http://cbs2.com/health/health_story_364093621.html

Do those Skeleteens sodas still have ephedra (Ma Huang) in them?

I'm not sure how others feel but I think that stuff should only be used under a doctor's supervision. Too many people use it irresponsibly.

It's a great product when used correctly, ie., it is the best decongestant someone can use and I sometimes use it to avoid a sinus infection. Nicotine by far is more dangerous, and you don't see that being banned. Back to the subject though, it probably is not needed as an ingrediant in soft drinks, and it should not be used to stay up all night or to increase ones performance.

Skeleteens haven't had ephedra in them since about 1997. Even when they had it, it was in very small quantity just to appear on the label. When the controversy started, they just got rid of it because some states had banned it.

Personally I think ephedra is pretty powerful stuff and some people don't know how to respect its strength. Of course, those people are just probably going to buy stuff with ephedrine which is not banned because the drug companies manufacture it and probably pay off the right politicians. But at the end of the day, people who abuse energy ingredients are similar to those who abuse alcohol and other drugs; I don't think it really matters that a beverage has or doesn't have ephedra, but it is more of a pain to redo labels and a lesser pain to reformulate; ephedra doesn't have a strong effect on the taste becuase of the minute amount used in beverages heretofore anyway. And yes, people who used large amounts of ephedra in extreme conditions have died; a couple hundred I believe. Multiply that by a couple thousand for the annual smoking deaths in this country... banning has alot to do with following the money otherwise cigarettes would be banned a thousand times more severely!

Amen Soda !!! I still can't figure out why I have to fasten my seat belt by law but anyone over 18 can buy cigarettes???????? This Ban on Ephedra helps almost no one.

Yeah, and in the U.S.A. there were over 41,000 traffic deaths in 2002. So why don't we all have safety features like NASCASR?

I used to take work out aids and pills that contained ephedra. I only took what was recomended, never more. Yeah, it helped my workouts, and at my boxing gym I had more energy and aggretion than ever. But it always made me think, "is this good that all of a sudden I can fell my heart beating fast and harder?" Then some very close friends of mine got into meth. Now even though ephedra is only an ingrediant in Meth, they both have very similar consequences on the body. I have not touched something with Ephedra or Ma Huang or anything like that in about 3 years. I am glad for the banning. Yeah, you can streatch the argument to cigaretts and what not. But yes, money is involved there. Plus it has always been around. And unfortunatly, it would hurt our economy tremendously is they were banned. Also, there has been deaths with ephedra, no one is denying that. But the difference between medicine and suppliments. Medicine has to be proven to work before it can enter the market. Suppliments can enter on day 1, and can only be taken off if FDA finds that it doesnt do what it claims, or is harmfull.