Adverse cardiovascular events temporally associated with Ma Huang, an herbal source of ephedrine

Obesity and reproduction: a committee opinion

“…Ephedra-containing supplements have potentially life-threatening cardiovascular side effects and have been banned by the FDA (148).…”

Acute myocardial infarction after over-the-counter use of pseudoephedrine

“…2 Ephedrine has 4 times the adrenergic receptor activity of pseudoephedrine 1,11 and has been associated with sudden death, myocardial infarction, and stroke. 13,14 On December 30, 2003, the FDA published a consumer alert to immediately stop the purchase and use of dietary supplements containing ephedra, 4 and a final rule published by the FDA banned the sale of these products, effective April 12, 2004. 5 Despite the fact that pseudoephedrine is the D-isomer of ephedrine and therefore shares the same mechanism of action, 1,11 the FDA ban did not apply to products containing pseudoephedrine.…”

Obesity and reproduction: an educational bulletin

“…Ephedra-containing supplements have potentially life-threatening cardiovascular side effects and have been banned by the FDA (78).…”