceutical International Corp. Nutraceutical's supplements had no less than 10 milligrams of ephedra per dosage.
The ruling's final page prohibits the FDA from enforcing the ban on Nutraceutical's supplements containing 10 milligrams or less of ephedra.Finally, a year on, some manufacturers are prepared to test this ruling, and ephedra-based supplements are beginning to appear on the market again. However these new pills have 10mg or less of the ephedra alkaloid.
Ephedra will always remain a controversial supplement. Along with many critics, there are also many who support the use of ephedra as an effective fat burner. The supporters claim an overall ban is unfair and that pharmaceutical drugs consistently bring far more deaths and adverse side effects than ephedra ever did. As to it's effectiveness, a report available on the FDA site concludes that:
The short-term use of ephedrine, ephedrine plus caffeine, or the assessed dietary supplements containing ephedra and herbs with caffeine is associated with a statistically significant increase in short-term weight loss (compared to placebo).I suspect this debate will carry on for many years to come.
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With all the product liability law suits ongoing I am surprised any legitimate company would want to manufacture a product containing ephedra.
http://www.antiagingatlanta.com
ReplyI honestly think there's no use in banning ephedrine. As long as it is clearly labeled, not sold to kids and has a warning on it, people can make their own choice. Once someone makes a choice out of their own free will, then the pharmaceutical companies are not responsible any more.
ReplyMa Huang and Ephedrine was being illegally imported and sold when it was banned anyways.
It seems to me that nothing can beat the old standard of diet and excersise. and some diet pills are legit but why would anyone want to risk their own health? isnt that ultimatly what this is all about?
ReplyI think the reason they may have banned Ephedra is beacuse alot of people abused it for either more weightloss or to get an Euphoric effect....I beleive ther are no health risks as long as you take it as directed and don't abuse it
ReplyIt seems to me that nothing can beat the old standard of diet and excersise. and some diet pills are legit but why would anyone want to risk their own health? isnt that ultimatly what this is all about?
Replyhow is anyone risking their health, any more than using anything else? ephedra has been around and used for literally thousands of years... it's as safe as, say, caffeine or alcohol-- which is to say, anything can be unsafe if used irresponsibly. the deaths that I remember being reported in the news around the time of the ban were due to irresponsible use (for example: the Orioles pitcher who took 3 pills on an empty stomach and was practicing in the blazing sun without hydration; a CBS news story said ephedra was "implicated" in his death but wasn't the cause). IMHO ephedra has terrific benefits when used properly, and it's too bad that the poor judgement/actions of a few caused the substance to be banned for everyone else. my 2c!
ReplyI completely agree. When ephedra based pills are used properly the benefits are great.
Example: After I had my daughter I found it so hard to lose the extra "baby weight" that most of us put on as new moms. Well I started taking xenadrine w/ ephedra and lost that 20 pounds in 4 months. On just 2 pills a day with diet and exercise of course. The pills just gave me that extra energy that I needed.
God, I wish we could still buy it :(
ReplyI read that some are now in a timed released form. Less of a rush.
ReplyI have used Ma Huang evey day for 10 years plus. It helped me in everyway. Now my choice and productivy level has been taken away. People die every minute from alcohol related accidents, Yet no one regulates the amount of intake there. Yet they feel they must do so in Ma Huang. How many people died a minute due to the amount of Ma Huang they took? It is totally possible to OD on asprin yet it's still there on the market as a choice.
ReplyI am not against alcohol or asprin by the way.
USA The land of free choice hugh?
Nia,
Unfortunately, we live in a country where nobody wants to take responsibility for their actions. While you have looked at the positives and negatives of Ma Huang and made an educated decision on what to do with your own body, most Americans aren't as logical. There are many people who will buy anything with a "lose weight quick" sign. Some of these people have heart conditions or high blood pressure and they STILL don't pay attention to the label on the supplement they are providing. Then, if they have a negative side effect, they blame it on the supplement provider (when they should blame themselves for not reading the label). Our government works in such a way that they try to protect stupid people from taking responsibility for their actions, which results in people (like you) who looked at both sides of the story in a responsible way and make a decision from there lose your privileges. So basically, it's the smarter, responsible people who have to suffer and be constrained so that stupid people can continue to be stupid without taking responsibility for their actions.
Sad, I know.
Stephanie
Replyi totally agree with you 100% we are on the same page because i feel the same way...
thankx for your comment
Replysmart people are immune from alcohol poisoning?
ReplyThe pharmacuticle industry is to blame for the ban on ephedra. They know how much money they stand to loose by letting people become healthy. They turn a huge profit from obesity and dont care about anyone's suffering. Its all about the almighty dollar in this country.
