Known by quite some names like Chinese Ephedra, Ma-Huang and Ephedra is one of the main ingredients in a number of medicinal products like 'Allergy Season Tea', 'Breathe Deep Tea', 'Breathe Easy', 'Diet Fuel', 'Diet Pep' etc. These are available in various forma like tea, raw herbs, as sprays or ephedra alkaloids in capsules. Some products are also available as extracts or in the form of tablets. They are also available in liquid form too. While a few of these products also use caffeine it is not a rule.

Though Ephedra has its origins in China and has been used as a medicinal herb in that country for hundreds of years, of late the same is being used in quite a number of dietary supplements. Bodybuilders use the ephedra/ephedrine pre-workout supplements and energy boosters. Ephedra works in the same way as caffeine & adrenaline, both stimulating agents, does. Sold under exotic names like Ripped Lean, Thermogenesis and Red Volt, the products which contain this herb have gained immense popularity and are available in various forms like capsules, energy bars etc.

In the opinion of medical experts the stimulant can cause various ailments for the user like dizziness, increasing blood pressure, palpitation of the heart and may even lead to serious health problems like heart attacks.

However, there are many people who oppose the views of the medical experts. One of them is the Council for Responsible Nutrition and according to them not only does Ephedra work as advertised, it is safe too. To back up their claims, they are citing a report by researchers from Harvard and Columbia University. According to this report people who had consumed 90mg of a mixture of Ephedra and caffeine had faced no adverse effects. Rather, they had lost more weight than those who had taken placebo.