Colds ephedra

Ephedra (sea grape, ma-huang, yellow horse) ephedra sinica Relieves colds, improves respiratory function, headaches, diuretic effects 3heart rate, psychosis l hedra should only be used after consulting with the physician. Many restrictions apply and the herb can cause serious reactions. Do not use with cardiac glycosides, monoamine oxidase inhibitor halothane, guanethidine, (MAOIs) or oxytocin. Do not use with 3. John s wort or in weight loss formulas. 

At one time, Coca-Cola actually contained a form of cocaine. These days, the primary stimulant in Coca-Cola and many other beverages is caffeine. Other stimulants are less obvious. Chocolate contains theobromine, a caffeinelike stimulant. Nondrowsy cold remedies contain pseudoephedrine, a relative of ephedra, another plant-alkaloid stimulant. 

Ephedra is used in diet products as an appetite depressant and stimulant, and in sports drinks to mask fatigue. It is also used as a bronchial stimulator, and to relieve symptoms of the common cold. 

Ephedrine and pseudoephediine are a vasodilator and decongestant respectively used widely in the treatment of asthma and the symptoms of colds and influenza. These pharmaceuticals were derived originally fi om the plant Ephedra sinica and used in traditional Chinese medicinal preparations. Although some are still produced fi om such sources, the major production is via a fermentation process followed by a chemical catalytic reaction. As shown in Figure 1, the intermediate / -phenylacetylcarbinol (PAC) is produced by decarboxylation of pyruvate followed by ligation to benzaldehyde. 

Ma Huang (Ephedra sinica) is another potentially harmful herb that is available in the United States. Claims of utility of Ma Huang for the treatment of bronchial asthma, cold and flu symptoms, fevers or chills, headaches and other aches, edema, and lack of perspiration have been made [23], Ma Huang contains approximately 1% of ephedrine and therefore possesses central nervous stimulatory potential [24], However, ephedrine is difficult to extract and purify from Ma Huang, so it presently has no street value. 

Ephedra is available in multiple forms. It is a common ingredient in energy boosting bars, sold as Herbal Ecstasy in some health food stores, and is also available as powder that can be mixed with water. Health food stores may sell powdered ephedrine stems, which can be used in a tea, or they may sell infusion, extracts, tinctures, or tablets of ephedra. Health food stores may also sell ephedra as the ma huang herb. Many manufacturers tend to advertise or market ephedra supplements as natural or as a botanical herb, because some consumers equate natural with safe. In China, ephedra may be boiled with cinnamon twig, licorice root, and almond to treat the common cold. 

Ephedra has been used to treat a variety of ailments for thousands of years. Five thousand years ago the Chinese used ephedra as a medication to treat sweating, lung and bronchial constriction, water retention, coughing, shortness of breath, the common cold, and fevers. 

Both ephedrine and pseudoephedrine remain worry-ingly popular (4) and are widely available without prescription. Based on increasing evidence of the risks of Ephedra self-medication, various national regulatory authorities are currently considering recalling Ephedra products from over-the-counter sales. Oral doses of ephedrine 25-30 mg are often prescribed, for example for orthostatic hypotension. Lower oral doses, present in some cold remedies in tablet form, are unlikely to be efficacious, although they are risky where the drug is... 

The medicinal use of Ephedra sinica in China dates from 2800bc. Ma Eluang (the stem and branch) was used primarily in the treatment of common cold, asthma, hay fever, bronchitis, edema, arthritis, fever, hypotension, and urticaria. Ephedra has been used to treat bronchoconstriction for centuries, because of its activity at /li-adrenergic receptors. It contains pseudoephedrine, ephedrine, and other similar alkaloids. These are sympathomimetics that either directly or indirectly stimulate a- and jS-adrenergic receptors. It has become less extensively used with the advent of more selective agonists. 

Taking ephedra along with other drugs If taken with other drugs simultaneously, ephedra may cause serious complications. Antidepressants, allergy, asthma, or cold medications containing ephedrine, pseudoephedrine or phenylpropanola-... 

The ephedra alkaloids are all sympathomimetic amines, which means that a host of drug interactions are theoretically possible. In fact, only a handful of adverse drug interactions have been reported in the peer-reviewed literature. The most important of these involve the monoamine oxidase inhibitors (MAOI). Irreversible, nonselective MAOIs have been reported to adversely interact with indirectly acting sympathomimetic amines present in many cough and cold medicine. In controlled trials with individuals taking moclobemide, ephedrine s effects on pulse and blood pressure were potentiated, but only at higher doses than those currently provided in health supplements (137). Ephe-drine-MAOI interaction may, on occasion, be severe enough to mimic pheo-... 

Since there are two possible configurations for an asymmetrically substituted carbon atom, a structure containing n such centres will, in theory, possess 2 stereoisomers. The actual number of stereoisomers that exist may be less than this due to steric effects. Compounds that have the same stereochemistry at one chiral centre but different stereochemistry at the others are known as diastereoisomers (diastereomers) a good example is given by the alkaloids ephedrine and pseudoephedrine. Ephedrine (the (1R, 2S) diastereoisomer) is a natural product isolated from Ephedra (the Ma Huang plant) and known to Chinese medicine for over 3000 years. It was used in the last century for the treatment of asthma. Pseudoephedrine (the (IS, 2S) diastereoisomer) is a decongestant and a constituent of several over-the-counter cold and flu remedies (Figure 4.12). 

Ginseng stimulates alertness and cardiac function. The stem of Chinese ephedra is a sudorific, and its roots can halt perspiration. Mint is considered, as in the West, cooling and comforting in nature, and is used to relieve colds and fevers. Often, the pharmacist selects a few ingredients that the patient is expected to process as food and boil into a soup. 

For cough with profuse phlegm due to external invasion by wind cold, add Herba Ephedrae Ma Huang) and Semen Pruni Armeniacae Xing Ren). 

Because of their adverse effects, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has taken action to remove two over-the-counter products that have amphetamine-hke action ephedrine, an agent with actions similar to those of epinephrine and the main active ingredient in the herb ephedra, used for weight loss and in energy-enhancement cold medicines and weight loss... 

Pharmacology The actions of ephedra products are those of ephedrine and pseudoephedrine, which release norepinephrine from sympathetic nerve endings. In addition to nasal decongestion, the established clinical use of ephedrine is as a pressor agent Ephedra herbal products are commonly used for treatment of respiratory dysfunction (including bronchitis and asthma) and as mild CNS stimulants. In Chinese medicine, ephedra products are also used for relief of cold and flu symptoms, for diuresis, and for bone or Joint pain. 

Occurs in leaves of Ephedra vtdgaris. Prisms from EtgO. M.p. 117-18°. [ ]g -f-51-24° in EtOH. Sol. EtOH, EtoO. Spar, sol. cold HjO. 

Ephedrine, an alkaloid with an amphetamine-like structure, is currently used in pharmaceuticals, with potentials to affect nerves, muscle, blood pressure, and heart rate. In 2004, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) banned ephedrine alkaloids marketed for reasons other than asthma, colds, allergies, other disease, or traditional Asian use. Ephedrine and its derivatives (stereoisomers and diaste-reomers) are naturally found in varied proportions in different plant species such as Catha edulis [12], Roemeria refracta [48], Taxus baccata [20], Sida cordifolia [7], Pinellia ternata [24], Aconitum napellus [8], and Ephedra species [22, 29, 32, 37]. 

---