Illegality of Ephedra
The illegality of ephedra has brought about some people trying to get the ban in the United States lifted so they can use ephedra again. There have been so many reports of serious health issues and even death caused by ephedra the Food and Drug Administration decided it was time to do something about it. They took the proof needed to the courts and had ephedra banned for the second time in 2006. There may be some products still on the market which contain ephedra so beware and do not risk your life with anything that contains ephedra. It was proven that even small amounts (as small as 8 mg.) of ephedra were causing heart attacks and strokes in some users. It is not known if there are products containing ephedra being sent to the United States from other countries. One search brought results that products were being shipped in plain shipping paper or boxes so at a glance there was no way of knowing what was in the container. Of course the postal service requires items sent in plain boxes with no writing or pictures on the box so it is easy to ship something without the postal service knowing what is in the box without inspecting it. Some people are again trying to get ephedra back on the market. This indicates that they have no respect for others and do not care that the ephedra was killing and injuring people seriously. There are other natural herbs that will work as well as ephedra but does not have the severe side effects that ephedra has.
Other side effects reported to the FDA was high blood pressure, rapid heart beats, irregular heart beats, insomnia, nervousness, tremors, and seizures. There may be other side effects not listed here.Some people have been compensated for their health problems brought on by the ephedra but for the ones who lost their lives, there is no compensation. Some of the products which contained ephedra but have since replaced ephedra with other ingredients are Metabolife 356, Metabolift, Ripped Fuel, Everslender, Diet Fuel, Trimspa x32, zantrex-3, Stacker 2 EF, Stacker 3 EF, Stacker 2 Lite, Hydroxycut, Phentramin, and many many more.
Ephedra is also known as Mormon Tea, Squaw Tea, Herbal Ecstasy, Epitonin, Chinese Ephedra and Ma Huang. It does not mix with caffeine (guarana, kola nut, cocoa extract) or aspirin (willow bark, salicytes, and salicylic acid) and can be fatal if taken at the same time. Be aware of the ingredients in all of the supplements and medications you use. You might want to talk to your doctor before you take any supplement if you have existing health problems or are taking medications. Some supplements do not mix well with prescription or over the counter medications.
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