ReplyGood call. If you factored in the amount of alcohol-related deaths - then we should have blanket-banned alcohol years ago. Some things just don't make a lot of sense when it comes to legislation.
ReplyI, for one, am glad Ephedra is off the market (or so I thought). I know this is a tired and lame excuse but I am allergic to Ephedra. And not a little allergic, but a lot. Two hours after taking anything containing Ephedra my face begins swelling, I get odd red rings around my neck, my blood pressure plummets and my pulse races. There was a time when they put Ephedra into all the cold and flu medicines, so nothing in that area was safe for me. The doctor's denied it could be cold medicine giving me this reaction. "No one is allergic to cold medicine" they said. I wound up in the hospital four times because of this. (I was a teenager) I didn't know it was Ephedra until I took Metabolife and had the same reaction. That was the one active ingredient they shared. Since giving up all cold and flu medicine as well as weight loss drugs, I haven't had an "episode" since. I was so relieved when they took Ephedra off the market. I was safe again. Now the fear is back that it could be lurking in nearly everything because they can so cleverly disquise the name. Ephedra really is dangerous, not just for me (with an odd allergy to it, and really its the ONLY thing I am allergic to) but for anyone.
Replyits people like you who got ephedra banned.
Replyif you got a bad reaction from it then dont use it again and quit saying that its dangerous.when one person gets a bad reaction from it the media goes crazy.
there is no pharmacist in the usa, that if you asked him does this have something that you are allergic too would tell that he would not recomend that youtake it. come are kids or teenagers or forest gump, "stupid is,stupid does".
ReplyUh, all you have to do is read the ingredients in whatever. And ephedra is still in things, like inhalers..
ReplyAnd just because you were allergic doesn't mean everyone else is.. that's like oh well because I'm allergic to tide and get a rash... IT'S DANGEROUS to EVERYONE...
Perhaps reading the label on things you take (they all have to list ephedra if they contain it) would also help, while at the same time not removing the choice from others to take ephedra.
ReplyHow utterly selfish to gleefully support restrictions on a natural herbal product, that has largely been in safe use for thousands of years, because a few people are allergic to it. Someone out there can be found who is allergic to most anything one can think of. Why don't we ban milk, peanut butter, and good ole American apple pie too. I know people who are allergic to each of these. Pretty stupid huh! What are people thinking about (besides themselves), or are they thinking at all?
ReplyAs with any drug, it's safety is directly related to it's dosage. The FDA failed and/or refused to establish a minimum safe dosage for ephedra by suddenly issuing a ban in 2004. By doing so it acted outside the federal guidelines set up for them by congress. In the past, the FDA has approved many drugs that have since been linked to adverse side effects, and even death;(remember fen-phen?). Why pick on ephedra, which has been used safely for thousands of years? Is it because ephedra is an herb,(which cannot be patened) and thus poses a serious threat to any of the billion dollar pharmaceutical companies' line of weight loss drugs? Well, of course, that's just simply pure speculation. And to suggest the possiblity that any amount of corruption could exist between the FDA, and companies like Phizer, or Squibb, is just downright malevolent I suppose. Whatever the case may be, if the FDA insists upon making up it's own rules, as it did with the 2004 ephedra ban, I suggest the organization ,as a whole, pack it's bags and move to Cuba, North Korea, or China. In those nations, where the government exerts full control over it's population, I think the FDA would fit right in.
ReplyI can answer that one - Ephedrine is very easily synthesized to make chrystal meth (methamphetamine). DEA is the real reason that ephedra is banned, not the FDA.
ReplyI addicted to ephedra while I was in college. I definately didn't realize how extreme the effects of ephedra could be. I had a mild stroke, back in 2000, I was only 20 years old.
I am fine now, but I think that because the effects of ephedra can be so strong, it is our responsibility to prevent this from happening. I don't know whether this means banning it althogether, but definately means warning signs, and lower dosages.
ReplyThe original formulas DID have warning signs, It was you're responsibility to read them!
And all diet pill bottles have warning signs.
How many were you taking? I mean.. you can't be an idiot when you are taking things.
They certainly not banning alcohol and look at all the issues with that!
ReplyThe synthetic ephedra in cold medicine is much more dangerous than natural ephedra contained in weight loss supplements . It is much more difficult for our bodies to process synthetic material . The ban on ephedra was a hoax fueled by drug companies and laywers . In fact the FDA never wanted to ban it because there was no evidence and its not their job to tell us what supplements we can or cannot consume . Asprin, synthetic pain medication, cold medicines, alchohol , and many prescription drugs are far more dangerous . In fact if we use the same guidlines as ephedra, the FDA needs to ban bananas, peanut butter , chocolate , coffee , and nearly every concentrated extract and supplement produced.
