Ephedra Diet Pills

If you are an avid user of dietary supplements in managing your weight loss endeavors, then you are probably aware about various ephedra diet pills. Have you tried any of this products before?

I previously published an article about Phentermine, which is one of the most sought-after product with regards to weight loss. Ephedra is not too far behind with regards to dietary supplements.

Ephedra is a popular brand that is commonly mistaken as ephedrine. Today, I will give you some information about different aspects of this drug, including its origin, its possible benefits and side effects.

So if you are dependent on weight loss products especially ephedra diet pills, then this article is for you.

History of Ephedra

Dating back as far as 2800 B.C., the Chinese people was the first to use ephedra for various medicinal uses, especially as a herbal remedy. Some of its known uses are for pulmonary disorders like bronchitis and asthma.

The most popular Ephedra specie originates from the ephedra sinica plant, famously referred as “ma huang” in Chinese. Almost all parts of E. Sinica plant have been used to treat illnesses including its stem and branch (ma huang), and the root and rhizome (ma huanggen). All ephedra species grow in the dessert.

Some of the ephedra species inclues ephedra nevadensis, ephedra gerardiana, ephedra distacha, ephedra americana and ephedra viridis (mormon tea).

The aforementioned pulmonary diseases, as well as fever and cold, can all be treated by using ma huang, while ma huanggen can be used as a night sweat treatment.

The active compound of ephedra is ephedrine, which the Westerners first noticed in 1923. Chemical extraction have been done since then just to produce the different active substances of ephedra plant.

There are six ephedrine-type compounds found in different ephedra species but there are only two common compounds. This includes pseudoephedrine and ephedrine compounds that was then known as decongestants and allergy relief.

As the technology advances, more and more discoveries have been achieved with ephedra, including its weight loss side effects. Ephedra diet pills all over the world are marketed as thermogenic, fat burner, metabolism enhancer, energy booster, appetite suppressant and many others.

These are the reasons why ephedra became a household name in the weight loss industry.

What is Ephedra Diet Pills?

As mentioned earlier, ephedra is from ephedra sinica plant that was first used for pulmonary diseases and other health conditions. But in most recent times, ephedra has been in the world stage as a weight loss drug, particularly as a performance-enhancing drugs. As such, ephedra is banned in most competitive sports events and not sold as a non-prescription dietary pill.

Since alkaloids pseudoephedrine and ephedrine are two of the common compounds in ephedra, most pharmaceutical companies are interested in the plant’s stimulating and thermogenic effects.

These compounds mainly affects the brain, stimulating it to produce beneficial side effects such as increased heart rate, constrict blood vessels and expanding your bronchial tubes. While thermogenic properties can help increase your metabolic rate which helps burn more fat and calories.

While ephedra diet pills have been touted as a performance enhancing drugs, there is no concrete evidence that it can truly improve athletic performance. This drug may also be used as a precursor in the production of methamphetamine.

Most ephedra diet pills have this so called stacker ingredients – ephedra, caffeine and aspirin, all of which are formulated as an enhancer and used within the sports and bodybuilding community.

With caffeine and aspirin combined together with ephedra, it would mean an effective remedy for weight gain but was only suggested for short-term weight loss. However, all ephedra diet pills are not completely beneficial as it is also bombarded with major controversies since it was introduced as a supplement.

Banning, Reinstitution and Complete Banning of Ephedra Diet Pills

First off, some of the known ephedra consumption health side effects includes skin reactions, irritability, trembling, dizziness, headache, insomnia, dehydration, profuse perspiration, itchy scalp, vomiting and hyperthermia. Serious reported side effects includes irregular heartbeat, seizures, heart attack, stroke and death.

In 1997, in response to the growing tension with regards to ephedra side effects, the U.S. Food and Drugs Administration proposed a ban on products containing 8mg or more of ephedra alkaloid compounds. The FDA also proposed that all companies must disclose a health risk label on their ephedra products such as heart attack, stroke and other health risks.

FDA’s review about ephedra use includes a number of sudden cardiac death cases and severe disabilities. In 2002, over 15,000 ephedra-related side effects were reported that ranges from different health conditions such as headache to death.

The supplement industry was outraged by the banning of ephedra diet pills which led them to create a public relations group called Ephedra Education Council. This council’s objective is to oppose the ban and proposed a commission research or review by a private consulting firm that will prove that ephedra was safe.

Led by Metabolife, one of the best-selling ephedra brand supplement, initiated the work of Ephedra Education Council. One of its attempt was to block the publication of a certain study confirming huge discrepancies between labeled potency of supplements and the actual amount of ephedra in the product.

Metabolife reportedly spent more than $4 million between the course of the dispute that occured between 1998 to 2000. In 2000, the FDA withdrew the proposed labeling changes and its other restrictions about ephedra diet pill brands.

However, Metabolife received over 14,000 complaints of side effects with its ephedra product, which were later presented to the FDA. Michael Ellis, one of the Co-founder of Metabolife, was sentenced to six months in Federal prison for his failure to report the said complaints.

In response to the incident, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services commissioned a huge research regarding the true nature of ephedra’s safety and efficacy. The result found that ephedra can lead to a short-term weight loss, but there are no information whether this drug can be use for long-term weight loss, or even for performance enhancement.

Also, the use of ephedra diet pills was deeply associated with different health conditions such as gastrointestinal disorders, psychiatric and autonomic side effects.

In 2003, the FDA issued a public warning regarding purchasing and consumption of ephedra products. And in 2004, FDA ban the sale of ephedra-containing dietary pills completely.

Why are Ephedra Diet Pills Still Available in the Market?

It is good to note that the FDA only banned the ephedra sinica specie which contains ephedrine alkaloids, and not all species of ephedra are banned. This is the reason why you can still see some ephedra diet pills in the market today.

The most common specie that is being marketed is the ephedra viridis or commonly known as Mormon Tea. Although Ma Huang is better in all properties, it is now restricted to go on sale in the United States.

So if you are looking for an ephedra diet pills, you need to look for the compound viridis or mormon tea, or ephedra extract. All these compounds are not banned by the FDA.

Otherwise, if you see ephedrine alkaloids in the active ingredients list of a certain ephedra supplement, then it is likely to be an illegal product that is included in the FDA ban.

Alternative Non-Prescription Diet Pills to Ephedra

Since ephedra diet pills are banned while Mormon Tea is not that effective with regards to weight loss, what is the possible diet pill alternative option for you? There are hundreds of non-prescription diet pills that can be found online today, however, there are only a handful of brands that can truly be trusted.

One of the non-prescription weight loss supplement that I can suggest is PhenQ, one of the best-selling non-prescription phentermine brands online. PhenQ is a world-renowned diet pill that contains 100% pure organic ingredients that are clinically proven and safe for your weight loss program.

To learn more about PhenQ, visit its official website or read our full review below.