How much weight can you lose with ephedra?
Ephedra can produce modest weight loss when used with exercise and a low-fat diet, but it can cause serious side effects, even in healthy people who follow product dosage directions. Taking ephedra seems to produce weight loss of approximately 0.9 kg (about 2 pounds) per month for up to 6 months.
Where is ephedrine legal?
the USA
As a pure herb or tea, má huáng, containing ephedrine, is still sold legally in the USA. The law restricts/prohibits its being sold as a dietary supplement (pill) or as an ingredient/additive to other products, like diet pills.
What is the difference between ephedrine and ephedra?
Ephedrine is a chemical contained in the ephedra herb. Ephedrine has medical uses, mostly in operating rooms and intensive care units. Its chemical properties raise blood pressure and heart rate and open up the large air passages in the lungs.
What can I take instead of ephedra for weight loss?
Botanical dietary supplements for weight loss may include ephedra (a natural source of ephedrine) and other botanicals that are natural sources of caffeine and salicylic acid. In place of ephedra, manufacturers sometimes substitute botanicals that contain sympathomimetic amines, such as country mallow or bitter orange.
How long does it take to lose weight with ephedrine?
The use of ephedrine, ephedrine plus caffeine, or dietary supplements containing ephedra and botanicals with caffeine is associated with a modest but statistically significant increase in weight loss over a relatively short time (less than or equal to 6 months). No studies have assessed their long-term effects (greater than 6 months).
Is the Chinese alkaloid Ephedra a dietary supplement?
Key points. The Chinese botanical ephedra, or ma-huang, is sold as a dietary supplement in the United States. It is a natural source of the alkaloids ephedrine and pseudoephedrine. Some dietary supplement products used for weight loss and to enhance athletic performance contain these alkaloids.
How long does it take for ephedrine and caffeine to work?
Overall, the effects on weight loss of synthetic ephedrine plus caffeine and ephedra plus herbs containing caffeine were equivalent: weight loss of approximately 2 pounds/month more than was associated with placebo for up to 4 or 6 months of use. No studies assessed the long-term effects on weight loss; the longest published follow-up was 6 months.