Ephedra: Killer Herb Dude!

Ephedra. If the word doesn’t strike a chord with you, then you haven’t been reading your supplement labels. Products like Xenadrine, Metabolife 356 and Stacker 2 all contain ephedra, which is an extract of the herb known as ma huang. The Chinese have been using the herb, which triggers stimulation of the central nervous system, for thousands of years. It was only when this Chinese earth remedy met modern American science that the trouble began.
Professional athletes like Minnesota Vikings defensive lineman Corey Stringer and Baltimore Orioles pitcher Steve Bechler both died in the prime of their lives - two young men with no apparent health problems, using their bodies to their full potential one day - having them buried the next. Doctors blamed the supplements they’d been taking, which contained ephedra. There was no other explanation for the deaths of two perfectly healthy, world-class athletes. Their hearts had been beating too fast, and eventually, they weren’t beating at all.
Ephedra use is not only popular among elite professional athletes; scores of high school and college athletes have also begun using ephedra-based supplements in increasing numbers. According to a 2001 survey conducted by Blue Cross Blue Shield’s Competition Foundation, approximately one million children under the age of 18 had used supplements. The likelihood that some, if not most of these products contained ephedra, is high, considering that cardiovascular-stimulating pills are amongst the easiest for teens to get their hands on; they’re available at chains like GNC, Power Smoothie and most supplement-carrying health food stores.
After the death of Bechler, legislation was introduced into the U.S. Senate that would force the manufacturers of ephedra-based products to prove their products were safe before they could be sold in stores. Progress on the issue has stalled, and for now at least, most any athlete willing to speed up their heart in the name of improved athletic performance can get their hands on the pills now known in some circles as “cardiacers.”
Because ephedra-based supplements are derived from herbs, they are classified as food instead of drugs, meaning they are not subject to FDA approval or any clinical testing. Some ephedra users don’t understand the risks involved with using untested supplements, while others are perfectly comfortable with turning their own body into a testing lab.
Here in the heart of the Sunshine State, young people take working out seriously, and even at our state’s highest level of amateur competition, ephedra use has become widespread. A UCF football player who was granted anonymity agreed to discuss ephedra use amongst his teammates. Ephedra is on the NCAA’s list of banned substances, but according to this unnamed source, there are ways to get around the rule.
 “The off-season is the time when most of the guys take the stuff, and you don’t need to be on it for a long time to see results,” he said. “You can drop a few pounds and liven yourself up before workouts. The stuff may give you the shakes a little, but besides that they’ve only helped me.”
The “shakes” is a common symptom for ephedra users, who often experience unwanted tremors in their hands. Among other possible risks are heightened blood pressure, or, when the recommended dosage is exceeded, heart attack, seizures and cardiac arrhythmia.
“I’ve seen the reports on Sports Center about athletes dying, but they’re probably taking way more of it (ephedra) then they should,” the unnamed source told The Indie.
Taking more ephedra than the label recommends is the main reason deaths and side-effects have increased among its users, but once the product is in the hands of a consumer, it is up to him or her to take as few or as many of the pills as they like. For adults over the age of 18 who are not competing within a sanctioned athletic body, using ephedra is a perfectly legal choice. Unfortunately, children under 18 are also finding it easy to get their hands on the supplement, despite labels which often say that sale to minors is prohibited. Whether or not to sell to them, though, is a decision that still lies in the hands of stores which sell ephedra-based products.
The GNC on Alafaya Trail in Oviedo is frequented by members of neighboring World Gym, whose members regularly buy supplements. Signs are posted within the store which tell shoppers that they will be asked for identification when purchasing products containing ephedra, as is now the policy in all GNC stores. The Smoothie King across from UCF has stopped selling ephedra-based products all-together, replacing them with alternative supplements which promise similar results. These products may indeed be safer, but they are also outside the realm of FDA approval. And without clinical tests to prove otherwise, it could also be that these caffeine-loaded products are just as dangerous as the “cardiacers” they’ve replaced.
Frank Uryasz, president of the National Center for Drug Free Sport, once headed up drug-testing for the NCAA. In a recent interview with Sports Illustrated Uryasz said, “What kids - especially those health-conscious and interested in sports - don’t want to supplement their diet? But the {notion} is a joke. No one is going to suffer because of an ephedra or creatine deficiency.”
Steve Bechler and Corey Stringer wanted to cut weight and gain energy, but instead they lost their lives. At UCF, far away from those tragedies, numerous students who frequent the on-campus fitness center still use ephedra religiously. And in the fast-paced, scantily-clad environment of a college gym, death is the last thing on the minds of students looking to tighten up their abs for a weekend trip to the beach. Ephedra is only a car-drive away for these students, almost all of whom are over 18. And until manufacturers are held responsible for the health problems these students and athletes may one day experience, there will be no accountability in this weight-room, on the UCF football practice field, or in millions of other locations where ephedra users look for a competitive edge.
Said Uryasz, “We need to call these things what they are: drugs.”