 |
Ephedra Dietary Supplement
The ephedra dietary supplement is surrounded by controversy. Is it safe or not? If it's safe, does it work?
Or are you safer going the ephedra-free diet supplement route? (The quick answer to that is yes, ephedra-free is best.)
Here's more information about ephedra, and it's former role as a diet pill.
About the Ephedra Diet Product
Ephedra's claim to fame as a weight loss drug is due to it's stimulating effect on the body.
Known for hundreds of years as the herb Ma Huang, ephedra has been in use for a long time -- it's not a new or created diet product.
However, due to its side effects the sale of ephedra is currently banned in the United States.
How Does Ephedra Effect the Body?
Ephedra acts as an amphetamine in the body. The safe dose is considered to be no more than150 mg in a 24-hour period. Unfortunately, most diet pills exceeded this safe limit by a large margin.
The active ingredient in ephedra (or Ma Huang) is called ephedrine. This ingredient works as a stimulant on the body, and has the following effects:
- Elevates your blood pressure: If your blood pressure is high or borderline high to begin with, this could be a serious problem.
- Stimulates your nervous system: This can cause some people to feel nervous or jittery. Other people it doesn't seem to bother much.
- Dilates your bronchial tubes: For this effect, it has been used previously for asthma and other such diseases.
- Increases your heart rate: If you have any issues with your heart, this effect also could be a serious problem.
Yes, ephedra was used as a dietary supplement -- but it isn't considered safe. In fact, it can, and in some cases has, caused heart failure.
Ephedra Dietary Supplement - Other Side Effects
Anxiety is one potential side effect, as well as restlessness, insomnia and headaches.
SInce ephedra is classed as an amphetamine; it's addictive. When stopped, it can create withdrawal symptoms.
Aside from symptoms like mood swings and heart palpitations, binge eating is another common response of ephedra withdrawal. Definitely not what you want once you've lost weight!
There is strong evidence that Ephedra can react badly with a variety of medical conditions, notably individuals with with high blood pressure, heart problems, diabetes, glaucoma and hyperthyroidism.
As you can see, ephedra is not something you want to use as a dietary supplement. If you're considering weight loss supplements, you are much safer going ephedra-free.
One more very serious caution -- although the sale of ephedra is banned in the United States, it's still legal elsewhere. If you are thinking of buying diet pills online from a non-US source, be extremely careful to make sure ephedra is not one of the ingredients.
Top of Ephedra Dietary Supplement page
All information presented on this site is for educational purposes only, and is not meant for anyone under 18, pregnant, nursing or under supervision of a physician for a medical condition.
For specific weight loss and fitness questions, or for medical advice and treatment, always consult your medical practitioner.