Ephedra is an herb widely used in China for years and also known as ma huang. People commonly use ephedra branches and tops to make medicine.
But some of them use the whole plant, including the root to get the health benefits of ephedra as included in List of Herbs Starting with E and Health Benefits.
Nutritional Information of Ephedra
Despite the health benefits of ephedra, recently some countries, including United Stated ban ephedra usage due to the psychotropic content.
So, the use of ephedra is now limited to the medicinal usage only, not for the recreational usage. A clinical study found that ephedra contains many chemical compounds. However, the most dominant compound is called Ephedrine alkaloids. Ephedrine alkaloids the main contributor to the health benefits of ephedra, especially when it is paired with caffeine.
The Health Benefits of Ephedra
Ephedra has been used for years because of its amazing health benefits of ephedra. Some of the health benefits of ephedra mentioned below are supported by the scientific studies conducted by experts. Make sure to read through to find the health benefits which match your health condition.
- Lose weight
One of the reason rises ephedra in popularity is the ability of ephedra in helping people to lose some weight. People use ephedra for reducing weight in a relatively short time. It is possible since ephedra is able to stimulate metabolism, which support fat burning in a short time.
- Boost energy
Ephedra is also known as energy booster. Thanks to the active compound contained by ephedra, which is ephedrine. Ephedrine actively stimulates the heart and increase blood flow, which energize the body and keeps muscle endurance. In contrast, this benefit may not work or even might be dangerous for those with heart issues.
- Enhance muscle endurance
The normal blood circulation is the key to the optimal performance of organs. The same thing also happened to our muscles. Sufficient blood and oxygen supply to the muscle is significant for muscle endurance. Therefore, the consumption of ephedra before a workout may help you enhance your muscle endurance, just like the Health Benefits of Dark Chocolate for Athletes.
- Improve cognitive performance
The ability of ephedra in optimizing blood circulation makes a good impact on our brain. This way, our brain will never miss any oxygen for the optimum work.
As the result, the consumption of ephedra will improve cognitive performance. However, the consumption of ephedra for brain routine supplement is not recommended. Just consume it once in a while just like the Benefits of Neuromorphic Chips for Brain Improvement.
- Boost immunity
Long ago, people used ephedra mainly to get away from cold and flu. A scientific study proved that the health benefits of ephedra for cold and flu are contributed by the steroidal properties in ephedra, which do a good job in improving the immunity and heal the cold in a quicker way than any other traditional medicine.
- Good for respiratory
The other reason why ephedra is good for flu is that ephedra helps a lot to deal with the respiratory problem. As we know, flu is frequently followed by some respiratory problems such as coughing. In this case, ephedra helps to reduce the inflammation of mucous membranes in the body, and allow the clear passage of air to the lungs.
Ephedra is also good for asthma, bronchitis, and nasal congestion. The similar benefits can also be performed by Health Benefits of Onion Tea.
- Regulates blood pressure
Although it is mentioned that ephedra is not recommended for those with heart issue, ephedra is recommended for people with hypotension.
Although it is a minor case, some cases, people need something to improve blood pressure in order to be normal. In this case, ephedra can be the herbal remedy to boost heart health and normal blood pressure.
How to Consume Ephedra
Long ago, people consumed ephedra by simply pick the branches and leaves of ephedra then boil it in the water. People can drink the water to heal cold and flu. Otherwise, people can also dry the branches and leaves of ephedra and drink them as tea.
And today, you can find the processed ephedra in some pharmaceutical products such as pills, syrup, and capsules. However, it is important to ask for advice before you consume ephedra as your herbal supplement, just like what it is suggested for Health Benefits of Kush Weed.
Recommendation on Ephedra Intake
Some observational study showed that the consumption of ephedra may cause some adverse reactions, especially when people consume ephedra more than the recommended dosage. Therefore, it is recommended to take ephedra no more than 32 mg/day to avoid adverse reactions.
And to make sure how much ephedra you have taken in a day, it is better for you to take the processed ephedra product, as it has the clear dosage recommendation. Consuming ephedra more than the recommended intake may result some negative effects such as headache, nervousness, vomiting, heart attack, and even death as the most extreme negative effect.