Ephedra in pregnancy and breastfeeding

What NCCIH says about safety

The FDA has banned dietary supplements containing ephedrine alkaloids because they have serious safety risks. Even in relatively low doses and short-term use, ephedra has been linked to harmful effects like high blood pressure, heart attack, seizure, stroke, and psychosis. Ephedra can be life-threatening or disabling in some people. Ephedra can also cause anxiety, dizziness, dry mouth, headache, heartburn, insomnia, irritability, nausea, personality changes, and other symptoms. It isn’t possible to determine who would be at the greatest risk of using ephedra today. There are theoretical reasons to suspect that ephedra might interact with other stimulants like caffeine. People with conditions like cardiovascular disease have also been considered at higher risk for severe harm. The use of ephedra during pregnancy or while breastfeeding is considered unsafe. It’s also considered unsafe for children.

Quoted in full from NCCIH so nothing is lost in summarising. Where they say “little is known”, that means the studies do not exist — not that the herb is known to be safe, and not that it is known to be harmful.

How much is actually known

Almost no new research on ephedra in people has been performed in the years since its use in dietary supplements was banned in the United States. Prior to the ban, substantial research had been done on ephedra’s short-term effects on weight loss and its harmful effects.

What the research has found

Prior to the ban, research showed that dietary supplements containing ephedrine alkaloids (usually in combination with caffeine) had modest short-term effects on weight loss. However, this benefit was considered insufficient to outweigh the serious risks of these supplements. No studies had assessed long-term effects on weight. The evidence regarding athletic performance was insufficient to allow any conclusions to be reached.

Before you take this

Dose and form change the answer completely. A culinary amount of a spice, a cup of tea, and a concentrated supplement extract are three different things, and most research is done on the last of them.

Supplements are also not regulated like medicines, so strength and purity vary between products. Bring the actual bottle to your midwife, doctor or pharmacist — that conversation is worth more than any page, including this one.