''Ephedra distachya'' is a shrub in the family

Ephedraceae Ephedraceae is a family of gymnosperms belonging to Gnetophyta, it contains only a single extant genus, '' Ephedra'', as well as a number of extinct genera from the Early Cretaceous. Taxonomy File:Eamesia chinensis.png, '' Eamesia'' File:Chengi ...

that stands about 25 cm to 50 cm high. The shrub grows in many parts of the world, including southern and central

Europe Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a subcontinent of Eurasia and it is located entirel ...

and western and central

Asia Asia (, ) is one of the world's most notable geographical regions, which is either considered a continent in its own right or a subcontinent of Eurasia, which shares the continental landmass of Afro-Eurasia with Africa. Asia covers an are ...

.Kew World Checklist of Selected Plant Families
/ref> Its local names include ''somlatha''.

Subspecies

#''Ephedra distachya'' subsp. ''distachya'' – central + southern Europe, southwestern + central Asia #''Ephedra distachya'' subsp. ''helvetica'' (C.A.Mey.) Asch. & Graebn. – Switzerland, France, Italy, Slovenia, Austria

History

''Ephedra'' is part of a group of plants called ‘gnetophytes’. These plants have hardly changed in the past 100 million years, and are thought to be relics of an ancient flora. The leaves of ''Ephedra'' are tiny and scale-like. Gnetophyte leaves evolved independently from leaves in flowering plants. ''Ephedra'' produces the alkaloid

ephedrine Ephedrine is a central nervous system (CNS) stimulant that is often used to prevent low blood pressure during anesthesia. It has also been used for asthma, narcolepsy, and obesity but is not the preferred treatment. It is of unclear benefit in ...

, which has been shown to interfere with insect thermoregulation and may also have effects on insect neurotransmitters. This may be the method by which the plant deters insect herbivores.

Uses

''Ephedra distachya'' is used to relieve acute muscular and

rheumatic Rheumatology (Greek ''ῥεῦμα'', ''rheûma'', flowing current) is a branch of medicine devoted to the diagnosis and management of disorders whose common feature is inflammation in the bones, muscles, joints, and internal organs. Rheumatolog ...

pains (when it is called ''

teamster A teamster is the American term for a truck driver or a person who drives teams of draft animals. Further, the term often refers to a member of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters, a labor union in the United States and Canada. Origi ...

tea Tea is an aromatic beverage prepared by pouring hot or boiling water over cured or fresh leaves of ''Camellia sinensis'', an evergreen shrub native to East Asia which probably originated in the borderlands of southwestern China and north ...

''), as a stimulant, and in the cardio tonics in

Ayurveda Ayurveda () is an alternative medicine system with historical roots in the Indian subcontinent. The theory and practice of Ayurveda is pseudoscientific. Ayurveda is heavily practiced in India and Nepal, where around 80% of the population rep ...

. It is sometimes identified with the legendary drug

soma Soma may refer to: Businesses and brands * SOMA (architects), a New York–based firm of architects * Soma (company), a company that designs eco-friendly water filtration systems * SOMA Fabrications, a builder of bicycle frames and other bicycle ...

, as described in the

Avesta The Avesta () is the primary collection of religious texts of Zoroastrianism, composed in the Avestan language. The Avesta texts fall into several different categories, arranged either by dialect, or by usage. The principal text in the lit ...

and the Rig Veda, the respective ancient sacred texts of the

Zoroastrian Zoroastrianism is an Iranian religion and one of the world's oldest organized faiths, based on the teachings of the Iranian-speaking prophet Zoroaster. It has a dualistic cosmology of good and evil within the framework of a monotheistic ...

and

Hindu Hindus (; ) are people who religiously adhere to Hinduism. Jeffery D. Long (2007), A Vision for Hinduism, IB Tauris, , pages 35–37 Historically, the term has also been used as a geographical, cultural, and later religious identifier for ...

faiths.

Ephedrine Ephedrine is a central nervous system (CNS) stimulant that is often used to prevent low blood pressure during anesthesia. It has also been used for asthma, narcolepsy, and obesity but is not the preferred treatment. It is of unclear benefit in ...

, an

alkaloid Alkaloids are a class of basic, naturally occurring organic compounds that contain at least one nitrogen atom. This group also includes some related compounds with neutral and even weakly acidic properties. Some synthetic compounds of similar ...

, is obtained from its dried branches and is used as a stimulant, often to control

asthma Asthma is a long-term inflammatory disease of the airways of the lungs. It is characterized by variable and recurring symptoms, reversible airflow obstruction, and easily triggered bronchospasms. Symptoms include episodes of wheezing, co ...

. It was isolated from the plant by

Nagayoshi Nagai was a Japanese pharmacist, best known for his study of ephedrine. Early life Nagai was born in Myōdō District, Awa Province in what is now Tokushima Prefecture, as the son of a doctor and started studying ''rangaku'' medicine at the Dutch M ...

in 1885. All parts of the plant contain up to 3% ephedrine.

Side effects

Although Ephedra has many benefits, side effects include insomnia and a fast heart rate.

Gallery

Image:Illustration Ephedra distachya0.jpg, Botanical illustration. Image:Ephedra distachya (male plant in bloom).jpg, Male plant in bloom. Image:Ephedra distachya (male flowers) 2.jpg, Pollen cones. Image:Ephedra distachya (female flowers).jpg, Female cones. Image:Ephedra distachya (cones) 2011 3.jpg, Ripe cones with seeds. Image:Ephedra distachya berries 2.jpg, Female plant with ripe cones. Image:Ephedra distachya (rhizome) 2011 1.jpg, Rhizome and bark.

References

External links

Gymnosperm Database: ''Ephedra distachya''
Retrieved 2017-07-05. distachya Flora of Central Asia Flora of Western Asia Medicinal plants of Asia Medicinal plants of Europe Plants described in 1753 Taxa named by Carl Linnaeus Stimulants Soma (drink) {{medicinal-plant-stub