5Nov/101
what is the legal status of Ephedra?
I was under the impression that it was flat out illegal, but a vitamin store near me advertises it on their website, so, in the State of New York, what is the legal status of ephedra containing dietary supplements?
November 5th, 2010 - 12:56
I’ll work under the assumption that you’re talking about Ephedra sinica, or the herb. In its loose form, as prescribed and dispensed by practitioners of Traditional Chinese Medicine, it was never banned. They use it early in the course of flu-like illness (combined with other herbs), to cut the course of the illness short.
The herb has been safely used for thousands of years. However, using highly purified extracts to assist weight loss was never its intended application. And as far as I know, no one had used it for such a purpose before the 20th century. However, by United States law, a doctor can use a legal medication for any purpose they see fit, so long as it doesn’t pose an unreasonable risk to the patient.
To the best of my knowledge, marketing Ephedra sinica or purified extracts thereof to promote weight loss is illegal. That’s what the "ban on Ephedra" really is. The FDA says that ephedra alkaloids, at any dose, are unsafe.
On the other hand, ephedRINE is a legal medication with several medical uses. In injectable form, it’s used to treat extremely low blood pressure (hypotension) in medical emergencies. There are two other FDA-approved indications for ephedrine, taken orally:
1.) To treat excessive sleepiness of narcolepsy.
2.) To treat fatigue associated with depression.
When combined with guaifenesin, a mucus thinner, it’s approved to treat asthma; that’s available OTC, under the brand name Primatene Tablets. There may be generics available. I’ve only seen this preparation on the shelves, and never ephedrine by itself in tablet form. The injectable form is by prescription only.