Ephedra case study

Severe consequences following the consumption of certain herbal products have been reported. As an example a recent case study described a group of women in Brussels who developed rapid deterioration in their kidney function after taking herbal weight-loss products containing the herb Aristolochia fangchi A recent review of adverse events associated with the herb ephedra Ephedra sinica) found that 31% of analyzed cases, including deaths and permanent disability, were definitely or probably related to the use of ephedra. ... 

In the only large study ever done to assess risk factors for stroke in young people (age 20-49) over a 1 -yr period (in Poland, a country where ephedra based products are widely used), nearly half the stroke cases were associated with preexisting hypertension, another 15% had hyperlipidemia, and 6% were diabetic (Jovanovic, 1996). None of the individuals were ephedrine users. 

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