Money Talks Yet Once Again. With 2003 estimated sales in excess of $1.2 Billion US Dollars, a dietary supplement purported to be responsible for numerous deaths, is now back on the market.
The FDA, following concerns raised by the medical community, over the deaths of several athletic individuals using the supplement, not just "couch potatoes" gallantly attempting to return to a more active and fit lifestyle, passed motion to ban the "diet miracle" fat burner. The 2003 death of 23-year-old Baltimore Orioles pitcher Steve Bechler, resulted in a slew of negative publicity that lead to declining sales of diet and sports supplements containing the compound.
Based on data collected from several poison control centers, a group of California based researchers had claimed the compound to be the most dangerous herbal product on the market. Because it is an herb, it was not subject to regulations governing pharmaceutical drugs and could be sold over-the-counter. This is still the case today.
The government's decision to ban the supplement actually came late in 2003. According to the Public Citizen's Health Research Group in Washington, D.C., More than 150 deaths have been linked to the use of the compound in recent years. Tommy Thompson, Health and Human Services Secretary at the time, said the government had enough evidence to confirm the supplement was so powerful it quite readily caused heart attacks. Thompson announced a "Consumer Alert" warning against the use of all products containing the herb in any form, further stating the agency had notified manufacturers of its intent to publish a final rule banning the sale of supplements containing the compound. The ban followed the government review of more than 16,000 reports of adverse events, Thompson said. The actual ban was issued in February 2004.
In the typical grandiose style of US capitalism at it's finest, the powerful lobbyist groups representing the interests of the diet and supplement industries, flexed their muscles and went to battle.
April 14, 2005, federal judge Tena Campbell of the Utah federal district court reversed the ban . for the complete story, and to discover the name of the compound, and more facts, both pros and cons. visit with DocStuey and read the full report at Diets Health and Wellness Facts

Doc Stuey

For more facts about deadly supplements in the news, see this recent article title "New Study, Proof That Vitamin E Kills"?
Ephedrine is a widely used alkaloid of Ma Huang (Ephedra Sinica, Botanical Family Ephedraceae)