Where to get ma huang

Main Content. Other Common Name: Chinese ephedra, Efedra china. Parts of the plant used: The stems. How is it used? What is it used for? Ma Huang or herbal supplements containing ephedrine should not be used in small children, pregnancy or lactation.

The wavelength of the UV detector was set at nm. After filtering with 0. The column temperature was held at Cytotoxicity was determined by the MTT dye-reduction assay. The methodology described is a modification of the original MTT colorimetric assay developed by Mosmann Cells were harvested from maintenance cultures in the exponential phase and counted by a hemocytometer using trypan blue solution. For median inhibition concentration IC 50 determination, dose-response curves were conducted with a series of different concentrations of alkaloids or ma-huang extracts that were approximately equal to the IC The culture plates were shaken for 5 min and the absorbance of each well was read at nm with nm as the reference wavelength.

IC 50 was then determined by nonlinear regression analysis of the corresponding dose response curve. All 5 ETA, which were detectable in the water extract of ma-huang, could be resolved within 40 min. For the ground ma-huang extracts G1 through G4 , the majority of ETA were extracted in the first extraction, except for NME which was fully extracted in the first extraction. Boiling the whole herb of ma-huang for 0. The results indicate that boiling the unground whole herb of ma-huang for a longer period could yield comparable amounts of ETA, as produced from the ground herb.

For chemical analysis of ETA in ma-huang, ethanol, which yields greater amounts of ETA, was usually used as the solvent. Sagara et al. Therefore, if our ma-huang samples were extracted with other organic solvents, the yields of ETA might have been higher. However, in this study, ma-huang was extracted with water to simulate the traditional use of the herb as a TCM constituent. In addition, water is non-toxic to cells used in the MTT assays while organic solvents are mostly toxic. In terms of E alone, the total amount obtained in 2 extractions ranged from In a study by Tyler , a tea prepared by steeping 2 g of ma-huang in mL of boiling water for 10 min yielded a dose of 15 to 30 mg of E.

In our study, The total amount of E obtained in two extractions ranged from 5. Hence, in our case, 2 g of ma-huang yielded Cytotoxicity to a battery of cells was evaluated by determining the IC 50 values of different preparations to the cells. Using nonlinear regression analysis of the corresponding dose-response curves, the IC 50 values of E and ma-huang extracts prepared under different conditions for a battery of cell lines were obtained and are shown in Figure 4.

The results indicate that E and ground ma-huang extracts were significantly more cytotoxic than the unground preparations. Grinding was found to be a crucial condition for increased toxicity. Therefore, Neuro-2a was used in the cytotoxicity assay.

Neuro-2a is also frequently used in the cytotoxicity test for other chemicals with neurological effects De Ferrari et al. Among the adverse events associated with ma-huang-containing dietary supplements, 4 percent of the reports mentioned overt hepatitis FDA, ; Nadir et al.

This observation prompted us to include HepG2 in the cytotoxicity assay, a substance widely used in cytotoxicity testing. Comparison with freshly isolated human adult hepatocytes has revealed that activities of cytochrome Pdependent, mixed-function oxidase MFO of HepG2 are 5—fold lower than in primary hepatocytes Grant et al.

It was found that HepG2 retains many of the specialized functions normally lost in established hepatocytes in culture Knowles et al. The cell lines L-alpha-1b, L-alpha-2A and CHO-beta3 were included in the MTT assay, as each of them expresses alpha-1, alpha-2, and beta-3 adrenergic receptors respectively, on which E basically acts. This suggests that the toxins in ma-huang extracts may be more specific to neuronal cells.

This result was consistent with the adverse events associated with dietary supplements containing ma-huang, as mentioned in the foregoing paragraphs. This difference in response to the same herbal extract suggests that using a battery of cell lines from different origins is of significance in the cellular approach to toxicity assessment of herbal products. This is appropriate, as E and PE are the major alkaloids in ma-huang. In view of the abundance and the high potency of E, we used it as the reference compound in comparing cytotoxicity among ma-huang extracts prepared under different conditions.

Indeed, when E is used chronically, it can cause cardiomyopathy, which is related to catecholamine-mediated cytotoxicity Gualtieri and Harris, ; To et al. Among these assays, the radioisotope incorporation and colorimetric assays are most suitable for handling a large number of samples.

