The Ephedra Effect

Ephedra is a naturally occurring substance that comes from botanicals. The principal active ingredient ephedrine is an amphetamine-like compound that can powerfully stimulate the nervous system and heart.

Ephedrine alkaloids are found naturally in a number of plants, including the ephedra species (also known by the traditional Chinese medicine name--ma huang or Chinese Ephedra, or epitonin). In recent years, ephedra products have been marketed as dietary supplements to promote weight loss, increase energy, and enhance athletic performance.

Ephedra is an evergreen shrub-like plant native to Central Asia and Mongolia. The principal active ingredient, ephedrine, is a compound that can powerfully stimulate the nervous system and heart. The dried stems and leaves of the plant are used to create capsules, tablets, extracts, tinctures, and teas. The Chinese botanical ephedra, or ma-huang, is sold as a dietary supplement in the United States. It is a natural source of the alkaloids ephedrine and pseudoephedrine. Some dietary supplement products used for weight loss and to enhance athletic performance contain these alkaloids.

The alkaloids ephedrine and pseudoephedrine are the active constituents of the plant. Pseudoephedrine is used in over-the-counter decongestants. Derivatives of ephedrine are used to treat low blood pressure, but alternatives with reduced cardiovascular risk have replaced it for treating asthma. Ephedrine is also considered a performance-enhancing drug and is prohibited in most competitive sports. Some species in the Ephedra genus have no alkaloid content and are therefore essentially inert; however, the most commonly used species, E. sinica, has a total alkaloid content of 1–3% by dry weight. Ephedrine constitutes 40–90% of the alkaloid content, with the remainder consisting of pseudoephedrine and the demethylated forms of each compound.

Many companies will produce this product without standardizing the extract, so you don't know how much active ingredient there is. Some will provide the inappropriate ratios. Others will add many other ingredients, purporting to "enhance" the effects. Most of these claims are not backed by solid science.

Other the Ephedra companies recommend cycling the product. They claim that your body will adapt and the effects will go away. This is not believed to be true by medical experts. They state that the "perceived" effects due to the stimulation of the central nervous system are adapted to and go away. However, the true "fat-burning" effect takes place at a cellular level and not only continues, but increases after several weeks of continuous use of the product (well after the perceived effects go away).

They also believe strongly that prolonged use will activate the synthesis of brown adipose tissue (BAT). BAT is a special type of fat cell that gets rid of excess calories by generated heat rather than storing them as fat! It does this through the actions of something known as uncoupling proteins.
Most likely, companies know that the perceived buzz will go away after a few days, so the recommendations to cycle are really based on the need to make the consumer feel a steady buzz.

If you want the benefit of the product, stick to what the research has proven - the ratio of 20:200 taken 3 times per day. Purchase the product from a reputable company, as lab analysis results indicate the most common problem with these products is an overabundance, rather than lack, of active alkaloids!