Guest guest Posted July 19, 2004 Report Share Posted July 19, 2004 thoughts on Ephedra..... I've familiarized myself with quite a few herbs over the years. They can be extraordinary tools for prevention, nutrition, wound healing, modification of disease states, immune stimulation, alertness, tissue integrity, etc. I have some ephedra at home stored and labeled, but have never used it. Having looked through several dozen texts on this and most herbs that interest me, I find that it is in a class of very powerful herbs. IT is a profound stimulant. Medically it would be classified as an adrenergic. It might be useful in the treatment of an acute asthmatic episode, or an acute allergic state, where respiratory status is involved. Ephedra is described as being "stimulating'' or "yang" by eastern texts. This is vague to a western mind, and as with an "adrenergic" substance can mean many levels of the same thing. Coffee is "adrenergic" but more tame than ephedra. My concerns about ephedra would be as follows: It could significantly worsen an anxiety or panic state..... It can dangerously raise blood pressure If a person has significant hypertension, a history of stroke, congestive heart failure, etc, it could create real trouble for them.... I see it as an emergency tool that is Very Potent, rather than an herb that could be used more safely and one that is generally benign. In an anaphylactic emergency, it could be a life saver... but it does carry the above risks... as I see it. Ephedra is also called Ma Huang, or Mormon tea... they may be identical or similar depending on the source but act in similar ways. I think it's a good idea generally to look at at least 5 or 6 different sources to get a good balanced functional perspective on an herb. To me, even then we need to consider the unique sensitivity of individual herbs... to each person. Another thought here is one of "similars" increasing one anothers effect. Coffee and Ephedra are "similar" in that they behave in similar ways... though coffee is milder than ephedra. They can significantly increase one anothers effect if used at the same time... and this can be very dangerous... with a real potential for a hypertensive crisis. These are my thoughts on the matter, I hope you give them consideration in your studies.they are certainly not prescriptive as we each need to gather our own information and form our own base of understanding with these things. I think it is important that we consider ourselves "beginners" no matter where we are on our path of learning. There is always much more to understand. Mike Persian <persian13@...> wrote: HI On Mon, Jul 19, 2004 at 01:58:07 -0000, wrote:> Hello everyone,> I just joined the group tonight. I'm fairly new to natural remedies > and nutrition as medicine, but I hope to learn a lot.> Thanks,> > Glad you joined! Have a look around the files area when you get a chance!Feel free to ask any questions, and I hope you enjoy the group.Persian"We have enslaved the rest of the animal creationand have treated our distant cousins in fur and feather so badly that,beyond doubt, if they were able to formulate a religion, they woulddepict the devil in human form" - Ralph Inge"I am only one, but still I am one. I cannot do everything, but I can dosomething. And because I cannot do everything, I will not refuse to do thesomething that I can do." - Everett Hale"The human body has no more need for cows' milk than it does for dogs' milk, horses' milk or giraffes' milk." ~ Klapper, M.D. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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