Ephedra sinica

(Redirected from Ma huang)

Ephedra sinica, known in Chinese as ma huang (麻黄), is a plant used in traditional Chinese medicine. Hay fever and congestion are treated using this plant.[2][3] Chemicals that come from this plant, mimic other chemicals inside the sympathetic nervous system, similar to amphetamine. They are often used for weight loss, but the U.S. FDA banned its use as a dietary supplement on April 2004.[4]

Chinese ephedra
(Cao Ma Huang—草麻黄)
Ephedra sinica alexlomas.jpg
Ephedra sinica
Conservation status
Scientific classification e
Unrecognized taxon (fix): Plantae
Division: Gnetophyta
Class: Gnetopsida
Order: Ephedrales
Family: Ephedraceae
Genus: Ephedra
Species:
E. sinica
Binomial name
Ephedra sinica
Stapf
Synonyms
  • Ephedra flava F.P.Sm.
  • Ephedra ma-huang Tang S.Liu

References

  1. Bell, A. & Bachman, S. (2011). Ephedra sinica. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2011: e.T201702A9168958. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2011-2.RLTS.T201702A9168958.en. Downloaded on 05 September 2018.
  2. Joseph B. Lillegardand John R. Porterfield Jr 2010 ; Ephedra induced gastric mucosal injury Case Rep. Gastroenterol. 4(1): 79–83.
  3. Martinez Quintana et al. 2010. Necrosis miocárdica y disfunción ventricular severa en el contexto de abuso crónico de ephedra Archived 2010-09-24 at the Wayback Machine
  4. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2931409/pdf/JOBES2011-764584.pdf M. Inchiosa 2010 J. Obes. 2011; 2011: 764584