Nagayoshi Nagai (1844–1929), Ko Kuei Chen (1898–1988)
When we think of traditional Chinese medicine, Ma Huang (Ephedra sinica) comes to mind. This drug, which may be the oldest medicine in continuous use, has been used in modern medicine; but more recently, it has been considered a potentially hazardous dietary supplement and a starting material for the manufacture of methamphetamine.
Teas prepared from the stems of Ephedra sinica date back to China some 5,000 years ago, when they were used to treat asthma, hay fever, and nasal congestion. In North America, Native Americans and Spaniards living in the southwestern United States used ephedra to treat sexually transmitted diseases.
Ephedra’s active chemical, ephedrine, was isolated in the 1880s by the Japanese chemist Nagayoshi Nagai and was introduced into Western medicine in 1927 by the Chinese American pharmacologist Ko Kuei Chen. Ephedrine has had many uses over the years, including in the treatment of heart block and urinary incontinence; but most notably, it has been used to prevent asthmatic attacks.
Ephedra was in the twilight of its use as a medicine when it reappeared in 1994 in hundreds of dietary supplement products (as Metabolife 356), promoted for weight reduction and to enhance athletic performance. Ephedra alone or in combination with caffeine produces modest weight loss when taken over a period of four to six months. It is thought to act by speeding up the rate of metabolism. Evidence is lacking supporting the claim that ephedra, a stimulant banned in Olympic competition, enhances athletic performance.
Soon after its appearance, reports surfaced linking ephedra’s use to heart attacks, strokes, seizures, and psychiatric disturbances. Unlike drugs, dietary supplements can be marketed in the United States without demonstrating that they are safe or effective. In 1997, the Food and Drug Administration began a decade-long successful effort to ban ephedra’s sale, which was vigorously opposed by the supplement industry via congressional lobbying and in the courts. Public sentiment shifted to agree with the FDA in 2003, when Baltimore Orioles pitcher Steve Bechler died of heatstroke in which ephedra played a role.
SEE ALSO Epinephrine/Adrenaline (1901), Food and Drug Administration (1906), Methamphetamine (1944), Dietary Supplements (1994).
Traditional Mongolian Medicine (TMM) is based on the principles of Tibetan medicine and Tibetan Buddhism. Since the second half of the twentieth century, the practice of TMM has been revived, as has interest in indigenous medicinal plants. This Mongolian stamp (c. 1986) depicts Ephedra sinica and is one in a series devoted to flowers.