Subject: Re: Herbal Ecstacy ?

From: [email-masked] (broomstick)
Date: Sat, 27 Jan 1996 09:47:27

In article <[email-masked]> [email-masked] (Blazo) writes:
>From: [email-masked] (Blazo)
>Subject: Re: Herbal Ecstacy ?
>Date: 23 Jan 1996 23:02:48 -0500

>Ma Huang is a stimulant, also known as Ephedra:  the plant from which was
>derived epehdrine sulfate, a powerful broncho-dialator and stimulant.  Ma
>Huang should be used with caution.  I test brewed a teaspoonfull for 5
>minutes and drank it.  1/2 hour to 3/4 hour later my heartbeat was at 122,
>at rest.  My feeling is that this plant should be used for reviving
>fainting spells, extreme exhaustion.  I suspect that it raises B.P.
>profoundly.  Be careful.

That is consistent with my experience of Ephredra.  A little goes a long way.  
It can cause dizziness, dry mouth, loss of appetite, nausea, rapid hearbeat, 
and raises your blood pressure.  Overdose can (and has) caused death by heart 
failure and/or stroke.

That horrific scenario aside, USED PROPERLY it can be very helpful to the 
asthmatic, allergic, cold-sufferers, and those with seriously low blood 
pressure.  It has some use as a weight loss *aid* (it is no cure-all for 
overeating).

It can also (as with herbal ectasy) cause a "rush", particularly when used 
with certain other herbs.  It will still raise blood pressure and heart beat 
and should not be used with someone with heart disease or blood pressure 
problems (there have been one or two deaths in such individuals using a high 
dose of herbal ectasy) and do NOT fall into the "more is better" trap.

Your "teaspoonful" sounds like about the twice the dose you would need for 
medicinal purposes.  Herbally, ephredra is often mixed with other herbs so the 
same amount of such a tea ("teaspoon") would contain less ephredra.

Use with caution.

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>---Broomstick---	| If you eliminate the impossible whatever remains,
			|	however improbable, must be the truth
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