ReplyI personally was VERY upset when they took ephedra off the market. I wasn't addicted to it but I had finally found something that worked. Many people didn't like it because it gave you the shakey feeling, but that is how I knew it was working ... ephdrine doesn't work that way. Ephedra works great for me. And I will be glad when they let it back out on the market.
ReplyI was glad when they made ephedra illegal. I have an eating disorder, and I used to take huge doses of it because it would make me not hungry all day. I would shake, have elevated heart rate, red face, and grew less sensitive to it (so I'd have to take more to get the same effect). When it was made illegal, I was taking so much that I was unable to sleep at night and would throw up because it irritated my stomach. I wasn't physically addicted but I was psychologically addicted. At times I wish ephedra would be made legal again, but I think of the amount of money I spent on it and the risk to my health and I'm glad it's illegal just because now it's not an issue for me.
ReplyBut that's not to say I think it should be illegal just because people like me will abuse it.
Well that's great that now it's easy for you, but what about everyone else who has control and is responsible? That's so extremely selfish!
ReplyDid you even read his post? He doesn't support a ban...rent a brian, moron...
ReplyYeah rent a brian.
As far as I can tell the only idiot are those abusing the drug. Here is the thing YOU HAD AN EATING DISORDER. Stop eating so much. Problem solved.
Just because you have one problem does not allow you to abuse something else and then be upset when there are adverse side effects. The exact same thing could be said about caffeine. Why don't you take 10000 mg of caffeine a day and see what happens? (Obviously a bad idea)
If you aren't going to follow the suggested dosage then don't take the medication. PERIOD, end of story.
ReplyIt's all about being responsible. Ephedra works for most people, and for some it can be dangerous whether that be due to irresponsible usage or allergic reaction. Adults need to grow up and be responsible for your actions. If you cant use it responsibly then you shouldnt at all. This is no different than any other supplement or prescription drug on the market. I would guess that you could do more damage with many over the counter drugs in a lesser dosage than you could with ephedra. When you actually look at what the judge said when he overturned the decision, then you would see that for every 12 million users, 100 have had fatal or near fatal reactions. As harsh as that sounds...there are probably more people that have died choking on their chewable multivitamins.
ReplyI am so freaking sick of people thinking they need to ban ALL the evil crap in the world to take care of me! Now our community is trying to ban cell phones in public, cigarette smoking in public, Pit bulls in general! Geez! BAN THE BANS! I am an adult, and I like to make my own choices. I have since I moved out of my mother's house 18 years ago. Guess what - I'm still alive! If I am allergic to something, I don't consume it. More people died in one year from taking aspirin at PRESCRIBED dosages than reacted badly to ephedra. The FDA doesn't test for safety-if they make enough money on a product they will sell it, and if enough people die from it, they may issue a recall, then later bring it back with a different name, or some bogus reason that "there is no proof that these people died from this product." All of a sudden it's safe again. Fen Phen, Lipitor, Vioxx, etc, etc. If the FDA cannot regulate an herb, then for Pete's sake, they shouldn't be able to ban it! Bans bans bans! I'm so sick of bans! AAAAAAAARGH! Thank you for letting me vent. :-0
ReplyI am glad it is legal again. I like taking it once in a while for a boost in energy and to lose a few lbs if I need to. Nothing beats regular exercise and healthy diet for weight loss but a little ephedra if taken correctly an NOT Abused it is safe, the problem is people abuse it and just take to much. I think they will try to ban it again which has happened before in the past but it always ends up back on the market.
Denise
ReplyThis Ban is ridiculas. I took Ephedra products and never had a side effect. I'll bet more people are injured by chainsaws and ladders each year than by Ephedra. Lets outlaw Chainsaws!!! I took Metabo-Loss and I lost about 8-10 pounds a month. Just a Stupid Ban. Are you tellin me this is more dangerous then Gystric-Bypass which people do to lose weight. The Government sucks. Too bad Marlboro didn't put out Ephedra, It'd be sellin forever.
ReplySOOO is it legal again or what? where do i get it?
ReplyYou can find it by doing a search online. I dont know if they are selling it in your town but you cant buy it off the shelf here.
ReplySTACKERS????????????????????????????????hellyeah
Replystackers???
ReplyWhat is a stacker??
ReplyKelly, a stacker or ECA stack is a combo of: Ephedrine, Caffeine, and Aspirin.
ReplyPlease someone tell me where I can buy Ephedrine (Ma Huang) products! Thanks.
