Ephedra, the popular herbal stimulant used for weight-loss, has been banned recently by the Food and Drug Administration because of the risks involved with using products containing ephedrine, which is a chemical that produces weight-loss and the potential risk of death.
What brings about the effects that people are looking for is the ephedrine - the chemical in the ephedra
said Michael Kushnick, assistant professor of exercise physiology at Ohio University.
Ephedra is a plant that contains six ephedrine alkaloids, ephedrine being the predominant one.
Kushnick said the way the chemical ephedrine works is by mimicking the effects of epinephrine on the body. Epinephrine is a hormone that produces an adrenaline rush by stimulating the part of the nervous system that prepares the body for action, commonly known as the fight or flight response.
By using stimulants containing ephedrine, users can lose weight by increasing fat oxidation, heart rate and contraction and thermogenesis - a condition in the body where the metabolic rate increases and speeds up calorie burning, Kushnick said.
If an individual takes some of this it stimulates the body into overdrive he said.
Dietary supplements for years have been a combination of caffeine, aspirin and ephedrine, Kushnick said.
It is an easy way to spend calories instead of going out there and exercising. It puts the body in an artificial situation
he said.
Kushnick said supplements containing ephedrine increase mental alertness and can speed up the heart rate.
Ephedra might aggravate an existing heart problem that people are not aware of, or increase the potential risk of developing a heart problem, he said.
Besides speeding up the weight-loss process, ephedrine and caffeine are used for enhancing sports performance.
When people are stimulated by these supplements, their metabolism increases, and they do not feel as hungry, said Dr. Steven Clay, geriatrician at the OU College of Osteopathic Medicine.
Clay said there are risks of underlying conditions such as heart disease, abnormal heart rhythm, compulsions and psychosis when a person takes supplements like ephedra.
When taken, the stomach first absorbs ephedrine, then it enters the bloodstream and reaches the brain, according to Cynthia Kuhn's 1998 book Buzzed. The effects of ephedra reach their high point after an hour, but they can potentially last three to six hours.
According to Kuhn's book, an overdose might occur if ephedrine is taken two or three times over the recommended amount. The risk of an overdose is likely when ephedra is mixed with other drugs, especially caffeine. There is potential for an addiction to develop with repeated use because of an increased need to get a high.
Kushnick said every drug has a potential for side effects.
There is no magic pill
he said.
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