Article Surfing Archive

Good News: The ephedra ban has been lifted. April 2005 a federal judge tossed out the FDA's ban on all ephedra products containing 10 mg per daily dose. The ban on higher ephedra content products remains.

Bad News: All the big manufacturers of products like Xenadrine, Stacker 2 and Metabolife 356 are in bankruptcy. Lawyers and the media have made it impossible for them return these fabulous products to the market. Hydroxycut will not return with ephedra, even though they have stayed out of the bankruptcy court.

There is a difference between ephedrine alkaloids and synthetic ephedrine. Ephedrine is only one of the naturally occurring alkaloids present in Ephedra extracts. Other alkaloids include pseudoephedrine (which is less potent than ephedrine) and alkaloids that slow the absorption of ephedrine from the digestive tract and/or counteract the stimulant effects of the ephedrine in the extracts. However, synthetic ephedrine, which is used in a number of common cold remedies, is not a naturally occurring substance. Synthetic ephedrine can be easily identified on the label of these cold products as "ephedrine hydrocloride."

Ephedra dietary products generally contain standardized extracts that have 6 to 8 percent ephedrine alkaloids. Manufacturers are required by law to declare the amount of ephedrine alkaloids in each serving. The majority of Ephedra products contain naturally occurring ephedrine alkaloids. Industry standards and some state laws prohibit the use of synthetic ephedrine in ephedra dietary supplement products.

Ephedra Products are Safe and Effective When Taken as Directed

Researchers from the Pennington Biomedical Research Center tested a commercial caffeine and ephedra product in three phases. The first phase tested the efficacy of the product in raising metabolic rate compared with a placebo. The second phase was a double-blind, placebo-controlled randomized 12-week trial testing the safety and efficacy of the herbal caffeine and ephedra product. The third phase observed the safety and weight loss over six months in all participants.

Approximately 40 overweight male and female subjects completed the three phases of the study. Subjects who completed phase 3 were given a gift of an additional three-month supply of the herbal dietary supplement product for home use.

The subjects who took caffeine and ephedrine had a significantly higher resting metabolic rate and lost significantly more weight than those who were on a placebo (7.7 pounds versus 1.76 pounds). There was no significant difference in blood pressure, total cholesterol, HDL cholesterol, LDL cholesterol or triglyceride between groups.

The caffeine and ephedra group lost more body fat than those on the placebo (7.9 percent versus 1.9 percent). There were no serious adverse effects and no evidence of toxicity on physical examination, urinalysis or blood testing at the end of the treatment.

Experts who have reviewed all of the available historical and clinical data agree: You can take Ephedra products safely buy you must stick to the serving limits and follow the warnings and precautions adopted by the Industry.

So where can you get ephedra supplements?

Compare Metabadrine (www.metabadrine.com) to old Xenadrine RFA - 1 with ephedra.

Please note: This product contains caffeine and salicin (a precursor to aspirin), and should not be taken by individuals wishing to eliminate these ingredients from their diet. For best results, use as part of a reduced-fat diet or low carb diet and exercise program.

METABADRINE WITH EPHEDRA.

Now that the ephedra, Ma Huang ban has been lifted, GorillaVitamins.com, your source for quality supplements, is the first to bring you ephedra supplement pills. This is the original formula of Metabadrine. This product is has been marketed nationally as a generic version of the Original Xenadrine.