''Ephedra distachya'' is a

shrub A shrub or bush is a small to medium-sized perennial woody plant. Unlike herbaceous plants, shrubs have persistent woody stems above the ground. Shrubs can be either deciduous or evergreen. They are distinguished from trees by their multiple ...

in the family

Ephedraceae Ephedraceae is a family of gymnosperms belonging to Gnetophyta, it contains only a single extant genus, ''Ephedra (plant), Ephedra'', as well as a number of extinct genera from the Early Cretaceous. Taxonomy File:Eamesia chinensis.png, ''Eame ...

that stands about 25 cm to 50 cm high. The shrub grows in many parts of the world, including southern and central

Europe Europe is a continent located entirely in the Northern Hemisphere and mostly in the Eastern Hemisphere. It is bordered by the Arctic Ocean to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the west, the Mediterranean Sea to the south, and Asia to the east ...

and western and central

Asia Asia ( , ) is the largest continent in the world by both land area and population. It covers an area of more than 44 million square kilometres, about 30% of Earth's total land area and 8% of Earth's total surface area. The continent, which ...

.Kew World Checklist of Selected Plant Families
/ref> Its local names include ''somlatha''. Ephedra distachya lives on grey dunes which are fixed and stable sand dunes that are covered in continuous vegetation.

Subspecies

#''Ephedra distachya'' subsp. ''distachya'' – central + southern Europe, southwestern + central Asia #''Ephedra distachya'' subsp. ''helvetica'' (C.A.Mey.) Asch. & Graebn. – Switzerland, France, Italy, Slovenia, Austria

History

''Ephedra'' is part of a group of plants called ‘gnetophytes’. These plants have hardly changed in the past 100 million years, and are thought to be relics of an ancient flora. The leaves of ''Ephedra'' are tiny and scale-like. Gnetophyte leaves evolved independently from leaves in flowering plants. ''Ephedra'' produces the alkaloid

ephedrine Ephedrine is a central nervous system (CNS) stimulant and sympathomimetic agent that is often used to prevent hypotension, low blood pressure during anesthesia. It has also been used for asthma, narcolepsy, and obesity but is not the preferred ...

, which has been shown to interfere with insect thermoregulation and may also have effects on insect neurotransmitters. This may be the method by which the plant deters insect herbivores.

Uses

''Ephedra distachya'' is used to relieve acute muscular and

rheumatic Rheumatology () is a branch of medicine devoted to the diagnosis and management of disorders whose common feature is inflammation in the bones, muscles, joints, and internal organs. Rheumatology covers more than 100 different complex diseases, c ...

pains (when it is called ''

teamster A teamster in American English is a truck driver; a person who drives teams of draft animals; or a member of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters, a labor union. In some places, a teamster was called a carter, the name referring to the ...

tea Tea is an aromatic beverage prepared by pouring hot or boiling water over cured or fresh leaves of '' Camellia sinensis'', an evergreen shrub native to East Asia which probably originated in the borderlands of south-western China and nor ...

''), as a stimulant, and in the cardio tonics in

Ayurveda Ayurveda (; ) is an alternative medicine system with historical roots in the Indian subcontinent. It is heavily practised throughout India and Nepal, where as much as 80% of the population report using ayurveda. The theory and practice of ayur ...

. It is sometimes identified with the legendary drug soma, as described in the

Avesta The Avesta (, Book Pahlavi: (), Persian language, Persian: ()) is the text corpus of Zoroastrian literature, religious literature of Zoroastrianism. All its texts are composed in the Avestan language and written in the Avestan alphabet. Mod ...

and the

Rig Veda The ''Rigveda'' or ''Rig Veda'' (, , from wikt:ऋच्, ऋच्, "praise" and wikt:वेद, वेद, "knowledge") is an ancient Indian Miscellany, collection of Vedic Sanskrit hymns (''sūktas''). It is one of the four sacred canoni ...

, the respective ancient sacred texts of the

Zoroastrian Zoroastrianism ( ), also called Mazdayasnā () or Beh-dīn (), is an Iranian religion centred on the Avesta and the teachings of Zarathushtra Spitama, who is more commonly referred to by the Greek translation, Zoroaster ( ). Among the wo ...

and

Hindu Hindus (; ; also known as Sanātanīs) are people who religiously adhere to Hinduism, also known by its endonym Sanātana Dharma. Jeffery D. Long (2007), A Vision for Hinduism, IB Tauris, , pp. 35–37 Historically, the term has also be ...

faiths.

Ephedrine Ephedrine is a central nervous system (CNS) stimulant and sympathomimetic agent that is often used to prevent hypotension, low blood pressure during anesthesia. It has also been used for asthma, narcolepsy, and obesity but is not the preferred ...

, an

alkaloid Alkaloids are a broad class of natural product, naturally occurring organic compounds that contain at least one nitrogen atom. Some synthetic compounds of similar structure may also be termed alkaloids. Alkaloids are produced by a large varie ...

, is obtained from its dried branches and is used as a

stimulant Stimulants (also known as central nervous system stimulants, or psychostimulants, or colloquially as uppers) are a class of drugs that increase alertness. They are used for various purposes, such as enhancing attention, motivation, cognition, ...

, often to control

asthma Asthma is a common long-term inflammatory disease of the airways of the lungs. It is characterized by variable and recurring symptoms, reversible airflow obstruction, and easily triggered bronchospasms. Symptoms include episodes of wh ...

. It was isolated from the plant by Nagayoshi Nagai in 1885. All parts of the plant contain up to 3% ephedrine.

Side effects

Although Ephedra has many benefits, it has side effects including insomnia and a fast heart rate.

Gallery

Image:Illustration Ephedra distachya0.jpg, Botanical illustration. Image:Ephedra distachya (male plant in bloom).jpg, Male plant in bloom. Image:Ephedra distachya (male flowers) 2.jpg, Pollen cones. Image:Ephedra distachya (female flowers).jpg, Female cones. Image:Ephedra distachya (cones) 2011 3.jpg, Ripe cones with seeds. Image:Ephedra distachya berries 2.jpg, Female plant with ripe cones. Image:Ephedra distachya (rhizome) 2011 1.jpg, Rhizome and bark.

References

Schneider-Binder, & Kuhlke, F. (2015). HABITATS WITH SEA GRAPE (EPHEDRA DISTACHYA) ON THE DUNES OF LETEA (DANUBE DELTA, ROMANIA)/Lebensräume mit Meerträubchen (Ephedra distachya) auf den Dünen von Letea (Donau-Delta, Rumänien)/Habitatele cu Ephedra distachya de pe dunele de la Letea (Delta Dunarii, România). Transylvanian Review of Systematical and Ecological Research, 17(2), 45–. https://doi.org/10.1515/trser-2015-0062

External links

Gymnosperm Database: ''Ephedra distachya''
Retrieved 2017-07-05. {{Taxonbar, from=Q162784 distachya Flora of Central Asia Flora of Western Asia Medicinal plants of Asia Medicinal plants of Europe Plants described in 1753 Taxa named by Carl Linnaeus Stimulants Soma (drink)