Here you will find answers to questions that are relevant to TCM specialists. Use the search function (magnifying glass) to search for a term and also consult the FAQ section "Questions on general topics"
Herba Ephedrae (Ma Huang, sea dew) must not be used in doping samples. This remedy is often found in formulations for colds, coughs and asthma, as it contains the active ingredient ephedrine. Ephedrine has a similar effect to adrenaline and amphetamine is also produced from ephedrine. Pinellia (Ban Xia) also contains minimal amounts of ephedrine. Doping authorities set a limit of 10 micrograms/ml in urine. To detect ephedrine in blood or urine, this information can be found on the Internet:
"In blood, ephedrine is normally detectable for a maximum of 24 hours after consumption. If the presence of the substance is to be checked by means of a urine test, a period of between two and four days is usually decisive. Incidentally, the active substance can be detected for the longest time in the hair: even if several months have already passed, ephedrine can still be detected by a hair analysis. Please note that these figures are only intended as a guide. Depending on how much a person has consumed, the condition of the body or how much time has passed between the consumption of ephedrine and the drug test, the detection times can vary."
About Pinellia (BanXia): Our main supplier reports that they have not yet succeeded in detecting ephedrine in Pinellia. This is probably due to the fact that the ephedrine content in Pinellia is around the detection limit for this substance, i.e. the content is so low that it is probably only just detectable or not detectable at all with highly sensitive laboratory equipment. The laboratory manager at Brion, the analytical laboratory of our main supplier, has already expressed the suspicion that the reports about ephedrine in Pinellia could be a story that is being bandied about in the specialist literature but is not factual. Subhuti Dharmananda, a source of information that we always hold in high regard, reports that the ephedrine content in Ma Huang is 0.7-1.2%, in extracts (granules) 6-8%, whereas in Pinellia (BanXia) it is 0.002%.
Based on these reports, it can be assumed that athletes who have to submit doping samples do not have to refrain from taking TCM products containing pinellia.
A substance with a similar name is often mentioned in connection with ephedrine: Synephrine. Not only the name is similar, but also the chemical structure and the effect. However, the substance is not on the doping list. However, after ephedrine was banned in certain countries, clever businessmen switched to synephrine. Even more than for performance enhancement, ephedrine was used in slimming pills because it supposedly burns fat. Ephedrine was therefore replaced by synephrine. In high doses and taken with other, similar substances, such products can have undesirable effects. However, it is completely absurd to blacken plants that contain synephrine, among other things, because of this. Synephrine is contained in all citrus fruit peels (Chen Pi, Zhi Ke/Zhi Qiao, Zhi Shi, Qing Pi, Fo Shou...) and also in Evodia (Wu Zhu Yu). Athletes do not have to do without any of these substances and should not be deterred from using them extensively.
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