Ephedra
sinica (Chinese),E. equisetina(Chinese)E.
gerardiana(Indian) Ephedra Ma
huangFamily: Ephedra
Ephedras have been used at least for 5000 years in China, probably elsewhere.
Beverage made with the ephedra plant have been referred to under many names,
e.g., yellow river, mormon tea, and whorehouse tea. Ancient Chinese physicians
prescribed ephedra tea and pills for the common cold, coughs, asthma, headaches,
and hay fever. Ephedra comforts asthma patients by acting as a bronchial dilator.
Honey is often added to the ephedra.[2] PART USED: Stem ACTION
1. Antasthmatic.[3] Bronchodilator.[1,3]
2. Hypertensive. Peripheral vasoconstrictor. Sympathomimetic with a
and b-adrenergic action.[1,3]
3. Cerebral stimulant.[1,2]
CNS stimulant.[3]
4. Cardiac stimulant due to inotropic action
of pseudoephedrine.[1,3] INDICATIONS
1. Asthma.[3]
Hayfever. Allergies.[3] Urticaria. Enuresis.[3]
Narcolepsy.[3] Mysathenia gravis.[1] COMBINATIONS
- Asthma, use with Lobelia,Grindelia
and Symplocarpus.[1]
- Hay fever, use with Echinacea
and Uliginosum.[1]
- Enuresis, use with Equisetum.[1] CONTRAINDICATIONS: Hypertension.
PREPARATIONS:3 X /day
Dried stems 1-4 g, or as decoction.[1,3]
Liquid extract 1:1 in 45% alcohol
1-3 ml.[1,3]
Tincture 1:4 in 45% alcohol 6-8 ml.[1]
NOTE- Store in air-tight containers, protected
from light.[1] DESCRIPTION: Slender green stems jointed in branches of about
20 tufts about 15 cm long. Leaves reduced to sheaths surrounding the stems, which
terminate in a sharp recurved point. References
1. British Herbal Pharmacopoeia 1983 Published
by the British Herbal Medicine Association ISBN 0 903032 07 4.
2. botgard.ucla.edu
Jill Block. Biology 10, Winter 1998
3. Potter's New Cyclopaedia of Botanical Drugs and Preparations R.C. Wren
Revised by Elizabeth M. Williamson and Fred J Evans. First published in Great
Britain in 1988 and reprinted in 1989 and 1994 by the C. W. Daniel Company Limited.
1 Church Path, Saffron Walden Essex. Published 1988 Printed and bound by Biddles,
Guildford ISBN 085207 1973. Images
1. cnseed.org
2. alibaba.com
Inner Path can not take any responsibility for any adverse effects from the
use of plants. Always seek advice from a professional before using a plant medicinally.
Cultivation and Harvesting.
Seeds for Ma huang are planted in the early spring. During the first year of growth,
the plants must be watered and kept entirely weed free. Stems are harvested usually
after four years of plant growth, and during the blooming season, when alkaloid
content is the highest. Ephedra sinica is not harvested during the Summer months,
because alkaloid content is reduced when stems are fully hydrated from Summer
rains.[1] References
1. botgard.ucla.edu
Jill Block. Biology 10, Winter 1998
Constituents.
Alkaloids, up to about 3% but widely varying.[2,3,4,5]E. sinica usually has higher concentrations than the other species.[2,3,4,5]
The major alkaloid is l-ephedrine,[1,2,3,4,5]
with d-y-ephedrine,[2,3,4,5]
(the alkaloids contains not less than 1.25% ephedrine), pseudoephedrine,[1,2,3,4,5]
methylephedrine,[1,2,3,4,5]
ephedine, 1-nor-ephedrine.[1,2,3,4,5]
d-N-pseudomethylephedrine,d-dimethyl-pseudoephedrine, benzyl-methylamine,.[2,3,4,5]
1-a-d-terpineol.[1] References
[1] Chinese Herbal Medicine Materia Medica- Dan Bensky and Andrew Gamble-
Eastland Press 1986 Seattle Washington ISBN 0-939616-15-7
[2]Pharmacognosy, 12th Ed. Trease, G.E. and Evans, W. C. Pub. Bailliere
Tindall (1983) UK
[3] Drogenkunde, 8th Ed.. Heinz, A., Hoppe. Pub. W. de Gruyter (1975) Berlin.
[4] Martindale. The Extra Pharmacopoeia, 27th ed. Pub. The Pharmaceutical
Press (1977) UK
[5] British Herbal Pharmacopoeia. Pub. British Herbal Medicine Association (1983)
UK
Research. Many herbalists agree that the intact Ma huang stem is much safer
to use for medicinal purposes than its alkaloid extracts. As an example, pure
ephedrine raises blood pressure, whereas ephedra stems reduces it. Comparing the
alkaloid pseudoephedrine with the entire plant, the entire plant causes fewer
heart symptoms. When comparing alkaloid to alkaloid for commercial cold preparations,
pseudoephedrine is less risky than ephedrine.[1]
Ephedrine and pseudoephedrine are widely used in the form of nasal drops, tablets
and elixirs and decongestants. They should be avoided by patients with high blood
pressure.[2] References
[1] botgard.ucla.edu
Jill Block. Biology 10, Winter 1998
[2] Martindale. The Extra Pharmacopoeia, 27th Ed. Pub. The Pharmaceutical Press
(1977) UK
When are Fu Zi And Ma Huang going to become available in Austalia? Feb
22, 2013
Two of the herbs proposed by the former Chinese Medicine Registration Board of
Victoria to be added to Schedule 1 of the Standard for the Uniform Scheduling
of Medicines and Poisons (SUSMP) remain unavailable to registered Chinese herbal
medicine practitioners with additional endorsement for prescribing these herbs
individually.
