Ephedrine is a killer high.
And now researchers think they know why. Herbal preparations containing ephedrine are sometimes sold as appetite suppressants and mild stimulants. The drug has gained a reputation, however, for producing a euphoric high much like that produced by the street drug Ecstacy. In studies of laboratory rodents, Wellman found that levels of the brain chemical dopamine increased sharply soon after ephedrine was administered. Dopamine is a chemical that helps the brain transmit nerve signals.