Years ago ephedra was "discovered" by the nutraceutical industry and made into higher dosage, concentrated "ephedrine". Valued as a highly effective as a weight loss, diet aid and appetite suppressant drug companies sold ephedra in these highly concentrated levels in everything from diet pills to energy drinks. It's now been banned from retail sale in any form. Supposedly from the numerous deaths it caused.
But for thousands of years, ephedra has been used by Native people safely in it's natural state for all kinds of illnesses.
Recently research out of South Dakota State University, validates that there are multiple health benefits to this native medicinal. But we won't hear about the research. And we won't hear about the vital information that's being suppressed about why obesity is reaching epidemic proportions and new research about real cures for obesity, heart disease and cancer. And ephedra is back in capsule for specifically aimed at as a powerful, and potentially dangerous diet aid.
Now you have a choice, learn the truth about ephedra and join in the conversation about whether it should be legal in high dosage diet aids.
Do you use herbal supplements?
Ephedra: Weight Loss Aid, Performance Enhancement or Curative Herb?
Or possibly all of the above.
Ephedra became popular about twelve years ago when it used as an over the counter diet aid. Pharmaceutical and nutraceutical, synthetically enhanced or all natural. Ephedra is highly effective. So of course drug companies started increasing the potency and made pills in every color of the rainbow. Don't like pills, no problem it's available in cherry and grape flavors too.Yellow jackets, Stimerex, Mini Lean, all high concentration versions of the herb; ephedra. Aimed at us, the increasingly overweight American public.
The problem? Among other things the dosage levels are completely unsustainable and...dangerous. In high doses, without understanding the proper usage of this powerful medicine, ephedra can be dangerous.
Then there's also the environmental issue. These drug companies are as wreckless with the environment as they are with their information. They'll use obesity as justification to drive their bulldozers through thousands of acres of important rainforest biospheres. It's considered " open market", the end justifies the means even if it is a misrepresentation of the truth.
But it can be different. For thousands of years, ephedra has been used by Native people safely in it's natural state for all kinds of illnesses. When I was in Arizona with the Yacqui people we used large quantities of Indian tea to prepare ourselves for ceremonies and to heal all kinds of ailments.
The Navajo and Western Shoshone use it extensively as well, for a myriad of health problems without causing damage to either the environment or the health of people.
It seems that the problems of excess occur when the benefit of the herbs or medicines exceeds the value of the environment and healing is treated as an application rather than a system. Disease is not separate from the body's or environment it is a part of. And healing also is more than the part and is integrated into a whole system of healing, culture and sustainability.
Ephedra & Cocaine: History repeats itself
Once the coca plant is removed from the culture, westernized thinking goes to the value of the "high" . From an indigenous perspective, that's when the plant is no longer healing in nature and becomes destructive. The spirit of the plant has been offended.
And yet we all realize how valuable a medicine cocaine when used in a proper context appropriately.
Getting back to Ephedra. Recently at SDSU they released research documentation that SDSU research: Native American tea has health benefits.
Ephedra in it's natural state, used in a traditional healing way, has not been known to kill anyone. The problem is us.
But tell me, what do you think?
Nutraceutical Companies? Friend or Foe
It's an interesting question. Do nutraceuticals help people help themselves or do they they put powerful healing medicenes in forms that are inapppropriate and cause more damage? What do you think?
Are Nutraceuticals helping people or causing more damage?
Fetching blurbs now... please stand byYes, Herbal Supplements are Great
Cher says:
these herbals are helping people to loose weight.
And with help from a docter its good for someone ho want to loose weight.
Becausse obese weight is more danger than losse weight with the right help
Posted October 11, 2009
No, Supplementals Cause More Damage
Ephedra: Diet Fuel, Yellow jackets? What about it's healing properties?
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Values of Ephedra
It's important that you realize I am not a medical doctor and this should not in any way be considered medical advice. My purpose here is highlight some of the alternative uses of this valued traditional medicine.
Respiratory Illnesses
The study at SDSU specifically highlights ephedra' more...0 points
Rich in Antioxidants
There's a lot of research of late that points to a more...0 points
Antihistimine & used for treatment of asthma
It speed the metabolizing of histimines and opens more...0 points
Stimulant. Increase metabolism
This is the primary area where ephedra has been mi more...0 points
Diet Aid and natural appetite suppressant
In proper amounts, with proper diet, exercise and more...0 points
Disease is not separate
from the body or environment it is a part of.
Health and healing also is more than
the part and is integrated into a
whole system of healing, culture and sustainability.
Ephedra: Learn about healing plants and medicines
A Handbook of Native American Herbs (Healing Arts)
Amazon Price: $12.89 (as of 12/28/2009) 
Native Plants, Native Healing
Amazon Price: $11.01 (as of 12/28/2009)
Healing Plants and Animals from a Distance: Curative Principles and Applications
Amazon Price: $11.53 (as of 12/28/2009)
Plant Spirit Medicine: The Healing Power of Plants
Amazon Price: $11.20 (as of 12/28/2009)
Plants of Power: Native American Ceremony and the Use of Sacred Plants
Amazon Price: $10.16 (as of 12/28/2009)
Ephedra: The power of herbs and healing concepts
Traditional healing concepts such as those used by Native Americans, Asian and Aboriginal cultures incorporate multidimensional concepts of mind, body, spirit and environmental healing.
