This product is the herbaceous stem of the Ephedra family's small shrub-like herb Ephedra (Ephedra sinica Stapf.), Scouring Rush Herb Ephedra (Ephedra equisetina Bge.), and Intermediate Ephedra (Ephedra intermedia Schrenk et C. A. Mey.). It is mainly produced in Hebei, Shanxi, Inner Mongolia, Gansu, and other regions. It is harvested between the Beginning of Autumn (13th solar term) and Frost's Descent (18th solar term), then dried in the shade and cut into segments. It is used raw, honey-fried, or pounded into wool.

Ephedra

Ephedra

bubble_chart Properties and Meridians

Acrid and slightly bitter, warm. act on lung and bladder channels.

bubble_chart Efficacy

Inducing sweating to release the exterior, ventilating the lungs and relieving panting, unblocking water and dispersing edema, relieving a stuffy nose, promoting eruption, and stopping itching.

bubble_chart Indications

1. Used for wind-cold common cold. This herb is pungent and dispersing, warm in nature to dispel cold, primarily enters the lung and bladder meridians, functions to open striae and interstice, penetrate the pores, inducing sweating to release the exterior and disperse wind-cold, being a strong product for releasing the exterior with pungent-warm properties, thus commonly used for external contraction of wind-cold, aversion to cold without sweating, fever headache, floating and tight pulse in severe cases of common cold, namely wind-cold pattern of exterior-excess type, often used in mutual reinforcement with Cinnamon Twig, such as in Ephedra Decoction.
2. Used for cough and panting. This herb is pungent and dispersing, bitter and draining, warm and unblocking, enters the lung meridian, externally can disperse wind-cold, internally can open and ventilate lung qi, has good functions of ventilating the lung and relieving panting, suitable for excess pattern of cough and panting due to wind-cold external constraint and lung qi stagnation, often combined with Bitter Apricot Seed, Liquorice Root, such as in Three-Unconventional Decoction. Additionally, this herb combined with Asarum, Dried Ginger, Pinellia, etc., can also treat cold phlegm and retained fluid, cough and panting, profuse clear and thin phlegm, such as in Minor Green-Blue Dragon Decoction. If lung heat is exuberant, with high fever and rapid panting, it is often combined with Gypsum, Bitter Apricot Seed, Liquorice Root, to clear the lung and relieve panting, such as in Ephedra, Bitter Apricot Seed, Gypsum and Licorice Decoction.
3. Used for wind edema. This herb opens lung qi above and transports to the bladder below, being an important herb for ventilating the lung and promoting urination. For edema due to wind evil attacking the exterior, lung failing to diffuse and descend, with difficulty in urination and exterior pattern of wind and water, it is often used with Liquorice Root, namely Liquorice and Ephedra Decoction; if accompanied by internal heat and spleen deficiency, it can be combined with Gypsum, Fresh Ginger Rhizome, Liquorice Root, and White Atractylodes Rhizome, etc. Additionally, taking Ephedra's function of dispelling cold and unblocking stagnation, it is used to treat wind-cold Bi disease, yin abscess, subcutaneous nodule.
4. Relieving stuffy nose, promoting eruption, and stopping itching: treating nasal congestion due to wind-cold external constraint, allergic rhinitis, rubella cutaneous pruritus, measles with poor eruption.

bubble_chart Documentation

1. Benjing: "Mainly treats apoplexy, cold-damage disease headache, warm malaria, induces sweating to dispel pathogenic heat, relieves cough with dyspnea, eliminates cold and heat, and breaks down abdominal masses."

bubble_chart Usage and Dosage

Decoct and take 3-10g. For inducing sweating and releasing the exterior, it is advisable to use it raw. For relieving cough and calming wheezing, it is often used after being roasted.

bubble_chart Cautions and Contraindications

This product has a strong dispersing effect and should be used with caution in cases of exterior deficiency spontaneous sweating, yin deficiency night sweat, and deficiency-type dyspnea.

bubble_chart Modern Pharmacology

The main component of this product is ephedrine, and it contains a small amount of pseudoephedrine, volatile oils, etc.

• The effects of ephedrine on the cardiovascular system are similar to those of adrenaline, but the duration of its effects is 7 to 10 times longer than that of adrenaline. It can increase myocardial contractility and cardiac output, as well as increase blood flow to the heart, brain, and muscles.
• Both ephedrine and pseudoephedrine can relieve bronchial smooth muscle spasms. The effect of ephedrine in relaxing bronchial smooth muscle is weaker than that of adrenaline, but its effects last longer. When used as eye drops (topical application), it has a mydriatic effect.
• Ephedra volatile oil has a diaphoretic effect. Ephedrine can increase and accelerate sweat gland secretion in people in high-temperature environments, but animal experiments have not confirmed that ephedrine alone can induce sweating.
• Ephedra volatile oil emulsion has an antipyretic effect.
• Pseudoephedrine has a significant diuretic effect.
• Ephedrine can stimulate the heart, constrict blood vessels, and raise blood pressure. It has a significant stimulant effect on the central nervous system, which can cause excitement, insomnia, and restlessness.
• Volatile oils have an inhibitory effect on influenza viruses.