Weight Loss Claims About Ephedra

Ephedra, also known as ma huang, yellow astringent, yellow horse and pinellia, is one of China's oldest traditional medicines, but not for weight loss. People in China used it as far back as 100 A.D. -- and still do -- to treat asthma, influenza and colds. No one knew that ephedra had anything to do with weight loss until the 1970s, when a Danish physician discovered that one of his obese asthma patients lost weight while using ephedrine, ephedra's main active ingredient, combined with caffeine, a combination that proved to be dangerous for thousands of people.

Weight Loss Claim

People who combined ephedra with the caffeine supplements kola nut or guarana lost about 2 lbs. in a month, according to some published trials from 2003, according to Drugs.com. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration banned ephedra twice, once in 2004 -- the ruling was overturned -- and again in 2007. Before the ban, the website ephedra.com claimed that ephedra increased metabolism to help people lose weight. Ephedrine is a stimulant similar to adrenaline, but not as potent as amphetamines. The site also claimed that ephedra promoted fat loss while keeping lean muscle tissue, a feature that no other diet pills were able to do.

Enhanced Energy

In 2002, just before the first FDA ban on ephedra, people spent $1.3 billion on various ephedra products, according to the American Council on Exercise. Many people who bought the product were athletes, particularly bodybuilders, who took ephedra because of claims it would enhance performance, improve body composition and help weight loss. More claims of ephedra benefits were that it gave people increased energy, boosted aerobic performance, improved reaction time and intensified alertness, all of which helped promote weight loss.

Lack of Evidence

The FDA concluded that evidence was lacking regarding ephedra's effectiveness as a weight loss supplement because too few high-quality trials were done. The shaky evidence, combined with the fact that more than 16,000 people reported adverse reactions to ephedra, caused the FDA to ban its sale.

Side Effects

Among side effects related to ephedra use, 90 instances were fatal. Other people reported symptoms that included insomnia, heart palpitations, headaches, hyperactivity, tremors, anxiety, gastrointestinal effects, stroke and seizures. Around the time of the ephedra ban, a 16-year-old high school football player died from taking a street drug alternative that contained ephedra and kola nut called Yellow Jackets. This product and others like it, with names of Black Beauties, Yellow Swarm and Midnight Stallion, claim to aid weight loss, suppress appetite and enhance libido. The FDA has banned these ephedra extract products, along with all supplements that contain ephedra. Because ephedra is a botanical substance, the regulatory body falls under the Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act. However, in the case of ephedra, the DSHEA gave the FDA the authority to regulate it because ephedra, when used as a weight loss aid, is no longer just a botanical supplement. It typically contains ephedrine or ephedrine alkaloids, which the FDA regulates as drugs. In May 2007, the Supreme Court upheld the FDA ban on any dietary supplement that contains ephedra or ephedrine alkaloids because of risks associated with taking it as a weight loss aid.

Weight Loss Claims About Ephedra