Ephedra Dangers Taught in Traditional Herbal Training

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http://www.pulsemed.org/ephedradanger.htm

NEWS RELEASEFOR RELEASE:

February 26, 2003

CONTACT:

Brian Carter

The Pulse of Oriental Medicine

http://www.pulsemed.org

619-208-1432

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Ephedra Dangers Taught in Traditional Herbal Training

The Chinese medicine herb, ephedra (ma huang), has been misused by the

supplement industry and misunderstood by both the press and biomedical

community. The February 17th death of Orioles pitcher Steve Bechler brought

national attention to both the risks of inappropriate ephedra usage and the

dangers of an under-regulated supplement industry.

 

The use of ephedra for energy, athletic performance, or weight loss is not

traditional. employs ephedra for asthma, coughing, wheezing,

and the common cold. Ephedra played an essential part in the first systematic

chinese herbal text, " On Cold Damage, " written around 200 A.D. by Zhang

Zhong-Jing.

 

Ephedra's dangers are well-documented in the traditional Chinese medical

literature. According to Dan Bensky's " Chinese Herbal Medicine: Materia Medica, "

a standard academic textbook, ephedra may raise blood pressure or cause

restlessness and tremors.

 

Like most Chinese herbs, ephedra is always prescribed within an herbal formula.

The combination of herbs typical to chinese medicine allows gentler herbs to

moderate harsher ones. Even so, Bensky's " Formulas & Strategies, " says that the

classic formula, " Ephedra Decoction " is contraindicated for weak patients with

copious urination, patients prone to bleeding, and should be used with caution

in cases of high blood pressure. These texts are studied by all chinese herbal

students. The herbal combinations marketed by supplement companies are not

traditional formulas.

 

Herbalists trained and licensed to prescribe chinese herbs such as ephedra

usually attend 3-4 years of Traditional Chinese medicine college, graduate with

a Masters degree, and pass minimum competency exams for licensing. Profiles of

colleges that teach Chinese medicine are available from the Council of Colleges

of Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine (http://www.ccaom.org/ or 301-313-0868).

 

Licensure that ensures competency in chinese herbs is regulated nationally by

the National Certification Commission for Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine

(http://www.nccaom.org/ or 703-548-9004).

 

Each state has its own laws regarding the prescription of herbs. Some individual

states have their own competency tests with even higher standards. For example,

in California, both herbal and acupuncture competency are tested before an

acupuncture license is awarded. See the California Acupuncture Board at

http://www.acupuncture.ca.gov/index.html or 916-263-2680.

 

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