As we do to our land, our medicines, our bodies, we do to our selves. Literally.
In Native American, and many indigenous cultures, ceremonies are conducted to prepare both patient and doctor for healing. Look at the contrast in Western cultures where no preparation is for healing and the prognosis involving removal of parts, or worse, is too frequently handed out prematurely and callously.
Often before any remedy is prepared, there are songs to be sung and rituals to be conducted to make sure the medicines, patient, doctor and environment are conducive and ready for healing.
For the sake of continuing argument, I've added some ideas for you to consider that just might help you integrate some new healing concepts and bring a greater dimension of health into your environment.
Think of all plants as medicines
Not just those plants that have benefit to us as h more...0 points
Open up to new concepts of what you call "medicinal"
Maybe when you think of "medicinal" you more...0 points
Think "systems" as opposed to "parts"
Your body is a system consisting of intricately co more...0 points
Think big and act small.
Macro and micro systems. As above, so below. Fro more...0 points
Relations - Think in terms of growing and sustaining relationships
All My Relations. Native Americans say it all the more...0 points
Understand the entire problem, don't focus on the symptom
Educate yourself about the entire system around th more...0 points
Paraguay Medicinals: Looking for solutions
Dangers of removing native medicinals from the environment
- Home Page > SDSU > News News At State 05/22/2008 SDSU research: Native American tea has health benefits
- South Dakota State University research shows that a Native American tea used in traditional medicine can help knock out upper respiratory infections.
In addition the tea is rich in antioxidants that help protect against cancer and other illnesses.
Professor Faith Halaweish in SDSU's Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry said those are among the findings from his analysis of a native tea used by communities of the Sisseton-Wahpeton Sioux Tribe of the Lake Traverse Reservation in northeastern South Dakota. Though the tea can be consumed routinely, it is also used specifically to treat sore throats - Environmental Health: A Look at the Rain Forest"
- Rain forests have provided enormous contributions to human well being through food, climate control and drugs obtained from, or based on, plants from the rain forest; including Rosy Periwinkle, a plant used to battle Hodgkin's disease and child leukemia. It is estimated that the Indians in Amazonia used no less than 1600 pharmaceutical plant extracts. Amazingly, it is probable that there are at least 10,000 plant species worldwide that have not yet been identified. In addition, as food crops, we only use 7,000 of about 75,000 known edible plants.
- Drugstore Cowboys
- "Coca leaves are used in everyday interactions in Aymara and Quechua culture as gestures of friendship, like exchanging a cigarette or a cup of coffee," says University of Illinois anthropologist Andrew Orta, who studies the region. Aside from being chewed, the coca leaf is used in tea, rubbed on cuts and employed during ritual offerings to local deities. Because coca is grown and chewed mostly by the country's indigenous majority, it has also become an expression of identity. Across Bolivia, graffiti, signs and T-shirts proclaim, "The Coca Leaf is Not A Drug!"
- Spitting in the wind: Combating Desertification in the Great Indian Desert
- "We encourage people to grow crops of medicinal value, like Sona-mukhi (cassia angusta folia), which needs very little water and requires no protection from animals, " Bohra said.
The main factors responsible for desertification in the Thar Desert of Rajasthan are climatic- the high temperature, low rainfall and high wind velocity- biotic, and socio-economic.
Biotic causes include overgrazing of livestock (cattle alone outnumber humans 2 to 1), intensive crop cultivation, forest removal for the purpose of mining and general indiscriminate deforestation and exploitation of natural resources.
What do you think about Ephedra now? Should it banned again? Should it be controlled?
Or are drug companies simply making themselves richer?
Share your experiences. Do corporations have a right to destroy the environment and over-promise and manipulate the public as long as they continue to try to find cures for life threatening diseases? I'd love to hear more!
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Reply
- CleanerLife CleanerLife Feb 8, 2009 @ 7:22 am
- Are they actually finding cures? Seems like the big drug companies are in the business of treating the symptoms of disease not actually curing anything.
I do take some supplements, but try to stay away from brands founded, funded or owned by pharmaceutical giants, investment bankers or have public shareholders. Most of the herbs I use are by the way of herbal teas, not pills.
Unfortunately, Ephedra's reputation had already been tarnished when I when I started putting together my current regimen. I'm not sure if it should be taken daily, but I do know that Ephedra and the Chinese version, Ma Huang, have been proven natural medicines for thousands of years before any of the Pharmaceutical companies ever existed.
The mis-use of Ephedra and the bad reputation it has since received is a disservice to all.
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Reply
- ArtByLinda ArtByLinda Jan 11, 2009 @ 6:58 pm
- I've always been too leary to use any of those weight loss supplements.
by gbenton789
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