The Relative Safety of Ephedra Compared with Other Herbal Products
Authors: Stephen E. Kimmel
Journal: Annals of Internal Medicine (2003)

Letters5 August 2003The Relative Safety of Ephedra Compared with Other Herbal ProductsStephen E. Kimmel, MD, MSStephen E. Kimmel, MD, MSUniversity of Pennsylvania School of Medicine; Philadelphia, PA 19104 (Kimmel)Search for more papers by this authorAuthor, Article, and Disclosure Informationhttps://doi.org/10.7326/0003-4819-139-3-200308050-00020 SectionsAboutFull TextPDF ToolsAdd to favoritesDownload CitationsTrack CitationsPermissions ShareFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditEmail TO THE EDITOR:Bent and colleagues, in their report on adverse reactions to ephedra compared with other herbal products (1), stated, Some industry experts claim that ephedra is safe and note that the number of adverse reactions reported among users of ephedra may not be greater than the background rate of events in the population, and referenced a document I wrote about 3 years ago (2). First, I want to be clear that I have never claimed that ephedra is safe, nor do I believe that any informed scientist would do so. Second, I wrote the document in question precisely ...References1. Bent S, Tiedt TN, Odden MC, Shlipak MG. The relative safety of ephedra compared with other herbal products. Ann Intern Med. 2003;138:468-71. [PMID: 12639079] LinkGoogle Scholar2. Kimmel SE. Summary of incidence of seizures, strokes, and myocardial infarctions in the population and estimations of risk in the population from ephedra products. Presented at the Department of Health and Human Services Public Meeting on the Safety of Dietary Supplements Containing Ephedrine Alkaloids, August 2000. Submitted to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration Docket No. 00N-1200. Washington, DC: Ephedra Education Council; 2002. Accessed at www.ephedrafacts.com/2.html on 25 June 2003. Google Scholar3. Shekelle PG, Hardy ML, Morton SC, Maglione M, Mojica WA, Suttorp MJ, . Efficacy and safety of ephedra and ephedrine for weight loss and athletic performance: a meta-analysis. JAMA. 2003;289:1537-45. [PMID: 12672771] MedlineGoogle Scholar Author, Article, and Disclosure InformationAuthors: Stephen E. Kimmel, MD, MSAffiliations: University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine; Philadelphia, PA 19104 (Kimmel)Disclosure: Dr. Kimmel has served as a consultant to the Ephedra Education Council and some companies that made ephedra-based products. PreviousarticleNextarticle Advertisement FiguresReferencesRelatedDetailsSee AlsoThe Relative Safety of Ephedra Compared with Other Herbal Products Stephen Bent , Thomas N. Tiedt , Michelle C. Odden , and Michael G. Shlipak Metrics Cited byQuality and Safety in Outpatient Laboratory TestingLate to the Feast: Primary Care and US Health PolicyAn Introduction to Technology for Patient-centered, Collaborative CareThe Emergence of Ideal Micro Practices for Patient-centered, Collaborative CareDisease Management and the Medicare Modernization Act: "It's the Insurance, Stupid"The multimedia computer for office-based patient education: a systematic review 5 August 2003Volume 139, Issue 3Page: 234KeywordsAdverse reactionsSafetyScientists ePublished: 5 August 2003 Issue Published: 5 August 2003 Copyright & PermissionsCopyright © 2003 by American College of Physicians. All Rights Reserved.PDF downloadLoading ...