We recommend that if you are thinking of purchasing a herbal pill that you would consider anything with a minimum reputation of 6-7 out of a possible 9.

The supplement known as ephedra (also called ephedrine and Chinese Ma-huang) is quite possibly the most dangerous of all sports supplements. EIphedra is a combination of several diverse catalysts that include pseudoephedrine and ephedrine, which are known to be the active components in without prescription drugs for sinus and cold. However, while these medicinal often contain only one vigorous component, almost all diet supplements combine ephedrine with no less than one other ingredient that acts as an stimulant. Typically guarana or caffeine is the combination of choice.

Caffeine and Ephedrine act together on the nervous system, and the consequence is alike to consuming amphetamines. However, The FDA believed the combination to so hazardous that it was banned from non- prescribed products in 1983. The combination of ephedra, caffeine, and apsrin (called “stacking”) became the most admired fat burning recipe in the weight loss industry. The first study of ehpedra and guarana stacks was performed by The International Journal of Obesity. By the studies eighth week, participants had experienced reasonable weight loss. However, the side effects of using the stack, most particularly heart palpitations, made 8 participants remove themselves from the study before its full completion. And these were under very controlled conditions. In the present world scenario, there are no controls to monitor us to use the product.

A team of physicians scribed an article for New England Journal of Medicine detailing the account of a male bodybuilder with age at 19 years and with no cardiovascular threat factors who experienced a heart attack fifteen minutes after consuming an ephedra-caffeine supplement.

For a long time, the FDA is trying to restrict the optimum level of doses in the supplements of ephedrine to daily dose of 24 milligrams.

The trade has strongly defended ephedrine as being very safe when used as directed, and has gone as far as to propose a substitute at the upper limit of dose of daily100 milligrams. In addition, any products made with ephedra would be required to have a tag conveying "not for use by anyone under the age of 18".

You don't need to live near a nutrition specialty store to purchase these products. According to industry estimates, most supplements are sold in mass-merchandise stores, with others being made available through trainers, direct marketing, and the Internet.

My personal opinion is that ephedra and ephedra based products should be kept away from users. There are other, equally effective and far safer alternatives for weight loss. People who want to make an impression should investigate these other alternatives and leave ephedra alone.