On Dec. 30, 2003, FDA issued a consumer alert on the safety of dietary supplements containing ephedra. The alert advised consumers to immediately stop buying and using ephedra products.
Ephedra, also called Ma huang, is a naturally occurring substance derived from plants. Its principal active ingredient is ephedrine, which when chemically synthesized is regulated as a drug. In recent years ephedra products have been extensively promoted to aid weight loss, enhance sports performance, and increase energy.
Senate Committee on Energy & Commerce:
July 23-24, 2004 - extensive hearings on Metabolife, ephedra and the researchers, and manufacturers who were instrumental in the success, and ultimate downfall of ephedra products. Pay attention to the mainstream researchers who accepted very little blame for the epidemic of death and mayhem that stemmed from ephedra containing supplements. You can watch and listen to the entire proceedings if you have a few days. All of the transcripts are available as well as all of the documents. Some of them are in Adobe .pdf format and run hundreds of pages.
The Secret of Ephedra's Questionable Success NPR's All Things Considered - November 22, 2002
The Secret of Ephedra's Questionable Success
Diet Aid Makes Billions Despite Claims of Health Risks
For years, Metabolife denied it had received any reports of health problems linked to its popular weight-loss aid, Metabolife 356. But recently, under pressure from the government, the herbal supplement company turned over 15,000 consumer complaints to the Food and Drug Administration. **** Audio story included ****
Canada overwhelmed with illegal ephedra
Diet supplements containing the herb ephedra are still easy to find in
Canada despite a request from Health Canada, 11 months ago, for
retailers to stop selling it. Self-regulation is a dismal failure. Will the long arm of Canadian law enforcement now have to take it upon themselves to do the job for Health Canada? Health Canada hasn't prosecuted anyone successfuly for years, and when they did, the result was not not effective. They can't even shut down Gero Vita, and other diet and health scams, so why should they bother with illegal ephedra. How does it get into Canada in the first place?
Government delays actions
In a victory for the food supplement
industry, the US government said on Friday it would delay limiting
the use of the popular weight-loss supplement ephedra until more
studies on its safety were in.
In January Health Canada, Canada's equivalent of the FDA, expressed worry about excessive
doses of ephedra, also known as ephedrine, and asked makers to voluntarily recall products
containing high doses of the supplement.
HHS cracks down on Ephedra sales
Health and Human Services Secretary Tommy Thompson announced plans Friday to study the controversial dietary supplement ephedra and to crack down on the illegal marketing of non-herbal synthetic ephedrine alkaloid products.
U.S. Orders Safety Study of Ephdera
F.D.A. prosecutes violators, but Bush wants to study it.
The Bush administration is ordering a new safety review of the herbal stimulant ephedra, outraging doctors who say the supplement has been linked to dozens of deaths and should be banned. There now are 100 reported deaths, said Dr. Sidney Wolfe of the consumer advocacy group Public Citizen.
Ma Huang Ups Risk of Heart Attack, Stroke, Death
Mayo Clinics Proceedings
Dietary supplements containing the herb ma huang can increase the risk of heart attack,
stroke and sudden death--even in healthy people who take the recommended doses, a new study reveals.
Ephedra Confirmed Safe and Effective for Weight Loss
Pro-ephedra group claims
Ephedra,
used by 12 million American consumers, has the support
of new clinical research studies that confirm its safety and
efficacy for losing weight. Two recently published studies
by separate researchers, reported by the Ephedra
Education Council (EEC) and published in abstracts by the
Obesity Research and the Journal of the American College
of Nutrition, add to the growing body of evidence that
Ephedra is safe and effective for weight loss when
consumed and쒸ijseas��ir��ted.
Feds bust E'Ola in Utah
St. George UTAH -- United States Marshals seized unapproved drug products
from Biogenics Inc., of St. George, Utah, doing business as E'OLA International, and at its contract manufacturer, Nature's
Energy, Inc., of Pleasant Grove, Utah.
Advisory not to use products containing Ephedra or
ephedrine
OTTAWA --Health Canada is warning consumers not to use products containing the herb Ephedra,
either alone or in combination with caffeine and other stimulants, for purposes of weight loss, body
building or increased energy. Products containing Ephedra or ephedrine in combination with caffeine
and other stimulants are of particular concern, since ephedrine may cause serious, possibly fatal,
adverse effects in the body when combined with these ingredients.
Health Canada takes the heat on Ephedra
- Canadian Press -
Leading specialist in eating disorders says that the federal government is shirking its responsibility by allowing the the sale of products
containing a potentially dangerous drug that people are using to lose weight.
"It's addictive, just like speed," Birmingham said. "People get used to it, they may have to steal for it. It ruins
their life and it also changes their behaviour."
He said ephedra, also known as ma huang, can cause strokes, seizures, hypertension, psychosis and depression.
USNews.com Special Issue
Three articles of interest about the dark side of the herbal and supplement industry. They may save your life.
Ephedra Warnings from FDA
FDA announces the availability of new ephedrine and "street drug alternative" documents
Public Hearings Probe Ephedra Safety
- CNN (August 9, 2000)
"I had respiratory failure and heart failure," said Hannah Zechzer. "When I wastaken to the hospital, I was termed a 'train wreck' because there were so manythings going on with me." Zechzer had taken diet pills made with ephedra for only a week, she said.