However, radioisotope incorporation assays suffer from the hazards of handling and disposal of radioactive materials. For colorimetric assays using tetrazolium salts, such as 3- 4,5-dimethylthiazolyl -2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide MTT , apart from not involving radioactive materials, this salt is only cleaved by metabolically active cells, and therefore only living cells are assayed.

The amount of formazan generated is directly proportional to the cell number over a wide range. These features permit micro-scale testing which reduces the amount of sample required and other resources needed. The results of the MTT assays can be optically visualized, and thus it is very useful if a rapid qualitative check is desired.

Finally, the results obtained from MTT assays agree closely with those of [ 3 H]thymidine incorporation assays Mosmann, A drawback of the colorimetric assay is that a few parameters, such as duration of MTT treatment, concentration of MTT used, and the number of test cells used have to be optimized. This drawback makes the direct inter-laboratory comparison of results difficult. It should be noted that the MTT assay measures the effects on the changes of enzyme activities that are affected by culture conditions.

Therefore, standardized culture conditions must be maintained throughout the tests Doostdar et al. They are shown in Figure 5. The IC 50 values of all ma-huang extracts normalized by their E contents were lower than those of the pure E, indicating that E did not account for the entire toxicity and that there were other toxins present in the extracts. This showed that grinding significantly increased the extraction of toxins. Boiling the whole herb for 2 h represented the best, among the conditions used in this study, for preparing ma-huang extracts with the highest drug-to-toxin ratio DTR.

Under this condition, the E content was relatively high high drug content , the cytotoxicity was relatively low low toxin content , and the total E obtained in 2 extractions combined was the highest in quantity compared with the extractions under other conditions.

The IC 50 values of E and ground ma-huang extracts were significantly lower than those of whole herb extracts, indicating that E and ground ma-huang extracts were more cytotoxic. Grinding was a crucial condition for increased toxicity.

The Neuro-2a cell line was significantly more sensitive to the cytotoxicity of ma-huang extracts than cells from other origins, suggesting that the toxic principles might be acting on neuronal cells. The IC 50 values of all ma-huang extracts normalized by their E contents were significantly lower than pure E, indicating the presence of toxins other than E in the extracts. Boiling the whole herb for 2 h represented the best condition for preparing ma-huang extracts, with the highest drug-to-toxin ratio DTR.

The HPLC profile of ephedrine-type alkaloids in a typical ma-huang extracts. The contents of ephedrine-type alkaloids in ma-huang extracts prepared under different conditions. Values are means and S. Fax: E-mail: dphsieh ust. E was a generous gift from Dr. Chuang of Brion Research Institute of Taiwan.

We thank Dr. Susan Huxtable and Mr. Garry H Chang for their help in experimental work and their comments on this manuscript. Astrup, A. Pharmacology of thermogenic drugs. Blumenthal, M. Ma-huang: Ancient herb, modern medicine, regulatory dilemma. Herbalgram 34, 22—26, 43, 56 — Capwell, R. Ephedrine-induced mania from an herbal diet supplement.

Cetaruk, E. Hazards of nonprescription medications. North Am. Chen, K. Ephedrine and Related Substances , pp. The Williams and Wilkins Company, Baltimore. Cui, J. Any ephedra supplement or ephedra alternative should be taken with caution. This is compounded when the herb is used for conditions not traditionally indicated. To ensure safe and appropriate use of ma huang, one should only take the herb under the supervision of a licensed acupuncturist or herbalist.

Practitioners trained and licensed to prescribe Chinese herbs such as ephedra supplement typically have years of graduate level schooling from a Traditional Oriental medicine college, graduate with a Masters degree , and pass minimum competency exams for licensing.

To date, there have not been any reported cases of death from ephedra or ephedra alternative use in China, where the herb is commonly prescribed by licensed practitioners. Bensky D. You understand that these calls may be generated using an automated technology. The History Of Ma Haung Ma Huang, which is native to China but is also now found in the Mediterranean region, India, Persia, and the western portion of South America, has been used safely and effectively for centuries among practitioners of Chinese medicine.

Is a Career in Acupuncture Right for You? Take The Career Readiness Quiz. Ready to Become a Healer? Programs Locations Admissions Financial Aid. Request Info.