FDA looks at banning ephedra

    Ephedra may prove particularly risky for athletes, and settling the long-simmering controversy about the herb's safety is a high priority, FDA Commissioner Mark McClellan said in an interview with The Associated Press.

    Ephedra, an herb commonly used for weight loss and bodybuilding, increases metabolic rate and speeds the heart, he noted. Add strenuous activity, and "sports use is one area where I have got some particular concerns," McClellan said.

    McClellan's boss, Health and Human Services Secretary Tommy Thompson, convened a meeting of health officials to discuss ephedra later Wednesday.

    Asked what he thought of the herb, Thompson told reporters: "I wouldn't use it, would you?"

    The comments came after a Florida medical examiner said Monday's heatstroke death of pitching prospect Steve Bechler may have been linked to an ephedra-containing supplement found in the 23-year-old pitcher's locker at the Orioles' spring training camp.

    Toxicology tests to prove if ephedrine, the herb's active ingredient, was in Bechler's body won't be available for at least two weeks. But Broward County medical examiner Dr. Joshua Perper, who interviewed the player's family and Orioles officials, said he was told Bechler took three pills each morning of Xenadrine RFA-1.

    Perper urged baseball officials to ban use of the supplement, as football, college athletics and Olympics officials have.

    Xenadrine's maker, Cytodine Technologies, said in a statement that two capsules a day is the recommended dose, and that studies show the product is safe when used as directed.