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Ephedra sinica;
Ephedrine
Ezekiel 47:12 "And by the river upon the bank thereof, on this side and on that side, shall grow all trees for meat, whose leaf shall not fade, neither shall the fruit thereof be consumed: it shall bring forth new fruit according to his months, because their waters they issued out of the sanctuary: and the fruit thereof shall be for meat, and the leaf thereof for medicine."
Warning/Experience Report: Ephedra is potentially very dangerous. The following precautions are based on my own observations: Ephedra is really only safe when you use one small dose and then stop. Taking more of the drug does not increase the desirable effects, rather it increases the potential dangers of the drug and its negative side effects. It induces rapid downregulation in the adrenal system and I suspect dopamine and serotonin as well, which doesn't just result in a tolerance to the drug, but a diminished sense of well-being and happiness the next day and or following the next dose. The more you chase the high, the more it will throw off the balance of your neurochemicals, and slowly induce more and more dysphoria, and receptor downregulation. Because Ephedra affects the adrenaline system, it can keep you up all night. Too much of it causes one to feel very unpleasant, as it is very similar to adrenaline. It should not be combined with licorice root due to blood pressure concerns. Based on my experiences with it, two small doses in a one month period are acceptable. It's not exactly a recreational drug that can be used daily, although I did notice noticable psychoactive effects. It feels like diet-MDMA. It's only meant for one time small doses, anything beyond that is not advised. Do not consume more trying to get "high". It won't work. Also, it will make it impossible for you to feel the effects of THC. You can consume insane amounts of THC under the influence of Ephedra, and never feel a thing from the Cannabis(thc). Another thing I want to warn about is that Ephedra can create the illusion that you feel calm, but really you're wired. In my opinion, and based on my experience, Ephedra would make a good stimulant for rare occasions where you're only going to dose once, and for one day, and at one specific time. It's not a daily substance, but a once or twice a month substance.
Summary: Ephedra sinica is a psychoactive plant that produces the popular pharmacological phytochemical known as ephedrine. It's of big pharmaceutical company interest as well, making it the perfect plant for you to grow at home.[1] A National Geographic book that I have, "Plants That Heal", confirms for you how drug companies mass process large quantities of plant material in the mass production of pharmaceuticals. Ephedrine, the active component of over the counter cold medication, is free-based from a plant called Ephedra sinica.[1] This is just one example. White Willow bark is also used in the mass production of Aspirin.[3]
Nicknames: Chinese ephedra[4] or Ma Huang;[4] The name "Mormon tea", is often thrown around in reference to numerous Ephedra varieties, and not necessarily one that is active(produces and or contains ephedrine). | Name Meaning: In Chinese characters, "ma" means astringent and "huang" means yellow.
Classification: Stimulant;[1] Anti-microbial, anti-rhematoid arthritis, anti-alzheimer, anti-diabetes, anti-hyperlipidemia, anti-asthma[9] Perennial;
Plant Family: Ephedraceae;[1] Genus: Ephedra[1] Species: E. sinica;[1]
Ethnobotany: For well over 4,000 years, Chinese healers have used Ephedra sinica for medicinal purposes.[1] They call it "ma huang", which sounds dirty but isn't meant that way.[1] The ancient Chinese used it to treat coughs, asthma, bronchitis, and other respiratory ailments.[1] In China they tie the stems of the plant in groups, and use them as a tea to treat fevers, cough, and postpartum problems.[1] The roots and joints are used to induce sweating.[1] In ancient Greece, Ephedra was used to stop bleeding and cure coughs. Native Americans in Texas and Mexico utilized it for anything related to the kidneys.[1] A Japanese organic chemist named Nagayoshi Nagi studied in Germany, where he worked with Ephedra.[1] His interest in the plant was that it had been used as a drug for thousands of years, and for its use in treating fevers.[1] The roots are also used in Chinese healing arts for headaches, chills, and fever.[1] Kampo healers used it to maintain the flow of energy, or "chi", to the lungs, thus acting as a medicine for coughs and wheezing.[1] It is combined with chewing tobacco in Pakistan[1], which makes sense because nicotine is also a stimulant. It was served in brothels in some parts of the Old West, earning it the nickname "whore house tea".
