The case of ephedrine is very interesting and it is not surprising that so many people commented on it and made such a stir with every news about the legal status of this substance. Many newspapers published a series of articles commenting on the ban on ephedrine by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

The reasons for such interest are mainly the following:

• Many people were already using over-the-counter ephedrine in the first place, you can easily imagine how concerned they were about the potential risks to their health!
• How is it that ephedrine, from a natural plant called Ephedra or Ma Huang, had been used safely for more than 5,000 years and was suddenly presented as dangerous?
• All serious medical surveys confirmed that ephedrine had real benefits and no health hazards when used in prescribed doses, so what was the scientific basis used by the FDA to justify this ban in the US?
• Apparently, the FDA’s position changed many times, and many people suspected that the pharmaceutical industry was lobbying hard to protect its financial interests. In 1997 the FDA first proposed a rule of a maximum authorized dose of ephedrine, then in 2000 the FDA stepped back, then later in 2004 the highly publicized deaths of baseball players prompted the FDA to ban again, but in 2005 this ban was lifted. for a trial in Utah! And finally, in May 2007, the US Supreme Court rejected a petition challenging the ephedrine ban, and since that date, the sale of dietary supplements containing ephedrine is illegal in the US. It is still legal to buy ephedrine as a bronchodilator for asthma, with maximum quantities of 3.6 grams per sale and 7.5 grams per month, with the obligation to verify the name and address of the purchaser. Last but not least, Ma Huang as a pure herb can still be legally sold in the US, but not as a dietary supplement.
• The fact that a natural plant contained such an efficient fat loss product prevented pharmaceutical companies from patenting it, and was a serious loss in its potential market share in the huge and growing weight management market – it would have been a challenge for they. find, produce and sell any other chemical product that has the same efficiency.
• Some people suspected that the easy chemical reduction of ephedrine to methamphetamine was the main reason the FDA wanted to accurately monitor the quantities being sold in the US and also track the identity of the purchasers.
• The FDA ban was also ambiguous because ephedrine could no longer be sold as a dietary supplement for weight loss, but was authorized as a bronchodilator. This kind of “grey area” made it very confusing for many people.

As a conclusion, there is no doubt that Hollywood could have written a good movie scenario out of this FDA ban! Many stakes were at stake in that story and probably the whole truth has not yet been revealed.

Legality aside, the important questions are:

• Is ephedrine effective for weight loss? Yes, without a doubt, many medical surveys have shown it.
• Is ephedrine safe? Again, yes, an evaluation of 19 medical studies is available on the CRN (Council for Responsible Nutrition) website, it indicated that all the studies concluded that ephedrine posed no risk at the prescribed dose.

For those who ask where to buy ephedrine, we remind you again of the legal requirements: the identity of the buyer must be verified and the maximum sales are 3.6 grams per day and 7.5 grams per month.

Our recommendation for people willing to use ephedrine as a bronchodilator would be to consult their doctor first to check for possible contraindications.

Another tip would be to avoid buying fake products online, as product information online is unclear and can lead to selection errors. We highly recommend getting help from reputable websites that feature reviews of online stores that legally sell ephedrine.