Chinese herbalists laud US ephedra decision

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Friday, January 02, 2004

By Elinor Mills Abreu, Reuters

 

 

 

SAN FRANCISCO - When U.S. regulators said they would ban the use of ephedra

in weight-loss supplements they allowed an exemption for practitioners of

Chinese medicine who have been using the herb for thousands of years to

treat ailments ranging from asthma to fevers.

 

Synthetic ephedra-based weight loss pills sold over the counter can be

harmful when taken in large doses and by people who have heart ailments,

high blood pressure and other health problems, the FDA said.

 

But when taken properly under a health practitioners supervision, the herb -

also known as ma huang - is good medicine, according to several trained

Chinese herbalists.

 

Ephedra can help people overcome asthma attacks, colds, and other health

problems, practitioners of traditional Chinese medicine said Tuesday after

U.S. health officials banned ephreda-based weight-loss pills citing risks of

stroke and heart-attack.

 

Ephedra "should not be in dietary weight loss products. That's not the

proper use of it," said Robert Wright, a licensed acupuncturist who has a

private practice in Napa, California.

 

"It's commonly used for colds, in short-term, small-dose use," he added.

"It's a great herb, when used properly by trained professionals."

 

Ephedra "is one of the best things you can prescribe for someone who is

having an asthma attack," said Suzanne Friedman, director of the Traditional

and Medical Qigong Clinic in San Francisco, where

alternative medical treatments like herbs and acupuncture are widely

practiced.

 

"It's a very respected herb, one of the first, if not the first, herb you

learn in Chinese medical school," she said. "When misused for weight loss or

keeping people awake or keeping them energized, that's a complete misuse of

the herb and it could lead to health problems."

 

The herb, which stimulates the central nervous system and acts like a

bronchial dilator, has reportedly been in use for 5,000 years and has been

traced back to classical medical texts in the 1st or 2nd century, according

to Charlotte Furth, a history professor at the University of Southern

California who specializes in ancient Chinese medicine.

 

"If you look at the Ming dynasty texts on Chinese medicine, ma huang was

certainly a widely used drug, but the doctors warned against using it in

large quantities," she said.

 

Ma huang was used to bring on a sweat in treating fevers, Furth said,

adding: "It's a very important drug."

 

Ma huang, whose Latin name is ephedra sinica, comes from a cone-bearing

shrub indigenous to China that is also found in the Mediterranean, India,

Iran, and western South America.

 

Extracts of ma huang have been used in over-the-counter drugs since the

1920s, but attention has focused on health risks in recent years.

 

Even so, athletes have been known to take ephedra and related compounds

because they can increase energy and endurance by increasing the flow of

blood to the muscles.

 

Baltimore Orioles pitching prospect Steve Bechler died in February from heat

stroke. A medical examiner said the athlete's use of an ephedra supplement

contributed to his death.

 

Ephedra has been banned by the U.S. Olympic Committee.

 

Additional reporting by Frank Tang in New York