Q & A: Herbal weight loss pills containing ma huang

by Jackie Hart, MD

Q: What are the risks of taking herbal weight loss pills containing ma huang? Ive been reading that it has been associated with occasional deaths in healthy young adults. Is there a safe dosage?

A: Ma huang is the Chinese name for the herb ephedra from which the medication ephedrine is made. Unfortunately, there is not a "safe" dose of ephedra to recommend. The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has stated that it is difficult to justify using this botanical medicine because the risks associated with its use far outweigh the minor potential benefits. These health risks include:

• Heart attack
• Extremely high blood pressure
• Irregular heart rhythm
• Death

Studies evaluating ephedra have not looked at the herb itself, only in combination with other substances or in the form of ephedrine, the medication. Therefore, there is no way to know for sure if ephedra contributes to weight loss or not. For example, ephedra has been studied with another herb called guarana (Paullinia cupana); together, they have shown some benefit for weight reduction over a short amount of time (namely, a few weeks). Again, though, the small amount of benefit seen in these studies does not warrant taking the risks described.

To achieve and maintain weight loss, there is no getting around the basics: decrease your calorie intake and increase the number of calories you burn through exercise.