Parts of the plant used:

The stems.

How is it used?

Ma Huang has been used as a tea, as well as a part of herbal formulas employed for thousands of years in Chinese traditional medicine. In recent years, many dietary supplements in the form of capsules, tablets, drinks and powders marketed in the West, contain Ma Huang or ephedrine, its isolated alkaloid. The use of this plant has been banned by the FDA.

What is it used for?

This plant has been amply used for many centuries by Chinese physicians for a variety of respiratory ailments, especially asthma, due to its bronchodilating (it makes breathing easier) effects. This plant was most commonly used as a source of the alkaloid ephedrine and was included in various dietary supplements, along with other compounds, such as chromium picolinate, for example, purported to reduce obesity and improve athletic performance. The use of Ma Huang or its alkaloid, ephedrine, in dietary supplements, was strongly criticized, because it had been linked to some serious side effects, including high blood pressure, strokes, and even death. Ephedrine or Ma Huang was included in weight loss supplements, as well as in “energy stimulating” beverages along with other plants or substances that also act as central nervous system stimulants, such as Guaraná, Ginseng, Sida cordifolia or caffeine, for example.