Chinese Ephedra

Chinese ephedra, Ephedra sinica, is a shrub of the phylum Gnetophyta native to arid regions of northern China and Mongolia, with slender, jointed, nearly leafless green stems adapted to dry conditions. Known in traditional Chinese medicine as ma huang, it has been used for thousands of years to treat respiratory ailments, and it is the natural source of the alkaloid ephedrine, a stimulant compound later isolated and developed into pharmaceutical decongestants and, controversially, weight-loss and performance supplements before many such uses were restricted.