Despite the upcoming ephedra ban on April 12, the herbal supplement remains available at area health food and supplement stores.
Iron Empire Sports Supplements, 42 S. Court St., is one local store where ephedra remains on the shelf.
Owner Chris Bisbocci said chain stores stopped selling ephedra almost a year ago, and now only independent stores and the Internet are selling the product.
We don't see a problem with it
he said. The main problem is when people don't take it as instructed.
Mike Deangelis, a spokesperson for CVS/pharmacy, said all CVS stores discontinued ephedra products in August because individual communities were banning or taking steps to ban the product.
Unlike some independent stores, Farmacy Natural and Specialty Foods, 28 W. Stimson Ave., stopped carrying ephedra a couple months ago, owner Susan Zano said.
Within the last five years, the Food and Drug Administration has deemed ephedra illegal, then legal and, in April, the supplement will be illegal again. If the ban is ever lifted, Zano said her store will carry ephedra in the future.
Customers use ephedra for weight loss and to clear sinuses, she said.
Ephedra users who buy at Iron Empire use the supplement for energy boosting and weight loss, Bisbocci said.
Recent customers have come in because they are curious or have seen the store's advertisements and are looking for ephedra specifically, he said.
We are supplying it to people who want it Bisbocci said.
He said the store's supply is running low, and it will probably stop selling before the ban starts April 12. Most ephedra products cost between $30 and $50, are taken daily and last one month.
Business will not be affected because most supplements now have non-ephedra versions, Bisbocci said. He predicted 7-keto would be the next ephedra because it is similarly used for weight loss and energy boosting, but is not as strong.
Another store that is continuing to sell ephedra is Health in Hand Natural Health Food Store in Lancaster.
Owner Rick Arledge said he has no plans to stop carrying ephedra because the ban is a long way off, and he expects a court battle over the FDA's decision to ensue.
Health in Hand mainly carries ephedra in bronchial formulas, but he said he will find alternatives if he ever has to stop selling the supplement.
Arledge said his main concern about the ban is neither the effect on business nor the danger of massive ephedra doses.
It's the fact the government and pharmaceutical companies want to regulate the natural food industry which are natural things you can grow in your garden
he said. You should be concerned that the government is telling you what you can or cannot put in your mouth.
Arledge said in the past the government has tried to regulate natural food, such as red yeast rice, and the natural food companies countersued and won.
It's not going to stop with ephedra
he said. They're looking down the road at banning a lot of others. It's only the first step.
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Jayne Gest
