Current Date/Time 2

~3000 B.C.	First use of ephedra by Chinese to treat respiratory conditions
~80 A.D.	Dioscorides, Greek physician, documents use of ephedra
1887	Ephedrine first isolated from Ma-Huang
1930s	Pharmacology of ephedrine discovered by Western medicine
early 1990s	Herbal ephedra begins to be promoted as a weight loss aid
Oct 1995	FDA holds a meeting of the Special Working Group on Food Products Containing Ephedrine Alkaloids to assess the potential public health problems associated with ephedra-containing supplements (this was in response to a growing number of adverse event reports from ephedra-containing products which were submitted to the FDA)
Aug 1996	FDA continues to hold discussions on the safety of ephedra-containing products
1997	FDA publishes a proposed dose limit of 8 mg of ephedrine alkaloid per serving, a daily limit of 24 mg, a duration limit of 7 days, & various label warnings--to which many consumers, physicians, & manufacturers comment
1999	General Accounting Office states the FDA had insufficient evidence to support dosage & duration limits
2000	FDA withdraws a large part of the 1997 proposal
2001	Nonprofit consumer group, Public Citizen, files a petition that asks the FDA to ban the production & sale of ephedra products (this is in response to >1000 health problems reported to the FDA and >100 lawsuits involving ephedra products)
Fall 2001	National Football League bans ephedra following the deaths of several high school & college athletes after alleged use of ephedrine-containing products
Jan 2002	Canadian government issues a warning against use of ephedra
June 2002	US Dept of Health & Human Services (HHS) proposes an expanded scientific evaluation of ephedra
July 2002	HHS commissions the RAND Corporation to assess the safety & efficacy of ephedra-containing supplements on weight loss and athletic performance
Feb 2003	Ephedra-associated death of Baltimore Orioles pitcher Steve Bechler--this resparks the national attention brought to the dangers of ephedra RAND Corporation publishes their commissioned report, "Ephedra and Ephedrine for Weight Loss and Athletic Performance Enhancement: Clinical Efficacy and Side Effects" HHS cautions all Americans about using ephedra-containing supplements (especially while engaging in strenuous activity or in combination with other stimulants, like caffeine) Ephedra Working Group publishes report on the safety & efficacy of ephedra to the National Advisory Council for Complementary & Alternative Medicine
March 2003	The FDA announced that it would impose new rules on dietary supplements in order to force ephedra product manufacturers to create accurate labeling in light of the information on ephedra available showing the deadly and serious effects the supplements can have.
Sept 2003	In response to the information regarding the dangers of ephedra and the deaths of high profile athletes linked to ephedra use, companies quickly began offering alternatives to ephedra containing products. Experts advise consumers to be wary of any ephedra product replacements.
Oct 2003	California joins New York and Illinois to be the third state to ban sales of ephedra-based diet pills.
Feb 2004	FDA finalized its first-ever ban of a dietary supplement, ephedra, after taking two years to prove harm to the number of 155 deaths. The law required a 60-day phase-in period, and thus all sales of ephedra-containing products were to have ceased April 12, 2004.
April 2004	FDA regulators compiling data on "ephedra free" products to help decide if they should also be banned. After the ephedra recall, a court ruling favored the FDA to act against other supplements in the future.
August 2004	A jury awarded $4.1 million, down from an initial $6.9 million award, to a man who suffered a massive hemorrhagic stroke causing brain damage and severe disabilities after using Dymetadrine Xtreme, a dietary supplement containing ephedra. The case was against the sports nutrition store that sold the ephedra-containing product that has now left the man in a wheelchair or walker to get around, limited speech, double vision and other effects. Finding a retailer liable for selling ephedra-containing products is rare.

History of Ephedra