Ephedra vulgaris Rich. or
Ephedra distachya L. is a shrub of the family
Gnetaceae[?] or
Ephedraceae, about 25 cm to 50 cm high, that grows in
Asia and
Japan. Its local names include
somlatha and
Ma Huang. It is used to relieve acute muscular and rheumatic pains (when it is called
teamsters' tea), as a stimulant, and in the cardio tonics in
Ayurveda. It is sometimes identified with the legendary drug
soma, which appears in the early
Persian and
Hindu sacred writings, the
Avesta and the
Rig Veda.
Ephedrine, the salt of an alkaloid, is obtained from its dried branches and is used to control asthma.
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