Apparently, the ephedra ban was lifted in 2009 when a Utah judge ruled on a lawsuit against the FDA’s decision to take ephedra off the market in 2004.
If you love ephedra as a weight loss tool, don’t start celebrating yet. Weight loss pill companies are very slow to bring any new ephedra products to market since the FDA is still considering what it will do next in this legal battle.
In the meantime, there are many companies that are coming out with new diet pills that say they contain this controversial ingredient but consumers should be aware of a few facts to make sure they aren’t being ripped off when buying ephedra products.
The primary active ingredient in ephedra is known as “ma huang“, a Chinese herb that’s been used for hundreds of years to treat condtions such as asthma, colds and upper respiratory infections. It was used as a weight loss aid until 2004 when the FDA banned it, saying it was “implicated” in the death of a professional baseball player.
Even though the ban has been lifted, many companies are coming out with products that have ephedra extract, which is a derivative of ephedra alkaloids.
Apparently, the alkaloids are the illegal substance. They are also the effective ingredient in ephedra so without it, you won’t lose weight. Bottom line: if it lists ephedra extracts in the ingredient list, don’t waste your money.Look for products that include ma huang in the ingredient list.
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