Natural Habitat: Mongolia, Russia (Buryatiya, Chita, Primorye), and northeastern China (Gansu, Hebei, Heilongjiang, Jilin, Liaoning, Nei Mongol, Ningxia, Shaanxi, Shanxi)[4] Specifically, it can be found near the seacoast in southern China, and it is this source that that supplies most of the American market.[5]
Mixes well with: Mullein, because both are used for respiratory ailments. Others like coltsfoot would work well as well, and peppermint, as well as lemon balm Lemon balm is also a nootropic(cognitive enhancer), so the effects should synergize well with the stimulating properties of Ephedra..
Antidote: In medicine an antidote is something that, According to Merriam-webster: is a remedy to counteract the effects of poison(or medicine). Dogbane is known by the Native Americans to slow the heart rate, thus making this a potential antidote for over-stimulation caused from Ephedra overdose. Dogbane is toxic though in sufficient dosage, and potentially very dangerous. One has to really know what they're doing, and the Native Americans did.
Cultivation: Ephedra is an evergreen plant that thrives in desert conditions and regions.[1] This means that your soil should emulate this. What I like to do is I take your standard organic potting soil, and then dilute it with some sand. The sand can be grey to white, but it must be sand, and not rich fertile soil. Drop the seeds on top of this dirt, and lightly cover them with a very thin layer of sand and soil combined. Don't water them. Place the pot with the seeds in a shady spot where it can get rain water naturally and forget about them. Eventually, when you least expect it, they will emerge as baby seedlings. Once you get used to growing Ephedra sinica, or any other ephedra variety, you'll see how easy it is to do.
Harvesting: Ephedra plants are harvested in autumn, and dried in the sun.[1] They are cut into sections, and boiled.[1] The water can be allowed to evaporate, resulting in a syrup. If you let it evaporate too long, it will become a resin(which is more ideal for storage and compacting the end product) This syrup can be used to make medicated gummies, or in other recipes. I really like the idea of female entrepaneurs making their own DIY health products, and directly competing with fortune 500. Keep these things in mind, as that's why I share them. You can use this syrup to make salves with as well!
Warning about falsely identified seeds: Beware of online vendors selling false varieties as "Ephedra sinica" and or plants. They can easily misidentify them, or label a non-active strain as the active one. Please note that according to my sources, most of the Ephedra varieties native to the United States are not the correct strain(E. sinica) that produces the active constituent known as ephedrine, thus they lack the pharmacological effects.[1] The active strain of ephedra that produces ephedrine that you want comes from China. It would be cool if there was an ephedrine drug test kit you could purchase somewhere online. That would be the ultimate way to find out. You could make a tincture, evaporate it. and then test the dried resin to see if it test positive for ephedrine or not. People who are serious about herbal medicine seek high potency organic quality dried plant material to start with.
What is Phytochemistry? What are Phytochemicals? Phytochemistry is the science of studying herbal remedies for their pharmacology. It's done so by isolating phytochemicals from the plants, and then studying them to find out what their medicinal properties are, if any. The results are always astoundingly positive. In 1887 Nagayoshi Nagi, a Japanese chemist, isolated ephedrine, an alkaloid that is produced by the ephedra sinica plant.[1] Ephedrine is what meth cooks chemically convert into methamphetamines.[2] It would be nice if the government allowed the population to have legal access to the best medicine on earth, but instead of providing the public with isolates, they create knock-off alterations in the lab. Ephedra has led to the developmeent of several major modern pharmaceutical drugs that treat bronchial and respiratory problems."[1] What they do is, they alter the original medicine to create new drugs, so they can get a copyright on them. Fentanyl is a good example of the point I'm trying to make. Fentanyl is not naturally occurring, rather it is an altered version of naturally recurring opioids that are produced by the opium poppy species. Delta-8-thc is another good example, as it is made by chemically converting cbd into d8. There's isolates(pure phytochemicals pulled out of plants), and then there's abominations(pharmaceuticals, made in the like-ness of naturally occuring phytochemicals, but not the way God made them.)
