Ephedra

Paper Summary:

The paper examines the herbal ingredient Ephedra, including a brief history of the drug, how it works on the body, potential side effects and its dosage. The paper discusses how Ephedra is a controversial herbal substance that has been banned by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) due to its potential harmful side effects. The paper notes that many people believe Ephedra is safe in small, regulated doses, but most experts agree the FDA ban was the correct way to handle a natural supplement that has the potential to cause great harm.

From the Paper:

"Ephedra has been in use for thousands of years for its medicinal properties. It has been found in burial caves in Iran, and "This evidence may indicate that Ephedra was used as a medicine more than 60,000 year ago. In China, Ephedra was the first herbal remedy to yield an active constituent, in this case ephedrine" (McBroom). It is known the Chinese have used it for a variety of ailments for centuries, and writings indicate Zen monks used it to concentrate during meditation. Soldiers drank it to stay awake as they guarded their lords, and in the U.S., the Mormons used it to make a stimulating tea that replaced coffee and black tea that were banned for Mormons."

Sample of Sources Used:

• Editors. "Lack of FDA Regulation." Ephedrine-Ephedra.com. 2004. 10 May 2006.< http://www.ephedrine-ephedra.com/pages/ephedrine_FDA_456.html >
• Heinrich, Michael, Andrea Pieroni, and Paul Bremner. "12 Plants as Medicines." Cultural History of Plants. Ed. Sir Ghillean Prance and Mark Nesbitt. New York: Routledge, 2004. 205-238.
• McBroom, Erica. "Ephedra (Ma Huang)." Southern Illinois University. 2 March 2001. 10 May 2006. < http://www.siu.edu/~ebl/leaflets/ephed1.htm >
• Rados, Carol. "Ephedra Ban: No Shortage of Reasons." FDA Consumer Mar.-Apr. 2004: 6+.
• Rudgley, Richard. "11 Psychoactive Plants." Cultural History of Plants. Ed. Sir Ghillean Prance and Mark Nesbitt. New York: Routledge, 2004. 191-204.

More papers on Ephedra:

• Research Paper # 47459 : "The Ephedra Debate"
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• Term Paper # 149693 : "Dietary Pills and Dietary Supplements"

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