Ephedra’s active ingredient, ephedrine, has been in over-the-counter cold and asthma medications since the 1920’s, and the ephedra plant has been used for thousands of years in Chinese medicine. Still, the combined effects of the herbal potpourri found in many diet supplements have not been studied. While over-the-counter drugs are subject of Food and Drug Administration regulation, herbal supplements are essentially unregulated, assumed safe unless proved otherwise.

The ephedrine debate raise questions about the efficacy and safety of a product from an unregulated industry still in its infancy. “The public has a blind spot with the herbals,” said Dr. Bill Gurley, of the College of Pharmacy at the University of Arkansas. “I have a feeling over time enough serious cases of addiction will pile up and enough adverse events will be reported to change that perception.”

Dr. Gurley has just completed a study suggesting wide variations in product ingredients and quality. “Ephedra supplements are derived from plants that can contain any number of ephedrine-like alkaloids,” he said. “These alkaloids vary not only in pharmacological activity and potency, but certain combinations may be additive or synergistic in their effect.”

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