Since the reintroduction of Ephedra based products on about April 15 of this year I have had a few close friends of mine contact myself about Ephedra. The had simple questions about the safety and effectiveness of Ephedra based products. We chose to purchase a bottle and run our own little test. The test consisted of 20 days, following the instructions of course, with regular monitoring. The Results were not what we expected!

Just to get everyone that may not know about Ephedra up to speed we have included some fact about Ephedra and it's beginings. Ephedra (also known as Ma huang, Chinese Ephedra and epitonin) is the worlds oldest medicine. The Chinese discovered ephedra more than 5000 years ago. Research has shown that ephedra increases metabolism and helps promote weight loss, relaxes the air passages in the lungs to help treat asthma and cough, promotes perspiration to help a person recover from a minor cold and helps promote urination to help relieve edema.

Ephedra has been widely researched for its thermogenic (fat burning) properties. Research has show that ephedra helps promote the loss of fat while helping spare lean muscle tissue, a highly sought-after property that prescription diet medications still have not been able to reproduce.

On May 20 of this year, we started by taking weight measurments and sizes of out test subject (just so happens it is my wife, but she volunteered). Day after day she would take the required pills and myself would record the effects. Remember that all these companies are promising you will lose 15lbs per week and 5 dress sizes in 3 weeks.

After 1 week my wife had lost only 4lbs and not even 1 full dress size. A far cry from the 15lbs promised. Througout week 2 we recorded and noticed that the pounds were begining to shed quicker. My wifes energy was increasing along with her happiness. When June 9th rolled around we finalized this experiment with the final measurments. In 20 days my lovely wife had lost 13lbs and 3 dress sizes. And although the product did not live up to its promises my wife and I were extreamly inpressed with the results and have already ordered next months supply.

Even thought this seems like a simple experiment you must always consult your doctor before you begin any form of dieting.

Also do not use ephedra if you have any medical problems as the use of a stimulant might overtax your system. Do not use ephedra if your activity / environment will prevent you from dissipating heat. Your body core temperature might exceed safe levels. And do not take more than the manufacturer's recommended amount.