Case

A 17-year-old with chronic allergic rhinitis wants to use a natural herbal decongestant. She’s heard that ma huang (ephedra) has been used in Traditional Chinese Medicine to treat allergies and wants to know if it’s safe for long-term use.

Ephedra contains ephedrine and several related compounds. Reports of deaths in several adolescents and young adults as well as hundreds of reports of adverse reactions such as tachycardia, arrhythmias and psychosis led the FDA to convene a special panel on its safety. The FDA has recommended that doses of ephedrine be limited to less than 25 milligrams daily, and that it be taken for a MAXIMUM of seven days. (Alkaloids compose up to 2.5% of the whole herb but many products are concentrated.) Several states have banned the sale of ephedra products, which are widely promoted both as natural asthma/allergy remedies and as weight loss aids.

FOR MORE INFORMATION ABOUT EPHEDRA
Our Ephedra page has:

An in-depth monograph with references
A summary for clinicians
A handout for patients
Links to Ephedra information on other websites
Click here

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Last Updated: August 24, 2001
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