Ephedra ( Ephedra distachya ) is a plant of the Ephedraceae family used as a remedy for bronchodilating action, useful in the treatment of asthma, bronchitis, nasal congestions, drowsiness and overweight. Let's find out better.
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Properties of ephedra
The aerial parts of ephedra contain in their phytocomplex some alkaloids in a concentration close to 1%, among which ephedrine (60-80%) and pseudoephedrine (20-34%), with a molecular structure similar to adrenaline, stand out of which they imitate sympathomimetic activity .
These active ingredients have a more marked action on the smooth muscle fiber, compared to the human hormone, and this is noted in the hypertensive effect induced by ephedrine, more durable, although less intense, than that caused by adrenaline, as it is due to a vasoconstriction for direct action on smooth muscles.
The presence of these substances justifies the traditional use of ephedra as a remedy for bronchodilating action, useful in the treatment of asthma, bronchitis, nasal congestions, drowsiness and overweight .
In the case of respiratory disorders, in fact, the plant depresses the tone of the bronchial muscles and simultaneously inhibits cholinesterase; for this eagion, it is useful in the treatment of allergic asthma, dyspnea, chronic bronchitis, pertussis and in all cases it is necessary to restore the excitability of the bulbar respiratory centers.
Ephedrine, acting as an adrenergic agonist, increases the release of norepinephrine from nerve endings and interacts directly with alpha and beta adrenergic receptors; all this results in a bronchial dilatation associated with an increase in thermogenesis (accelerates metabolism) and arterial pressure (ephedrine causes vasoconstriction);
The plant is also used as a tonic of the neuromuscular system to enhance the performance of athletes (it is considered a doping substance). Ephedrine, contained in it, gives it anorectic and slimming activity .
Method of use
Given the content of the alkaloids ephedrine (50-90%) and pseudoephedrine, ephedra is a plant widely used for medical purposes. Used in the past in dietary supplements, it was then permanently withdrawn from commerce in the United States in 2004, following some deaths.
Contraindications of ephedra
Side effects on the cardiovascular system and on the nervous system are known and documented .
Being a drug with intense pharmacological activity, a certain caution is required in its administration, because doses higher than therapeutic ones, cause narcotic effects, phenomena of nervous excitement, insomnia, vertigo, tremors, tachycardia, nausea and vomiting .
The plant is also contraindicated in subjects suffering from vascular disorders, heart disease, hypertension and in those subjected to digitalis treatments. Avoid use in cases of anorexia, bulimia, depressive syndromes, insomnia, hyperthyroidism, diabetes, prostatic hypertrophy, glaucoma. Not recommended for children and the elderly.
Description of the plant
Ephedra is a herbaceous plant with a prostrate-ascending habit that reaches 30-50 cm. tall, with erect, short, flattened branches of glaucous green color. The opposite leaves are reduced to bare scales.
The flowers are constituted by rounded floral flakes grouped in pedunculate catkins of greenish yellow color. The fruits are red and fleshy berries.
Plant habitat
Ephedra grows in warm temperate zones around the world
Background
We want to attribute the merit of having experienced the effects of ephedra on the father of Chinese medicine, the emperor Shen Nung (who lived in 2800 BC ) who taught his people, the use of plants, compiling the first treatise on medical material that appeared in the world: " The origin of plants " or Pen-'t-sao, in which ephedra is called Ma-huang .
This interpretation is much discussed by historians, because the copies of the treatise in our possession date back only to the first century a. C. and in the case of ephedra it is necessary to reach 168 d. C. to see the listed antipyretic, diaphoretic, and sedative properties of cough, used in case of respiratory tract disorders, associated with dyspnea.
In the West, Pliny the Elder, a first-century Latin naturalist, mentions the plant when he talks about asthma in the XXV book of the Naturalis Historiae, emphasizing the therapeutic utility of ephedra, if crushed into dry black wine.
The plant, still used in China, intrigued scholars all over the world, especially those of the nineteenth century, who wanted to verify its effects pharmacologically. The Japanese chemist Nagayoshi Nagai in 1885 isolated ephedrine.
In collaboration with Erboristeria del Pigneto
