Ephedrae herba has been used for treating colds, relieving coughs and asthma from ancient times. We previously reported the distribution of Ephedra sinica, E. equisetina, E. przewalskii, E. regeliana, E. monosperma and Ephedra sp. in Mongolia, and among them E. sinica and E. equisetina were potential new resources of Ephedrae herba of Japanese pharmacopoeia grade, based on our field survey and ...

Bracts of female cones of extant gymnosperm Ephedra (Joint fir) are either colorful and fleshy (section Ephedra), or dry-winged and membranous (section Alatae), or dry and coriaceous (section Asarca), which have played a crucial role in long-distance seed dispersal that is responsible for a wide distribution of the genus in semiarid and arid areas of Eurasia, North Africa, North America, and So...

To compare the mechanisms underlying mechanical responses to ephedrine and Ephedra herb, a main component of Kakkon-to, in isolated male and female rabbit urinary bladder and urethral strips, responses of isolated strips to the agents were recorded in organ bath systems. Ephedrine and Ephedra herb relaxed the female urinary bladder to the similar extent. These relaxations are reversed to contra...

Purpose After reviewing some adverse events, such as cardiovascular disease, regarding the use of ephedra-containing dietary supplements, the Food and Drug Administration banned the sale of ephedra products on April 12, 2004. However, according to standard prescriptions recommended by the Committee on Chinese Medicine and Pharmacy in Taiwan, ephedra is still a popular ingredient of many Chinese...

Those who forget the past are not always fated to repeat it––sometimes the consequences are even worse. The problem of ephedra in the year 2003 arose largely because we have forgotten some excellent pharmacological research of eighty years ago. The sudden death of Steve Bechler, a promising young pitcher for the Baltimore Orioles, during spring training in February 2003, was attributed to his u...

BACKGROUND AND AIMS The extant species of the seed plant group Gnetales (Ephedra, Gnetum and Welwitschia) have been considered a remnant of a much greater, now extinct, diversity due to the pronounced differences in form and ecology among the genera. Until recently, this hypothesis has not been supported by evidence from the fossil record. This paper adds to the expanding information on Gnetale...

The Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau (QTP) has become one of the hotspots for phylogeographical studies due to its high species diversity. However, most previous studies have focused on the effects of the Quaternary glaciations on phylogeographical structures and the locations of glacial refugia, and little is known about the effects of the aridization of interior Asia on plant population structure and ...

used in Chinese and Japanese traditional (Kampo) medicines. Although about 35 species belonging to the genus Ephedra are distributed in Eurasia, North America, and South America, only a few species contain pharmacologically active ephedrine alkaloids and are used for medicinal purposes. The Japanese Pharmacopoeia defines Ephedra Herb as dried aerial parts of Ephedra sinica, E. intermedia and E....