Ephedra
Ephedra is a low evergreen shrub with small scaly leaves. It has a long history of medicinal use in China and India to treat colds, fever, headaches, coughing, wheezing, and other conditions.
Usage
Appetite suppressant
Some studies showed it could act as appetite suppressant and boost metabolism.
Weight Loss
It has greater effects on weight loss when combines with caffeine but there are safety concerns.
Safety
While ephedra is safe in small doses, FDA banned the sale of Ephedra-containing dietary supplements.
How to add ephedra to your diet?
Make a Tea
Often called Mormon tea, is made from Ephedra and it has bitter and astringent taste.
Supplement
The FDA banned dietary supplements containing ephedrine alkaloids because of their serious safety risks.
Ephedra has been used in Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) for more than 5,000 years,
Ephedra can reach 12 to 35 inches in height.
The use of Ephedra herb in supplements is prohibited in USA and several European countries.
Has a nickname "Mormon Tea" because ephedra tea was used by early Mormon settlers.
About
Ephedra is a low evergreen shrub with small scaly leaves. It has a long history of medicinal use in China and India to treat colds, fever, headaches, coughing, wheezing, and other conditions.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) banned the sale of dietary supplements containing ephedrine alkaloids (stimulant compounds found in Ephedra sinica and some other plants) in the United States in 2004. Prior to the ban, ephedra was an ingredient in some dietary supplements promoted for weight loss, increased energy, and enhanced athletic performance.
Science
Almost no new research on ephedra has been performed in the years since its use in dietary supplements was banned in the United States. Prior to the ban, substantial research had been done on ephedra’s short-term effects on weight loss and its harmful effects.
Prior to the ban, research showed that dietary supplements containing ephedra/ephedrine (usually in combination with caffeine) had modest short-term effects on weight loss. However, this benefit was considered insufficient to outweigh the serious risks of these supplements. No studies had assessed long-term effects on weight. The evidence regarding athletic performance was insufficient to allow any conclusions to be reached.
Safety
The FDA banned dietary supplements containing ephedrine alkaloids because of their serious safety risks. The supplements were associated with cases of heart attack, seizure, stroke, and sudden death. People with a history of cardiovascular disease, those taking high doses of ephedra, and those taking it in combination with other stimulants such as caffeine would be expected to be at increased risk, but some of the severe events occurred in people with no preexisting medical problems, people taking relatively low doses of ephedra, or people taking ephedra alone.
Taking ephedra may also cause anxiety, dizziness, dry mouth, headache, irritability, nausea, personality changes, insomnia, and other symptoms.
Because of ephedra’s serious risks, it is considered unsafe for use during pregnancy or while breastfeeding.
Fun Facts
It has recently been suggested that Ephedra appeared 8–32 million years ago.
Sources
https://www.nccih.nih.gov/health/ephedra