The best answer comes directly from the horse`s mouth in a government testimony, where Hi-Tech Pharmaceuticals wrote a letter to the FDA regarding one of Thermo-RX`s ingredients, β-methylphenethylamine. They explained the following: Although ephedra was banned in 2004, supplement companies were still allowed to produce and sell ephedra extract and ephedra varieties that do not contain ephedrine alkaloids. This process complicated and allows them to use the ephedra plant. Now that ephedrine is gone from these ephedra supplements, is it really enough for weight loss, even at 25 mg doses taken once to four times a day (or maybe up to 150 mg taken 3x/day)? Combine this situation with a stimulant herb as powerful as ephedra, and you have an as-yet-unsettled recipe for disaster, as we saw in the late 90s and early 2000s. We`re not the only ones who think ephedra is an epic plant. It was recently discovered that a 60,000-year-old burial cave used by Neanderthals known as Shanidar Cave contained ephedra pollen. [13] It contains 25 mg of Thermo-Z ephedra extract, 150 mg of Thermo-Rx senegalia berlandieri extract and 100 mg of caffeine in each tablet. One tablet is a good start, and we usually don`t need more than two a day. Overall, it`s clearly not a weed that fans would want to trust, and history has proven it. That brings us to our next section – the only FDA-approved ephedra extract.
In that sense, it`s almost better that ephedrine is currently illegal as a supplement: users can`t follow instructions, industry can`t follow laws, and the FDA still can`t properly enforce those already in place. This triple blow only requires problems. If this site has shown you one thing, it`s that ephedra is an incredibly complex and powerful herb. Extraction is not easy. But during this gold rush, we had manufacturers and suppliers of raw materials who just didn`t know what they were doing. Even worse, they may not even have bothered them. Pepper and ephedra share terpineol and limonene,[40] and may be partly responsible for these adrenaline-boosting effects. L-alpha-terpineol is a pleasant-smelling alcohol that has potential as an anticancer agent.
[41] Those familiar with the term “ephedra” may not know its full name. A relative comes, Ephedra nevadensis, but this plant does not contain the same risky compounds that lead the FDA to ban its dangerous cousin. So until we see more information, this is literally the only ephedra we`re going to touch. At least twelve different molecules have been discovered in this class. [34,35] These additional components (ephedrinine D1, ephedrinine Tr1, ephedrinine Te1) are also related to the epigallocatechin discussed above. [35] The biggest dagger for ephedrine supplements came from the RAND Corporation, which compiled the most comprehensive review to date. They were published in 2003 and concluded that ephedrine-based ephedra products are associated with “psychiatric, autonomic or gastrointestinal symptoms and palpitations.” [88-90] The only product containing ephedrine that can be legally sold over the counter is Chinese herbal medicine known as Ma huang. It is the raw and natural tea of E.equisetina or E. sinica. A loophole in the law allows tea to be sold without restriction, as long as it is not marketed as an appetite suppressant or added to any other supplement of any kind. The problem is that ephedrine has been banned since 2004 [4,5] (a law that was upheld in 2006 [6]), so this article will focus on what remains in ephedra without the ephedrine alkaloids. For one product, the variations in the batches of ((-)-ephedrine, (+)-pseudoephedrine and (-)-methylephedrine exceeded 180%, 250% and 1000% respectively. Half of the products had discrepancies between the label indication for the alkaloid content of ephedra and the actual alkaloid content of more than 20%. One product was free of ephedra alkaloids. [96] Just as ephedrine-based ephedrine fat burners were serious supplements, so are these new ones. They should only be used under the care of a doctor and after a clean health certificate. For example, if you have blood pressure problems, you simply should not take high doses of stimulants without the doctor`s approval. Buying ephedrine depends on where you live.
Most states allow small doses to be sold in pharmacies as asthma medications. Thus, Hi-Tech Pharmaceuticals removes banned alkaloids from the Ma Huang plant and legally sells them in fat burner supplements. In 1999, the Congressional General Accounting Office accepted the outcry against these proposed restrictions, noting that the FDA did not have sufficient evidence to establish these restrictions for ephedra. [83] Nevertheless, one tablet of Lipodrene is still our standard recommendation for anyone who wants to test these waters, although one day three Hellfire EPH 150 capsules will bring you much more ephedra if you want to boost it later. Manore, M. Dietary supplements to improve body composition and reduce body weight: where is the evidence? Int J Sports Nutr Exerc Met. 2012. 22(2):139-54. doi:10.1123/ijsnem.22.2.139. Ephedra and its alkaloids are still legal in some countries, and many supplements — usually weight loss supplements — that contain this dangerous ingredient are available on online retail websites. Some supplements contain “ephedra extracts” but do not contain ephedrine alkaloids, so these can be legally sold in the United States.
However, without laboratory tests, it is impossible to know if a product that ephedra “ephedra”, “ephedra extract”, or similar on its label contains ephedrine alkaloids. Service members should be especially cautious when considering supplements that claim to contain ephedra or its alkaloids, as they are on the DoD`s list of prohibited supplements. Over the years, they refined their standard Ma Huang extract and named it Thermo-Z, the only brand of ephedra extract tested by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA). It is not subject to a federal or state ban on ephedrine alkaloids because it has been completely demonstrated that it does not contain. 10. Blumenthal M. FDA offers strong warnings for ephedra and publishes an independent RAND report on the safety and efficacy of ephedra. HerbalGram. 2003;58:68-70. We would also like to point out that this study was used as testimony in a successful case where the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) discussed with Hi-Tech Pharmaceuticals the definition of the words “fat burner” and “thermogenic”.
Hi-Tech won this case,[54] and this study was an important scientific part of it. Just like its extract counterpart, the ephedrine ephedra alkaloid has made a major comeback. Although the natural alkaloids of ephedrine are still considered a prohibited substance, synthetic ephedrine is not. Additional researchers have found a way to create a synthetic version of ephedrine that is extremely effective, stable, and regulated. The most common and popular form of synthetic ephedrine is ephedrine HCL due to its high bioavailability. This has been proven in several research studies where the variability in ephedrine and pseudoephedrine content between capsules in the same batch has shown very different amounts! [94-96] How do the new ephedra supplements still kick so much and work? Malic acid deficiency is associated with chronic fatigue. [25] You need more than what`s in ephedra (for example, a supplement that contains citrulline malate — where the malate comes from malic acid), but it`s another useful molecule in the herb.