Effective Dosage: Ephedra and products containing ephedra alkaloids, such as Ephedrine, are currently banned in the United States. Most diet pill products provide ephedra alkaloids (ephedrine) in the lowest effective dose, 8 - 12mg. The maximum dose should not exceed 24mg for use as a diet pill supplement. It is highly recommended that people who have never taken ephedrine before assess their tolerance to this drug by starting with the lower doses (8 - 12mg). Ephedrine is typically consumed 20-30 minutes before a meal as it is an appetite suppressant.
Ephedra alkaloids are derived from the Ephedra (Ma Huang) plant. Ephedrine, which is the primary alkaloid contained in the ephedra plant (30-90%), is an important ingredient in many non-prescription diet pills because of its thermogenic effects. Other common ephedra alkaloids include pseudoephedrine and norephedrine. Adipex diet pills
The ephedrine alkaloids have a chemical structure close to that of the body's natural adrenaline and act in a similar fashion. Like adrenaline, they belong to the class of adrenergic or adrenalinelike amines. Unlike adrenaline, ephedrine is active only orally, but its effects last about 10 times longer, making it an extremely useful tool in Western medicine. Its ability to increase blood pressure, cardiac output and heart rate has been used to control dangerous drops in blood pressure during spinal and epidural anesthesia. Ephedrine's pharmacological action is comparable to amphetamine but at about one-fifth the potency. Theoretically, this means increasing a dose of ephedrine fivefold would produce an effect close to the same original dose of amphetamine.
The stimulatory effects of ephedrine alkaloids make them popular ingredients in weight-loss and performance products. One theory describing the weight-loss action of products containing ephedrine alkaloids is that they increase the rate of thermogenesis, or heat production, in the body. Many dietary supplements geared toward weight loss combine a source of ephedrine with other stimulants such as caffeine. Phentermine
In recent years, the safety of ephedra-containing dietary supplements has been questioned by the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine, and the medical community as a result of a high rate of serious side effects and ephedra-related deaths. In response to accumulating evidence of adverse effects and deaths related to ephedra, the FDA banned the sale of ephedra-containing supplements on April 12, 2004. A suit by an ephedra manufacturer was upheld by a Federal District Court judge in Utah on April 14, 2005. The FDA appealed this ruling, and on August 17, 2006 the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit upheld the FDA's ban of ephedra (http://www.cfsan.fda.gov/~dms/cfsup145.html). As of February 2007, the sale of ephedra-containing dietary supplements and dietary supplements containing ephedrine alkaloids remains illegal in the United States.
These statements about Ephedra alkaloids have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. Ephedra alkaloids are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.
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