Ephedra Sinica samen - Seeds of the Gods

Contents

Contains 20 seeds of Ephedra Sinica seeds. In sealed packaging.

Use of Ephedra

The stalk of the herb Ephedra Sinica (also known as ma huang) contains an active compound called ephedrine. The effects of ephedrine are similar to caffeine, but ephedrine is even stronger. Ephedrine raises your heartbeat quite intensely, which causes your blood pressure to rise. In this way, ephedrine provides a rush of energy and helps your body to burn body fats. Ephedrine makes you feel awake, clear-minded and active. Ephedrine is often added to dietary supplements that help you to lose weight (so-called stackers). Its energizing effect also makes it a popular party drug. Recently, ephedrine has become more controversial: it is banned in high doses both in the Netherlands and the United States. Cultivating the plant Ephedrine Sinica itself is still legal in most countries, as long as it’s not used for extracting the active substances it contains.

Cultivating Ephedra

The herb Ephedra is an erect, broom-like shrub that can grow up to 60cm in height. The stalks don’t grow any leaves. The stalks are a light green colour when young and slowly turn olive brown as the plant grows older. The Ephedra plant is strong and doesn’t require that much attention. It is recommended to start cultivation in autumn. Sew the seeds inside your home in some cactus soil at a temperature of about 20º Celsius. There’s no need to water them very often, but make sure the seedlings get plenty of sunlight. Ephedra Sinica enjoys warm and dry surroundings.

History

The herb Ephedra Sinica belongs to the gnetum family (gnetaceae). It’s widespread around the world: it’s found from North and South America, the Mediterranean, and India to China and Japan. In China, Ephedra is called ma huang. The Chinese have been using ma Ephedra for hundreds of years to treat asthma and hay fever. Ephedra has the effect of dilating the airways, allowing for easier breathing. Some hospitals use ephedrine to help people with low blood pressure. Medication to treat the common cold and different allergies also regularly contains Ephedra Sinica extract. Ephedrine is closely related to amphetamine, the active compound in speed. Amphetamine is in fact an artificially created substance modelled after ephedrine. Both ephedrine and amphetamine provide a kick of energy, but unlike amphetamine, ephedrine does not stimulate the release of dopamine in the brain. In other words, it doesn’t cause any feelings of euphoria.