The SUSMP, referred to as “The Poisons Standard”, has a Schedule 1 which is empty.
Under the Victorian Poisons List (Schedules 2-9 are adopted automatically by reference
from the national Standard for Uniform Scheduling of Medicines and Poisons), it
is currently illegal for a Chinese herbal medicine practitioner or herbal dispenser
to ‘obtain, possess, use, sell or supply’ certain Chinese herbs listed in the
various schedules of the list. Similar restrictions apply in other states and
territories.
The former Chinese Medicine Registration Board Victoria (ended on 30 June 2012)
prepared a submission for the Victorian Minister for Health recommending the inclusion
of Fu Zi and Ma Huang (as well as Ban Bian Lian) in Schedule 1 of the Victorian
Poisons List so that Board-endorsed practitioners could safely dispense/prescribe
for patients who would benefit from the use of these herbs based on their professional
justification and an evidence-based approach. Until now, the herbs have failed
to receive the Ministerial approval in Victoria which may have been a basis for
other States to consider similar arrangements.
With national registration now commenced from July 2012, this is now a national
issue and a new strategy is needed to achieve access to those herbs for Chinese
herbal medicine practitioners in Australia.
safflower.com.au
Pharmacokinetics and cardiovascular effects of ma-huang (Ephedra sinica)
in normotensive adults.
White LM, Gardner SF, Gurley BJ, Marx MA, Wang PL, Estes M. Abstract
The purpose of this study was to evaluate heart rate and blood pressure responses
to a commercially available source of ma-haung, a natural source of the sympathomimetic
substance, ephedrine, and to evaluate the pharmacokinetic properties of the product
in normotensive, healthy adults. On day 1, twelve study participants were monitored
with an ambulatory blood pressure device between hours 7 and 20. On day 2, they
ingested four capsules of powdered ma-huang at hours 8 and 17 while again wearing
the monitor between hours 7 and 20. Serial plasma samples were obtained and concentrations
of ephedrine were analyzed by high-performance liquid chromatography. Pharmacokinetic
parameters of ephedrine were determined from plasma concentration-time profiles.
The ephedrine alkaloid content of each capsule was also determined by high-performance
liquid chromatography. Six participants experienced a statistically significant
increase in heart rate, but the effects on blood pressure were variable. The half-life,
volume of distribution, clearance, and maximum concentration in plasma of ephedrine
in the ma-huang product were similar to values previously reported for a 20 mg,
immediate-release ephedrine tablet. Values for the absorption rate were considerably
lower and time to reach maximum concentration was longer for the capsules, compared
with the standard tablet. Variability in alkaloid content of ephedrine was low
and yielded a mean dose of ephedrine at 19.4 mg; pseudoephedrine at 4.9 mg; and
methylephedrine at 1.2 mg for a four-capsule dose. In summary, ma-huang had variable
effects on blood pressure and increased heart rate in healthy, normotensive adults.
Pharmacokinetic parameters for ephedrine were in agreement with those previously
reported; however, the absorption rate was much slower after ingestion of ma-huang.
PMID: 9055137 J Clin Pharmacol. 1997 Feb;37(2):116-22. ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
Cytotoxicity assessment of Ma-huang (Ephedra) under different conditions
of preparation.
Lee MK, Cheng BW, Che CT, Hsieh DP. Abstract
Ma-huang is a traditional Chinese medicinal herb derived from EPHEDRA: sinica
Stapf and other EPHEDRA: species, used to treat asthma, nose and lung congestion,
and fever with anhidrosis. It contains 0.5-2.5% by weight of total alkaloids,
of which ephedrine accounts for 30 to 90%. Recently, large amounts of ma-huang
were used as a source of ephedrine in many dietary supplements formulated for
weight reduction, because ephedrine has been found effective in inducing weight
loss in diet-restricted obese patients. However, indiscriminate consumption of
ma-huang-containing products has resulted in many cases of poisoning, some of
which were fatal. The objective of this study is to investigate the relative toxicity
of ma-huang extracted under different conditions. The toxicities of various extracts
were assayed using MTT colorimetry on a battery of cell lines, while ephedrine
alkaloids were analyzed with HPLC. The results are summarized as follows. (1)
The cytotoxicity of all ma-huang extracts could not be totally accounted for by
their ephedrine contents, suggesting the presence of other toxins in the extracts.
(2) Grinding was a significant condition enhancing the toxicity of the extracts.
(3) The relatively high sensitivity of the Neuro-2a cell line to the toxicity
of ma-huang extracts suggests that the toxic principles were acting on neuronal
cells. (4) One condition to produce a ma-huang extract with high ephedrine-to-toxins
ratio would be to boil the whole herb for two h.
PMID: 10911002 Toxicol Sci. 2000 Aug;56(2):424-30. ncbi.nlm.nih.gov