Ephedra News from Yahoo News
24 year Old Woman's Stroke Tied to Popular Herbal Supplement
Sarah Ingham is one of an unknown number of Americans who have suffered seriousillness or have died after taking products containing ephedra, a traditionalChinese asthma remedy marketed with almost no governmental oversight byscores of U.S. companies as an energy booster or as a way to lose weight.
How Safe is Ephedrine? - Dateline NBC
The industry says they’re safe, but could your dietary supplement contain a potentially deadly ingredient?
Adverse Events Associated with
Ephedrine-Containing Products
- MMWR (August 16, 1996)
Warning Not to Use Products
Containing the Herb Ephedra
Canadian Labeling Standards for Ephedra
The label can say the junk is just for nasal decongestant, yet the user can do anything else they want with the crap, even kill themselves because the government won't take it off the market.
Herbal Harm and Invisible Ephedrine
- Ellen Coleman
Some athletes consume herbal products (tablets, capsules, bulk herbs, andherbal teas) for their reputed "performance-enhancing" or "medicinal" qualities.Unfortunately, the herbal supplement marketplace is entirely unregulated.Thanks to the 1994 Dietary Supplement and Health Education Act (DSHEA),dietary supplements such as herbal products don't have to be proven safe oreffective to be sold. There is also no guarantee that the herbal product is whatit says it is on the label.
General Nutrition Centers Removes Ephedrine Products
General Nutrition Centers has removed products containing ephedrine from its 2700 stores due to the bad publicity the substance has been receiving in the press, which had led to a 20% drop in the value of GNC stock. Ephedra products make up about 6% of GNC's business.
Ephedrine Crackdown
FDA proposes crackdown on ephedrine-laced dietary supplements
by Lauran Neergaard
Adverse Effects of Botanical and
Non-Botanical Ephedrine Products
Drugs and Devices Information Line - Harvard.
"As of March 1997, ephedrine products are banned or restricted in at least 20 states. Yet the potential for abuse and misuse remains. For example, the Nassau County New York regulation bans the sale of products promoted as alternative psychoactives, while still allowing those marketed as weight-loss or body-buildingsupplements. Other states are more restrictive; Tennessee, Oklahoma, Florida, and Louisiana all have statutes making it unlawful to sell ephedrine products, and in some cases pseudoephedrine products, for "indication of stimulation, mental alertness, weight loss, appetite control, energy or other indications not approved pursuant to the pertinent federal over-the-counter drug final monograph..."
Seven States Sue to Remove Herbal Ectasy from Market
The FDA Needs a Looser Rein
The FDA says that since 1994 it has received reports of 800 adverse reactions and at least 17 deaths stemming from ephedrine use. It was unable to swiftly restrict ephedrine and order manufacturers to demonstrate its safety because in that year Congress put the burden of proof on the agency. So before last week's crackdown on ephedrine, the FDA had to spend months documenting adverse reactions and meeting with industry groups.
Herbal Warfare
Salon.com - June 6, 2000
Supplements containing the herb ephedra make up one of the top-selling categories in the$14 billion-a-year supplement industry. But for some people, the herb can be dangerous, even deadly.
Ephedra Label Claims Innacurate
In a landmark study in the American Health-System Journal Pharmacy, labels were wrong most of the time, even by lost of the same product.
How Safe is Ephedrine? - Dateline NBC
The industry says they’re safe, but could your dietary supplement contain a potentially deadly ingredient? Fatal Choice - Placing her faith in a common, unregulated herbal supplement, Anne Marie Capati paid with her life - $320 lawsuit by her husband against her personal trainer, Thermadrene, SportPharma, Crunch Fitness in Manhattan, and the makers of four other herbal fitness/weight loss products.
- People Magazine - August 2, 1999, page 105-109.
Athleticfitness.com
Links to distributor's site at Sportpharma.
Thermadrene site
The United States CDC has Issued Warnings
and exposed the severe hazards and deaths that resulted in the use of ephedrine, ephedra, and ma huang (the Chinese herbal name for the drug).
Six U.S. States Sued "Herbal Ecstasy" Maker
for marketing a weight loss drug classed as a dietary supplement. The product contains Ma Huang, a source of natural ephedrine. The FDA has linked ephedrine-laceddieary supplements to at least 17 deaths and 800 illnesses.
The Hazards of Ephedra Compounds
- Sports Medicine Digest
General Nutrition Centers
Remove "ephedra" containing compounds from their shelves in the U.S.
Montana Tries to Stop Marketing
of Ephedra Containing Junk
All Natural" Products Can Kill
Great article on killer food supplements from The Skeptic
THERMO-5000C
Kidney Stones and Other Dangers of Ma Huang
Hundreds of body builders and others suffer from ephedrine induced kidney stones
Boston Globe Magazine - Herbal Dangers
Search the HCRC database for "Ephedra"
for a good source of side effects, and hazards of ephedra.
Join in a Lawsuit Against Ma Huang, Ephedra, Ephedrine Marketers?
The Food and Drug Administration and the National Council Against Health Fraud have identifiedephedrine as the worst over-the-counter and/or mail order product. It is contained in many diet pills and food supplements. The FDA has reported in excess of 300 cases of adverse reaction to ephedrine in 1994 and 1995 alone. Dozens of deaths have been linked to the pills.
More Ephedra News
HerbalWatch.com
Metabolife-356
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