Ephedra procera

Parsaeimehr et al., using a HPLC gradient method, reported the presence of ephedrine and pseudoephedrine in three species of Ephedra and observed that the content of ephedrine and pseudoephedrine varied from species to species. The highest amount of ephedrine was recorded in E. strobilacea (2.7 mg g dry weight), while the highest amount of pseudoephedrine was recorded in Ephedra procera (3.7 mg g dry weight) [33] (Table 27.2). 

Parsaeimehr A, Sargsyan E, Javidnia K (2010) Influence of plant growth regulators on callus induction, growth, chlorophyll, ephedrine and pseudoephedrine contents in Ephedra procera. J Med Plant Res 4(13) 1308-1317... 

E. intermedia collected in one area and in E. gerardiana. Specimens of E. intermedia collected in other areas contained N-methylephedrine in addition, as did E. gerardiana var. sikkimensis, E. nebrodensis var. procera, an unidentified Ephedra sp., and various commercial samples of the drug Ma-Huang. The cactus Opuntia clavata has been shown to contain iV-methyltyramine. Whereas no alkaloids could be detected in a number of Thelocactus spp., seven cacti of the genus Gymnocactus were found to contain various amounts of N-methyl- -phenethylamine, in some cases accompanied by hordenine and iV-methyltyramine. ... 

In Italy several investigations have been carried out by La Floresta (137, 138), Carboni (139, 140, 141) Mulas and Safis (142), Alberti (143) and Simon (144), on local species of Sardinia and Sicily, to find suitable sources of ephedra alkaloids. It was found that E. nehrodensis contained high amounts of ephedrine and -ephedrine E. distachya (E. vulgaris Rich.) contained only /-ephedrine, while E. fragilis Desf., E. altissima Desf., and E. procera C. A. Mey E. nehrodensis Tineo ) were of low alkaloidal content. 

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