Ephedra sinica /ma huang

Ephedra (Ephedra sinica)/Ma Huang Evening Primrose Oil Oenothera biennis) Feverfew Tanacetum parthenium)... 

Ephedra (Ephedra sinica)/Ma Huang Uses Stimulant, aid in wt loss, bronchial dilation Dose Not OK d/t reported deaths (>100 mg/d can be life-threatening). US sales banned by FDA in 2004 bitter orange w/ similar properties has replaced this compound in most wt loss supplements Caution Advise cardiac events, strokes, death SE Nervousness, HA, insomnia, palpitations, V, hypoglycemia Interactions Digoxin, antihypertensives, antidepressants, diabetic medications EMS Tinctures extracts contain EtOH may X glucose linked to several deaths behavioral mood changes... 

Ephedra sinica (Ma-huang, ephedra) Erythroxylum coca ( Coca)... 

The medicinal use of ephedra has been traced back to Neanderthal times and the value of Ephedra sinica (Ma Huang) in TCM is well known. In... 

Herbal substitutes for dru [s of abuse A variety of herbal mixtures are offered for sale in magazines, on the internet and in so-called smart , eco or head shops. Many are marketed as herbal Ecstasy and the plants included in the formulations include Yohimbe bark, Kava-Kava (Piper methysticum),Y-3 e.emi, Hops, Jaborandi and Alisma. One product contains Kava-Kava, Guarana, Uva Ursi and Cascara bark. Many of the products sold as herbal Ecstasy contain either Ephedra sinica (Ma huang) or the Indian plant Sida cordifolia which both contain the alkaloid ephedrine (see R03c, Chapter VI). Other alkaloids may also occur, such as pseudoephedrine, norephedrine and norpseudoephedrine. The side-effects of ephedrine include tachycardia, anxiety, insomnia and arrythmias and a hypotensive crisis may develop if monamine oxidase inhibitors are also taken. Many adverse reactions and more than 20 deaths have been attributed to ephedrine and Ephedra consumption. Research conducted in the US shows that the daily intake of some Ephedra products would give ephedrine levels well above the recommended therapeutic doses. 

Ephedra Equisetina, Ma Huang. Stems and Leaves of Ephedra equisetina Bunge, E sinica Stapf. and other species of Ephedra, Gnetaceae. Indigenous to China and India. ]t contains 0.75 to over 1% ephedrine it is the source of natural ephedrine. Contains also variable quantities of pseud oephed ri rt e. 

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. 

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. 

White LM, Gardner SF, Gurley BJ, Marx MA, Wang PL, Estes M. (1997). Pharmacokinetics and cardiovascular effects of ma-huang (Ephedra sinica) in normotensive adults. J Clin Pharmacol 37(2) 116-22. 

Ma huang (Ephedra sinica) Protects against respiratory disorders... 

Ephedrine is found in the ephedra plant (Ephedra sinica— the Chinese herb Ma Huang). It is used as a nasal decongestant... 

MOTHER NATURE S AMPHETAMINES Amphetamine does not occur naturally, but some substances found in nature are chemically related to amphetamine and have similar effects on the brain. Ephedrine can be found in Ephedra sinica, which has been used in traditional Chinese medicine and is known as ma huang. Its effects on the sympathetic nervous system are similar to amphetamine. However, this extract never achieved complete success as a psychoactive stimulant, primarily because it does not cross the blood—brain barrier as effectively as amphetamine. 

OFFICIAL NAMES Ephedra, Ephedra sinica STREET NAMES Mahuang, ma huang, desert tea, Mormon tea, American ephedra, European ephedra, Pakistani ephedra, ephedrine, ephedrine alkaloids, pseudoephedrine DRUG CLASSIFICATIONS Not scheduled, dietary supplement... 

In the United States, ephedrine alkaloids are derived from the Ephedra sinica, or ma huang plant. Most ephedra supplements contain a standard extract of 6-8% ephedrine alkaloids. Other herbs and ingredients, including caffeine, may also be added to ephedra supplements. 

The Chinese drug ma huang (Ephedra sinica Stapf) has been used in China for more than SOOOyears. The alkaloid that is responsible for the CNS stimulant effects is ephedrine. The levorotatory erythro isomer ( l)is the most active of the four possible stereoisomers with that structural formula. Khat (kat, or qat) or Abyssinian tea Catha edulis Forskal) is the product from a small tree or shrub indigenous to tropical East Afiica. Khat leaves are chewed habitually by peoples in East Africa and certain other Arabian countries, and produce a mild CNS stimulant effect (2). The principal... 

Shen Nung also observed the stimulant properties of another Chinese plant. Ma Huang, now known as Ephedra sinica [9]. The chief active ingredient, ephedrine, is a sympathomimetic amine, and therefore it is clear in this case also that the use of Ma Huang as a stimulant had a rational basis. The ephedrine molecule is simple and contains two chiral centers the compound from ephedra is unichiral and has the 1R,2S configuration 2. Ephedrine was first isolated from Ma Huang in 1887... 

Efhedrine (Jl) is an alkaloid of the Chinese medicinal herb Ma Huang which has been identified as Ephedra sinica Stapf (14), and it also occurs in the leaves of the yew, Taxus baccata L. (15). The natural base is the Z-isomer. The Chinese plant contains small amounts of several closely related alkaloids d-pseudoephedrine, d-norpsevdoephedrine (III), l-methyl-ephedrine (IV), and d-methylpseudoephedrine. d-Pseudoephedrine is a diastereoisomer but not an enantiomorph of Z-ephedrine. 

---