Ephedra Review: Is it helpful for weight loss?

Weight loss!! The word itself indicates a tedious job. But it is not that difficult as it is considered. With the aid of a good weight loss supplement and proper diet along with regular exercise this task of weight loss becomes a cake walk. But the first and most important step is which supplement to go for and what kind of ingredients should be present in it. For this, one needs to have detailed knowledge of what various ingredients do to aid weight loss and which one is the most effective.

What is Ephedra?

Ephedra claims to be a natural solution for weight loss. It claims to be a natural stuff containing amphetamine like assets in it. Ephedrine alkaloids obtained from ephedra were merged with caffeine and promoted as weight-loss pills all over. However, the United States Food and Drug Administration in the year 2004 prohibited the sale of products with ephedra.

Manufacturer details:

There cannot be much known about the manufacturer of this product and the official website was also very difficult to trace. This unavailability of the very basic information makes one have a doubt on the efficacy of this product.

Ingredients and their functioning:

The key ingredient of this product is said to be Ephedra, which is an herb. It’s usually found on the branches and tops and are used to make medicines. The root or whole plant can also be used for this purpose of the medicines. This ingredient is well known for its weight loss benefits. It can produce modest weight loss, when used with a combination of exercise and low-fat diet. But this ingredient may also cause some serious side effects, even in healthy people who follow product dosage directions. Having ephedra is known to produce weight loss of approximately 0.9 kg for about 2 pounds per month and can be taken up to 6 months. It is not suitable if weight loss continues beyond this time frame or even if the weight returns after ephedra is discontinued.

Caffeine along with ephedra may provide an additional weight loss. The combination of ephedra, willow bark and cola nut may also cause modest weight loss in overweight and obese individuals. Research  suggests that a specific combination product containing ephedra and 17 other vitamins along with  guarana, minerals and supplements (like Metabolife 356) may help reduce weight by 2.7 kg  over 8 weeks when used with a low-fat diet and exercise.

Benefits of Ephedra:

• It comprises of natural ingredients.
• A lot of details are there for the ingredients and their composition.

Drawbacks:

• The active ingredient of this product is not considered safe.
• The manufacturer detail is not there and the official website is hard to find.
• The basic details regarding this product are not given making on skeptic about this product.
• Money back guarantee and other offers are not there for this product.
• There are a lot of side effects given by this product.

Side effects:

This product given negligible weight loss, as per most customer reviews. Plus Ephedra was connected to severe side effects like tachycardia, seizures, intensified blood pressure, heart attack, central nervous system excitation, stroke and cardiac arrhythmia. The intolerable figure of severe or deadly episodes connected to ephedra directed the FDA officials to prohibit sales of product with Ephedra.

Conclusion:

There has been an unfavorable response with the usage of products with ephedra. Severe and more unusual side effects might involve faintness, bad temper, gastrointestinal upsets and headache. Further side effects involve anxiety, dry mouth, sleeplessness, vomiting and reduced appetite. So it is beneficial to go for an all natural supplement that is clinically proven for its efficacy and has utmost effective ingredients in it.