Replyu can still buy ephedra, i have xtreme thermoburn by thermolabs it has ma huang 300 mg (standarized to %8 - 24 mg ephedra alkaloids) so much for the ban !!!! you can buy it off the net !
ReplyHis Majesty... any pharmacy? They are just not sold in many weight loss supplements anymore, but it is still sold in ashtma meds or even by itself.
ReplyHas anyone used thermodiet.com ? I see they carry Tri-Chromaleane .
ReplyThis is one of the problems in our country, effedera, like beer can kill you. So we slap a warning on beer and can sell it. Effedera kills one or two Pro Ball players and we ban it. They knew that it was a stimulant take anything in higher or extreme dosages and thats the kind of effect you'll get. You'd think these lawmakers woul have more sense than they seem to portray
ReplyExcellent comment! I completely agree with you. I am allergic to peanut butter... I can die from it. Why don't they ban peanut butter?
ReplyNic, it is not because you have an eating disorder that everybody is like you... unable to control its dosage!
You dont have to be happy that it's now banned... you have to be very sad not to be able to control yourself.
ReplyI have sufferd from chronic fatigue syndrom 4 about 6 years,spent thousands on Drs.to no avail,and had to quit working and move home lost everything to fatigue.Effedra was hope,things were finally looking up,I needed alot but did not abuse,it was the greatest thing I have ever tried.I love it,then they band it,I was sick,I fell back to where I was at,don't know what to do now?
ReplyIs it leagal or not to posess?
Just because a couple of people have to ruin it for everybody else is not fare,how many people die in alcohol related car crashes every weekend and yet alcohol is never taken off the shelf? why? yet a few people abuse of it makes effedra ban for ever?
ReplyI have to say that I really lost a lot of weight, 80 pounds to be exact and felt much better after using Xenadrine with Ephedra annd I am so disappointed that they took it out because people mis used this product. Why does everyone have to suffer because of others mistakes!?! Also people should have a choice whether they want to take it or not and let that be there consequences if they have side effects, etc. I took Xenadrine for over a year and had no problems with it at all and I am fine now as well. Before taking it I was obese, had major back pain, was out of energy and tired all the time and when I lost the weight and had more energy I didnt get sick as much either. I had less colds and felt a lot better, I was given much compliments on my success. I honestly believe if people would take these pills as directed then there would be no issue here!
ReplyI have tried pills that are suppose to be as good as Ephedra but these pills on the market don't even come close to it. I wont even attempt to buy any other pills or waist more money, until they bring Ephedra back on the market. I am sure if they do bring Ephedra back that maybe 1 or 2 more people might die, but that is there choice if they want to overdose on pills. As a lot of other legal pills or medicines if you overdose you are going to get sick and die. You cannot stop the world from what they are going to do, because if they can't get the Ephedra they can always go for illegal drugs and steroids. I have never did a drug in my intire life, and I was not addicted to the Ephdra but it worked well. I took it for 6 months and got off of it got a year and then took it for a little over 6 months. As it states on the bottle that it is not intended for long period use. I suffered absolutely NO side effects and it helped me to lose the pounds that I needed to. I was very frightened when I seen on the news that someone died and I discontinued it also but then I found out that this guy had been abusing it for a long time and not only that but they cannot prove that the ephedra was what gave the guy a heat stroke! It could have been his age, weight and the fact that he had been outside in the heat for a real long time. In both death cases the people were abusing the Ephedra really bad and they were both up in there older age, and Ephedra could not have been a proven cause as well. Since they have removed Ephedra from the market, I am sure the ones that were abusing it have turned to illegal drugs, steroids and so you cannot stop people from doing what they want to do. I have not went to those extremes and I will not do that (no one in there right mind should be so desperate) but that is what they are forcing some people to do to themselves and it is sad.
Reply
ReplyI don't get it-you know,everyone asking where can I purchase ephedra. Im in San Antonio, TX and you can easily find it at a nutritional store called COST PLUS NUTRITION. And yes, it is no longer banned, strictly speaking. By the way, I love ephedra and would not take any other supplement for energy or weight-loss. I am 28 years old and have been taking it since high school! For me, it all started with Metabolife.
is ephedra legal in new york state?
ReplyIs ephedra back on the market?--I'm reading on the web that it appears okay if sold in 10 mg doses or less.
ReplyAlso, does anyone know the latest news on where to buy it or any other herbal alternatives that work just like ephedra? I've tried a few and have been disappointed every time.
I too am looking for ephedra, but can't seem to find out if it is legal again or not. I used to use Xenadrine EFX with ephedra, which worked amazingly well to shed pounds... but i did find this article.. check it out: http://bodybydesign.wordpress.com/2007/01/18/ephedra-let-the-supreme-court-decide/
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