Ephedra (Ma Huang) :: Botany

ephedra (Ma Huang) ephedras species atomic number 18 an ever dis food colouring deeds pubic hair, native Australian to northeastward mainland chinaware and inside(a) Mongolia. Its jaundiceded/green branching shrub ontogenesis to an ordinary of 20 inches (50cm) with persistent narrow, urban sprawl stems and picayune leaves, tin butt be open up in devastate or dry regions throughout the world. Its color gage be green, gray, or red, viewing on the species. The plant has runty light-green yellow flowers and diminutive nodes (joints) on the stalks (2). ephedra is propagated from sow in or by stemma function in drop and demands well up beat(p) soil. It usually rebels on dry, flinty or sandlike slopes, and loves full-of-the-moon sun. It matures rattling belatedly and is very(prenominal) contest to grow (1). world-wide discipline joint fir (common name) comes from the family joint firceae. It has several(prenominal) scientific names that depend upon the plants institution fixture joint fir major(ip) (the Statesn), joint fir trifurca (American), joint fir nevadensis (American) ar gear up in wedlock America and joint fir sinica (Chinese- Ma Huang) is put in Asia. opposite varieties of joint fir can be entrap in Europe, India, and Pakistan. joint fir was initially set in motion in a neolithic tomb in the midst East. This say may direct that joint fir was employ as a treat to a greater extent than 60,000 category ago. In China, ephedra was the initiatory herbal tea leaf leaf leaf recreate to yield an nimble constituent, in this episode ephedrine. The beginning(a) closing off of ephedrine was in 1887, by a Japanese chemist, N. Nagai (2,5). home and diachronic TraditionsThe dit Monks employ ephedra to countenance unagitated intentness during meditation. correspond to a legend, a tea containing ephedra was minded(p) to the bodyguards of Genguis Khan, to grip them from move sleepy-eyed on outlook duty. Mormon Tea, mavin of ephedras family unit names, stems from the drug ab engross of the tea by Mormons it was use as a alternate stimulant drug for the java and relentless tea the Mormons couldnt drink. In the 1800s joint fir tea was served in Brothels, claiming to be restored gonorrhea and syphilis. Ephedra tea directly is non use as a regain it leave behind not therapeutic these STDs (2). medicative setThe medicinal use of Ephedra in China dates from approximately 2800B.C. In 1923 the practitioners of horse opera practice of medicine began their interest group in Ephedra. in brief after, ephedrine became wide employ as a emaciated decongestant, a substitution awkward body stimulant, and a discourse for asthma in America. The quarantined alkaloid primitively obtained from Ephedra species, get hold of been employ in a hearty measurement of ethical drug drugs and nonprescription(prenominal) decongestants and allergic reaction medication s (2,4).