Int J Obes Relat Metab Disord 2001 Mar;25(3):316-24

An herbal supplement containing Ma Huang-Guarana for weight loss: a randomized, double-blind trial.

Boozer CN, Nasser JA, Heymsfield SB, Wang V, Chen G, Solomon JL.

Obesity Research Center, St Luke's-Roosevelt Hospital Center and Department of Medicine, Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons, New York 10025, USA. cnb7~columbia.edu

OBJECTIVE: To examine in overweight humans the short-term safety and efficacy for weight loss of an herbal supplement containing Ma Huang, Guarana and other ingredients. DESIGN: An 8 week randomized, double-blind placebo controlled study of a herbal dietary supplement (72 mg/day ephedrine alkaloids and 240 mg/day caffeine). SUBJECTS: Overweight men and women (body mass index, > or =29 and < or =35 kg/m2). MEASUREMENTS: The primary outcome variable was body weight change. Secondary variables included anthropometric, metabolic and cardiovascular changes. RESULTS: Sixty-seven subjects were randomized to either placebo (n=32) or active Ma Huang/Guarana (n=35). Twenty-four subjects in each group completed the study. Active treatment produced significantly (P<0.006) greater loss of weight (X+/-s.d.,-4.0+/-3.4 kg) and fat (-2.1+/-3.0% fat) over the 8-week treatment period than did placebo (-0.8+/-2.4 kg and 0.2+/-2.3% fat). Active treatment also produced greater reductions in hip circumference and serum triglyceride levels. Eight of the 35 actively treated subjects (23%) and none of the 32 placebo-treated control subjects withdrew from the protocol because of potential treatment-related effects. Dry mouth, insomnia and headache were the adverse symptoms reported most frequently by the herbal vs placebo group at the final evaluation visit. CONCLUSIONS: This herbal mixture of Ma Huang and Guarana effectively promoted short-term weight and fat loss. Safety with long-term use requires further investigation.

Ma huang is another name for ephedra; if you have tried products containing ephedra before and had unpleasant side effects, you will probably want to stay away from it under its Chinese rubric as well.

There's no doubt that it's effective; the individual should decide for himself or herself, though, if the potential symptoms are worth it.

Taken from the August 2002 issue of Better Nutrition
www.betternutition.com

As of 1999, about 12 million people were estimated to be supplementing their dies with synthetic forms of the stimulant ephedrine. Now a study completed in October 2001 and published in 2002 confirms that not just synthetic forms of the drug are successful at promoting weight loss. Researchers concluded that herbal forms of the drug are effective as well.
Published in the 2002 'International Journal of Obesity', the study was conducted by a group of researchers from the New York Obesity Research Center, Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville, Beth Israel-Deaconess Medical Center in Boston, Beth Israel Medical Center in New York and Cigna Health Care in Los Angeles.
Researchers observed 167 men and women whose Body Mass Indexes ranged from 27.7 to 35.9. Eighty-four of the study participants were placed on a placebo, while the remaining 83 were given a supplement containing the botanicals ma huang and kola nut-natural sources of ephedrine. The study showed that the herbal supplement decreased body weight and increased HDL ("good") cholesterol levels.
Carol Boozer, DSc, one of the researchers, says she is cautiously optimistic about the study's findings. She expressed some concern that, upon hearing the news, people trying to lose weight might start taking herbal ephedrine indiscriminately.
People considering taking ephedrine should be aware that the researchers followed the study participants for six months in a controlled environment, and ephedrine won't work for everyone, she says.
But still, Boozer says, "We didn't find any adverse effects when it was taken by healthy individuals."
While there were some signs that the herbal ephedrine raised blood pressure and heart rate in some of the study participants, there were no serious side effects reported, she says.
Boozer says the study was conducted on the condition that, regardless of the outcome, the results would be published.
"The herbal industry decided to be proactive on this," she says. "If the results had been negative, we didn't just want to sit on the data."