Phytochemicals: It produces: pseudoephedrine, norephedrine, and methylephedrine, and it also contains tannins and flavonoids[9] ephedrine;[1] Ephedrine is an alkaloid that is produced by Ephedra sinica. It can be made synthetically however using a chemical procedure that involves a reductive condensation between L-1-phenyl-1-acetylcarbinol and methylamine.[5] A great book on pharmacognosy that I own suggest that Ephedrine can also be found in Ephedra distachya.[5] I'm really glad that I found that fact, as it is GOLD! Ephedrine sulfate is another alkaloid obtained from Ephedra, or prepared synthetically.[5] It's a fine, white, odorless crystal and or powder, and darkens when exposed to light.[5] An oral dose is from 25 to 50 mg, and I would not exceed one dose per day personally. Ephedrine hydrochloride is also a fine, white, odorless crystal or powder affected by light. It shares the same pharmacology as ephedrine, and is utilized in medicine as a sympathomimetic.
Pharmacological / Medicinal Properties: In the 1920's, two young American researchers discovered that ephedrine raises blood pressure, and can be used to stimulate the central nervous system.[1] Some of the effects that ephedrine has on the central nervous system resemble those of amphetamines, according to their research.[1] Ephedrine also relaxes the smooth muscles of the bronchial tree, dilates the bronchial passages, decreases congestion in muscous tissue, and improves air exchange, capcity, and relievs mild spasms of the bronchial tubes.[1] By the mid 1920's, Ephedrine quickly became popular for clinical use, in the treatment of asthma.[1] The substance has led to the production of at least half a dozen nasty pharmaceutical drugs, which are made in the likeness of the real thing, but are not the real thing.[1] These pharma's are chemical alterations of naturally recurring components of medicinal plants, and are not the real deal. I'm against pharmaceuticals, but don't have a problem with isolates. I believe in maintaining the original God-made structure of the phytochemicals, and not altering them from their original nature. "Ephedra acts as a central nervous excitant as a result of the rapid passage of ephedrine through the blood–brain barrier. This stimulates neurons in the limbic system, which also control part of the hypothalamus (supporting a variety of functions, including emotion)."[7] This sounds like an empathogen to me, and from my experiences with this drug(ephedra sinica), I believe it to be one. According to Wikipedia, an Empathogen is: "Empathogens are psychoactive drugs that induce feelings of emotional communion, oneness, relatedness, emotional openness." The properties of ephedrine are similar to those of adrenaline and tyramine.[7] The actions of ephedrine had longer lasting effects than those of adrenaline.[7] The similarity of the effects of ephedrine when compared to those of adrenaline, prove to be nearly identical in their chemical structures.[7] On a final note, there's just insane amounts of scientific literature out there on this plant and I can't cover all of it. I will link to one last source for you to check out though: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC4594322/
Legality: Ephedra sinica and ephedrine containing varieties of this plant are 100% legal in the United States. This is not the case in every country however. "Ephedra and ephedrine products are now banned in many countries, as they are a major source for the production of the addictive compound methamphetamine (crystal meth)."
Alternative Ephedra Species: Let's discuss something thorougly that seems to be lacking on the first page of Google, and that's other strains of Ephedra than the typical sinica species, and whether or not they're active. Let's start off with the scholars words theirself, via this quote: "Pharmacological effects depend on the phytocomposition of individual Ephedra species."[10] Remember, I found a solid source(multiple actually) that states that Ephedrine can also be found in the Ephedra distachya species![5] "Samples of Ephedra californica and Ephedra nevadensis were obtained from Dr. Walter Swingle, Department of Agriculture, Washington, and an attempt was made to isolate ephedrine from them"[6] The results of this study concluded that: "absolutely no ephedrine could be found in our sample of E. californica, nor was there anything more than possibly am exceedingly small trace in E. nevadensis."[6] E. nevadensis: Its effects on blood pressure have been studied by phytochemist. One study I cite that tested the drug on rabbits states: "A 10 percent infusion of Ephedra nevadensis, was shown to have a marked effect in causing large rises of blood pressure."