I was doing some research today on the Internet and found that there’s a great deal of confusion surrounding “ephedra” and dietary supplements that contain this herbal ingredient. (Ephedra is also commonly known by an English translation of its Chinese herbal name, “ma huang.”) The substance was banned by the FDA in 2004 for dietary/weight loss usage. It was associated with negative effects in humans, ranging from strokes to heart problems, and has been implicated in some deaths. But here’s where the confusion over ephedra products began. The ban was challenged in the state of Utah and a federal district court said the FDA overstepped its powers by banning the substance across the board for weight loss purposes.
That ruling, however, was overturned in 2006 by a federal appellate court. So the ban stands, and companies now making and selling ephedra products have reformulated, or are reformulating, their products to use only allowably small amounts of the herb, or using other herbal stimulates instead of ephedra.
Is that clear? No? Yes?
Bottom line for us dieters: Any weight loss products associated with the name “ephedra” or “ephedra-like” stimulants can only be sold legally in the U.S. if they contain other stimulants instead of genuine “ephedra.”