What is the ephedra plant used for?
Ephedra (Ephedra sinica), also called ma huang, is an herb that has been used in Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) for more than 5,000 years, primarily to treat asthma, bronchitis, and hay fever. Ephedra is also prescribed for symptoms of cold and flu, including nasal congestion, cough, fever, and chills.
What plant contains the most ephedrine?
The ephedra bush grows in the desert regions of Asia, North America, and other parts of the world. Not all ephedra plants contain ephedrine alkaloids. It is the alkaloid content of the plant that gives it a medicinal effect. The Asian ephedra plant typically has the highest concentration of ephedrine alkaloids.
What plants contain Ephedra?
Common names that have been used for the various plants that contain ephedrine alkaloids include sea grape, yellow horse, joint fir, popotillo, and country mallow.
What is the major pharmacological action of ephedrine?
Ephedrine is a sympathomimetic amine that activates adrenergic receptors, increasing heart rate and blood pressure, and causing bronchodilation.
Is it legal to grow ephedra?
ANSWER: Ephedra sinica, the herb also known as Ma Huang, is the one that was outlawed by the FDA and can no longer be legally sold as a dietary supplement. The major reason is the potential danger from the ephedra alkaloids, which are stimulant compounds that can represent an unreasonable risk of illness or injury.
Can I grow ephedra?
HOW CAN YOU GROW EPHEDRA? Ephedra can be grown and processed at home using our high-quality Ma Huang seeds. Growing Ephedra is not particularly difficult or time-consuming. It is recommended to plant Ephedra in the spring, since it prefers warmth, but it can also tolerate cold and frost.
Is ephedra hard to grow?
Growing Ephedra is not particularly difficult or time-consuming. It is recommended to plant Ephedra in the spring, since it prefers warmth, but it can also tolerate cold and frost. Ephedra thrives in sandy, well-draining soil, and with plenty of sunlight also does very well in loose, rocky soil.
What is the mechanism of action and uses of ephedrine?
Mechanism of action Ephedrine, a sympathomimetic amine, acts on part of the sympathetic nervous system (SNS). The principal mechanism of action relies on its indirect stimulation of the adrenergic receptor system by increasing the activity of norepinephrine at the postsynaptic α and β receptors.
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 does ephedra look like?
Physical description. Members of the genus Ephedra are low, straggling, or climbing desert shrubs. The leaves, reduced to scales about one centimetre long, are opposite or whorled about the nodes of green branchlets. The bulk of photosynthesis occurs in the green stems.