[6] It goes on to elaborate: "Other experiments with Ephedra californica, indicated that it also contained a pressor material."[6] The researchers admit that there's a possibility that the sampels they got were just bunk, and perhaps "there are exceedingly great seasonal variation in the alkaloidal content of this plant."[6] Other strains of interst include: E. pachyclada and E. intermedia[7], and I will add them to the database here at HerbsPedia. "In the Americas, a number of other Ephedra species were known to the indigenous people. These were later classified as E. antisyphilitica, E. californica and E. nevadensis"[7] Studies have been done on the aanti-cancer properties of extract of Ephedra foeminea.[8] One such study concludes: "Ephedra foeminea exerts potential selectivity in anti-proliferative effect against some cancer cell lines. Thus, it is a promising drug source for the production of new and selective anti-cancer medicines."[8]
OG Observation(s): I've barely scratched the surface on the science behind Ephedra, and its various strains and their phytochemical makeup and pharmacology. It seems that a wide range of Ephedra species have been studied for a wide range of pharmacological actions. There seems to be very little discussion of this online however. I intend to bring these facts to the forefront, but I can not possibly cover them all. If I put all of the scientific facts related to these Ephedra varieites on this page, it would take your browser over an hour just to load the page. I encourage everyone to browse the databases yourself and see what you can find. Ephedra sinica(or ephedrine in general) is not the type of drug that gets more desirable as the dose is increased. It's similar to kratom in that a specific dose works, but anything beyond that just leaves one feeling lousy. In the case of Ephedra, it actually starts to become more and more dangerous as the use becomes more and more chronic. Using Ephedra daily will eventually cause depressive symptoms. I've observed that it rapidly downregulates pleasurable receptor sites in the brain and body. This is something that should be used very sparingly, and honestly Kratom is more suited for daily use and is for sure much safer than Ephedra. The effects produced by Ephedra are very real, but somewhat subtle, but noticable enough for me to personally consider a narcotic. I find it similar to Voacanga africana, being that small doses are safe, and generate a nice buzz, but anything beyond that starts to get toxic. Play it safe with Ephedra and know that one should start small with this stuff, and take extra precautions while using it, and certainly be very careful what you combine it with because it can be dangerous to mix with certain things.
More HerbsPedia Blogs: Drug Companies Release Pill Version Of Kratom, Lobelia(Indian Tobacco), Cream Bush(Holodiscus discolor), Sea Holly(Eryngium maritimum), Mescal Beans (Sophora secundiflora)
Buy Ephedra Seeds Plants Herb
Academic citations:
[2] Wu, Alan HB, et al. "The conversion of ephedrine to methamphetamine and methamphetamine‐like compounds during and prior to gas chromatographic/mass spectrometric analysis of CB and HFB derivatives." Biological mass spectrometry 21.6 (1992): 278-284.
[3] Mahdi, Jassem G. "Medicinal potential of willow: A chemical perspective of aspirin discovery." Journal of Saudi Chemical Society 14.3 (2010): 317-322.
[6] Read, Bernard E., and C. T. Feng. "The Alleged Ephedrine Action of Two California Species of Ephedra." Proceedings of the Society for Experimental Biology and Medicine 24.9 (1927): 819-821.
[7] Lee, Michael R. "The history of Ephedra (ma-huang)." JR Coll Physicians Edinb 41.1 (2011): 78-84.
[8] Al-Saraireh, Yousef M., et al. "Phytochemical characterization and anti-cancer properties of extract of Ephedra foeminea (Ephedraceae) aerial parts." Tropical Journal of Pharmaceutical Research 20.8 (2021): 1675-1681.
[9] Dousari, Amin Sadeghi, et al. "Medicinal and therapeutic properties of ephedra." Revista Brasileira de Farmacognosia 32.6 (2022): 883-899.
[10] Ibragic, Saida, and Emin Sofić. "Chemical composition of various Ephedra species." Bosnian journal of basic medical sciences 15.3 (2015): 21.
Book Sources:
[1] Swerdlow, Joel L. Nature’s Medicine : Plants That Heal. Washington, D.C., National Geographic Society, 2000.
[5] Robbers, James E, et al. Pharmacognosy and Pharmacobiotechnology. Baltimore, Williams & Wilkins, 1996.
Encyclopedia Sources:
[4] Wikipedia contributors, "Ephedra sinica," Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ephedra_sinica (accessed December 11, 2024).
Other resources:
M.A.P.S. Ethnobotanical Studies By Scholars
PubChem - pubchem.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov