Ephedra (Ma Huang)Ephedra species are an evergreen shrub, native to northern China and Inner Mongolia. It is a yellow/green branching shrub growing to an average of 50cm with long, narrow stems and tiny leaves, it can be found in desert or arid regions around the world. Its color can be green, gray or red, depending on the species. The plant has small greenish yellow flowers and tiny nodes (joints) on the stems (2). Ephedra propagates by seed or root division in autumn and requires well-drained soil. It usually grows on dry, rocky or sandy slopes and loves full sun. It matures very slowly and is very difficult to grow (1). General information Ephedra (common name) comes from the Ephedraceae family. It has several scientific names that depend on the place of foundation of the plant; Ephedra major (American), Ephedra trifurca (American), Ephedra nevadensis (American) are found in North America; and Ephedra sinica (Chinese- Ma Huang) is found in Asia. Other varieties of ephedra can be found in Europe, India and Pakistan. Ephedra was initially found in a Neolithic tomb in the Middle East. This evidence may indicate that ephedra was used as a medicine more than 60,000 years ago. In China, ephedra was the first herbal remedy to produce an active ingredient, in this case ephedrine. The first isolation of ephedrine occurred in 1887, by a Japanese chemist, N. Nagai (2,5). Popular and Historical Traditions Zen monks used ephedra to encourage calm concentration during meditation. According to one legend, a tea containing ephedra was given to Genguis Khan's bodyguards, to prevent them from falling asleep while on sentry duty. Mormon Tea, one of Ephedra's popular names, comes from Mormon use of the tea; it was used as a stimulant replacement for the coffee and black tea that Mormons could not drink. In the 1800s, ephedra tea was served in brothels, claiming to cure gonorrhea and syphilis. Ephedra tea is not used as a cure today; will not cure these sexually transmitted diseases (2). Medicinal Values ​​The medicinal use of ephedra in China dates back to approximately 2800 BC. In 1923 practitioners of Western medicine began their interest in ephedra. Soon after, ephedrine became widely used as a nasal decongestant, central nervous system stimulant, and as a treatment for asthma in America. The isolated alkaloid originally obtained from the Ephedra species, has been used in a notable amount of prescription medications, over-the-counter decongestants, and allergy medications. (2,4).