Is Ephedra a Miracle Cure?Written by Amy S. Grant
Americans are buzzing about FDA’s recent decision to reverse ban on ephedra and ephedrine supplements in United States. Known as “world’s oldest medicine,” ephedra has been used for thousands of years for its variety of healing properties. While ephedra is not a cure-all, it is successfully used in treating hundreds of afflictions, including some that may surprise you.When average person hears word “ephedra” they generally think of two things: “weight loss” and “banned.” The millions of people who have safely used ephedra to burn fat and lose weight were devastated when U.S. ephedra ban was imposed in early 2004. The FDA was claiming a high death rate attributed to use (or misuse) of ephedra and ephedrine (the main “active” ingredient in ephedra plant). However, further research showed that only five of these deaths could be attributed to ephedra use, so ban was lifted. To put number of adverse events into perspective, consider that over 12 million people reportedly used ephedra during 1999. Ephedra has thermogenic qualities, which means it can be used to speed up body’s metabolism. This natural increase in metabolism is what results in virtually effortless weight loss and has earned ephedra nickname “miracle fat burner.” Unlike other weight loss products on market, ephedra helps body retain lean muscle mass. The thermogenic qualities of ephedra also improve body’s ability to eliminate toxins (through urine and sweat), which can reduce unnecessary water retention.
| | Ephedra – Does it work for Weight LossWritten by Michael LaQuay
For over 4000 years ephedra (Ma huang) has been used in Chinese medicine to treat several disorders. Ephedra comes from a plant that has a few powerful active compounds, of which ephedrine is most useful. Research has shown that ephedra increases metabolism and helps promote weight loss, relaxes air passages in lungs to help treat asthma and cough, promotes perspiration to help a person recover from a minor cold and helps promote urination to help relieve edema. Ephedra has been widely researched for its thermogenic (fat burning) properties. Research has show that ephedra helps promote loss of fat while helping spare lean muscle tissue, a highly sought-after property that prescription diet medications still have not been able to reproduce. Because of its stimulating effect on nervous system, ephedra can be found in some popular weight loss and energy products. For dieters it suppresses appetite and stimulates thyroid gland, which stimulates metabolism. Recently ma huang has been subject of scientific research for obesity because of its thermogenic fat-burning effect on dietary intake. Ma huang is also found in "energy" products that may give athletes extra energy without draining their reserves. People also indicate an increase in alertness and perception. Similar to diet formulas, it is often combined with ingredients such as kola nut or guarana, which contain caffeine. Everyone
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