Herbal Supplements / Vitamins / Medications

[kurtykurt42]

I am curious to know how many people here take any Herbal Supplements / Vitamins / Medications ?

I have been taking Ephedra Sinica (Ma Huang) for the past few years and find it to be wonderful. It has been used by the Chinese as a herbal remedy for over 5,000 years and is considered to be one of the 50 fundamental herbs.

Ephedra is both a stimulant and a thermogenic; its biological effects are due to its ephedrine and pseudoephedrine content. These compounds stimulate the brain, increase heart rate, constrict blood vessels (increasing blood pressure), and expand bronchial tubes (making breathing easier). Their thermogenic properties cause an increase in metabolism, evidenced by an increase in body heat.

In traditional Chinese herbology, Ephedra sinica is included in many herbal formulas used to treat cold and flu such as 麻黃湯 ma huang tang (ephedra decoction) or 麻杏石甘湯 ma xing shi gan tang (ephedra, apricot kernel, gypsum, and licorice decoction). Ephedra is used therapeutically as a diaphoretic to help expel exterior pathogens and regulate the proper functioning of the lungs.

I usually take about 900mg per day for about a week or two and then go a week or two without the supplement.

[Stookie]

It contains ephedrine which is also a main ingredient of many cough medicines and diet pills and has a similar chemical composition to methamphetamine and is used as an ingredient in making it. They used to use it in those trucker "wake-up" pills in gas stations, but has since been made illegal in the US.

I haven't taken epheda in over 10 years, but back then I would turn red and have full-body sweats and my heart wouldn't stop racing. It was an awful feeling.

I don't mean to say it's bad for everybody or there isn't a safe way to take it, but I know it's caused a lot of harm to people (including death) to the point they've made it illegal to use in certain products.

Here's the warning on ephedra.com:

As ephedra is a stimulant and a thermogenic, it should NOT be used by people / in situations where these properties might be harmful. There are some common sense rules about using ephedra:

Do not use ephedra if you have any medical problems as the use of a stimulant might overtax your system.  Do not use ephedra if your activity / environment will prevent you from dissipating heat. Your body core temperature might exceed safe levels. And do not take more than the manufacturer's recommended amount.

What this means is: If you have a heart condition, do not take ephedra. And if you plan to wear clothes to raise your body temperature, do not take ephedra. And do not think that playing baseball on a hot muggy day will counteract these two common sense conditions and make it okay to take ephedra.

Don't mean to knock your post kurtykurt, just wanted to inform the uninitiated. There's been a lot of hubbub about ephedra in the states.

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Regarding herbs & supplements: I've never really been one to take any supplements, but I've been drinking 3 12oz cups of loose-leaf green tea a day for the past 6 months, and have noticed a big increase in my level of awareness and concentration. I wasn't doing it for that or even expecting it, I just couldn't help but notice it. My gaming scores have dramatically increased and have been more efficient at work than ever. www.adagio.com has some awesome teas.