Traditional/Ethnobotanical uses
Ma huang is one of the earliest and best known drugs of Chinese traditional medicine, referenced in the Shen Nong Ben Cao Jing, one of the foundation books of Chinese medicine (about 100 AD). It was and still is used to induce perspiration and to treat the symptoms of bronchial asthma, colds, and influenza.
Chemical investigations of ephedra in the early 20th century resulted in the isolation of the alkaloids ephedrine and pseudoephedrine, which were identified as the major pharmacologically active compounds in the aboveground portions of the plant.
