a shrub native to china and india. the stems and roots are used in traditional medicine as a diuretic and for asthma, bronchitis, and cough. it has also been promoted as a decongestant, a weight loss aid, and as a supplement to increase energy. ephedra may cause high blood pressure, increased heart rate, or death if used with certain drugs, and may reduce the effects of certain drugs used to treat cancer and other diseases. the u.s. food and drug administration has banned the sale of dietary supplements that contain ephedra. the scientific name is ephedra sinica. also called ma huang.
出典:Wiktionary
From Ancient Greek ἐφέδρα (ephédra, “sitting upon”), from ἐπί (epí, “upon”) + ἕδρα (hédra, “seat”).
ephedra (countable かつ uncountable, 複数形 ephedras)
出典:Wikipedia
出典:『Wikipedia』 (2011/06/25 16:15 UTC 版)
Ephedra, an extract of the plant Ephedra sinica also known as ma huang (simplified Chinese: 麻黄; traditional Chinese: 麻黃; pinyin: má huáng), has been used as a herbal remedy in traditional Chinese medicine for the treatment of asthma and hay fever, as well as for the common cold. Ephedra is a stimulant that constricts blood vessels and increases blood pressure and heart rate. Several additional species belonging to the genus Ephedra have traditionally been used for a variety of medicinal purposes and are a possible candidate for the Soma plant of Indo-Iranian religion. [North American ephedras lack the alkaloids found in species such as E. sinica.