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Tea is a stimulant beverage with an ancient history of use. Coffee is another. Another is ephedra, which the Chinese call ma huang. Like coffee and tea, it has been brewed into a beverage for thousand
s of years and consumed for its stimulant effects. Cola nuts, which contain caffeine, are used to make the stimulant beverage, Coke. Legally we classify these stimulant beverages as foods.
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Higher doses (overdose)
-can cause restlessness and anxiety, dizziness, insomnia, tremor, rapid
-pulse, sweating, respiratory difficulties, confusion, hallucinations,
-delerium, and (very inf
requently) convulsions. The most dangerous symptoms
-of overdose are abnormally high blood pressure and rapid, irregular
-heartbeat. A dose of ephedrine only two to three times the theraputic
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Ephedrine act as stimulants that can cause rapid or irregular heartbeats (heart arrhythmias) Ephedrines act in a similar way as that of adrenaline. It dilates the bronchial muscles, contacts the nasal
mucosa, raises the blood pressure and is a cardiac stimulant. Further these compounds often cause psychological side effects such as depression, nervousness, insomnia, and rapid heart rate. When take
n in combination with caffeine, ephedrine can over-stimulate the central nervous system, leading to potentially life-threatening results.
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These terms are used to refer to the same substance derived from the plant Ephedra. (There are many common names for these evergreen plants, including squaw tea and Mormon tea.) Ephedra is a shrub-lik
e plant that is found in desert regions in central Asia and other parts of the world. The dried greens of the plant are used medicinally. Ephedra is a stimulant containing the herbal form of ephedrine
, an FDA-regulated drug found in over-the-counter asthma medications.
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Ephedrine is the oral form of Epinephrine, or adrenaline. It was
-once a commonly prescribed drug for asthma, but newer drugs in the
-xanthine class have less side effects.
-Ephedrine is rela
ted to pseudoephedrine which was designed as a
-decongestant with less undesirable effects.
-Ephedra is a Chinese herb that's been used for centuries to treat
-asthma
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Ephedrine alkaloids are amphetamine-like compounds used in OTC and prescription drugs with potentially lethal stimulant effects on the central nervous system and heart. The FDA has received more than
800 reports of adverse effects associated with use of products containing ephedrine alkaloid since 1994. These serious adverse effects, include hypertension (elevated blood pressure), palpitations (ra
pid heart rate), neurophathy (nerve damage), myopathy (muscle injury), psychosis, stroke, memory loss, heart rate irregularities, insomnia, nervousness, tremors, seizures, heart attacks, and death. Th
e agency has proposed to prohibit the marketing of dietary supplements containing 8 milligrams or more of ephedrine alkaloids per serving.
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