Contents

Page 1
1.0 Introduction.
2.0 Calculating the ephedrine/caffeine content.
2.1 Where does the 20/200 amount come from?
Page 2
3.0 What about willow bark/aspirin?
3.1 What about synephrine, St. John's wort, carnitine, etc?
Page 3
3.2 What about cycling and adrenal exhaustion?
Page 4
3.3 The beta-3 scandal: the discovery
Page 5
3.4  The beta 3 scandal: the truth withheld
Page 6
4.0 Do not start with the full dose.
Page 7
4.1 Is ECA safe?
Page 8
4.2 Massive obesity.
Page 9
5.0 Selecting a good thermogenic formula.
5.1 Price Comparison.

1.0 Introduction

Herbal thermogenic weight loss products usually contain quite a few ingredients, however, the scientific research shows that only two ingredients are necessary: ephedrine and caffeine. Some of the extra ingredients may increase thermogenesis a little bit, but make no mistake about it, ephedrine and caffeine are the only NECESSARY ingredients. If you do not understand why a thermogenic formula MUST contain both ephedrine and caffeine, then take a moment to look at my illustrations in "How ECA Works."

The purpose of this post is (I) to answer some common stacking questions (II) to cut through the hype and evaluate the ephedrine and caffeine content of herbal versions of the ECA stack (III) to categorize the supplements according to the number of capsules one must take to get a single dose containing 20 mg of ephedrine and 200 mg of caffeine and (IV) to list the price of the largest size bottle and calculate the price per dose based on the 20/200 dosage. Obviously, I could not calculate the price per dose for products that are not standardized to the 20/200 amount.

Note: Although yohimbe is a legitimate thermogenic, the focus of this post is ephedrine-based formulas. I plan to write about standardized yohimbe supplements in the near future. However, it is NOT a good idea to combine ephedrine and yohimbe.

2.0 Calculating The Ephedrine/Caffeine Content

The only herbal thermogenic products worth considering are standardized extracts containing approximately 20 mg of ephedrine and 200 mg of caffeine. It usually takes two or three capsules to reach the full 20/200 dose. In properly formulated supplements, 2 or 3 capsules usually contain about 334 mg of ma huang extract (6% ephedrine) and 910 mg guarana extract (22% caffeine). In order to qualify as a properly formulated supplement, the math has to add up (334 mg times 6% (.06) = 20 mg of ephedrine).

Sometimes you will see a label that reads "ma huang extract" -- this is no good because it does not state the amount of extract (mg) in the capsule or the potency (%) of the extract. Sometimes herbs are listed as a "4:1 concentrate" -- this is no good because you do not know the original potency of the herb that was concentrated. Thus, in both of these examples, there is no way to calculate the exact amount of ephedrine in the supplement. In cases like these, where there is insufficient data to do the math, I would not buy the product.

For more safety info, including ECA and stress tests, the 12 week time limit, and quotes from the FDA's anti-ephedrine medical articles, see Health Canada Bans Thermogenic Supplements.

Written
Mar 2000
Last Update
Mar 2000

2.1 Where Does The 20/200 Amount Come From?

Arne Astrup et al. (1, 2) tested several ephedrine/caffeine combinations (10 mg/200 mg, 20 mg/100 mg, and 20 mg/200 mg) and compared them to the combined thermogenic effect of ephedrine and caffeine given separately. Unlike the other dosages, the 20 mg/200 mg combination exceeded the predicted additive effect, so the researchers said that the 20/200 combination has a "supra-additive thermogenic synergism" (1). In other words, the 20/200 dosage/ratio causes a synergistic effect where 1+1=3.

However, one thing that is rarely mentioned is that these tests were performed on only "Six healthy, normal weight subjects of both sexes" (1). Since it is well known that obese people respond differently to thermogenic stimuli, I find it odd that they used "normal weight" individuals for these tests. Anecdotally, however, 20-25 mg ephedrine and 200 mg of caffeine seems to work quite well for most obese people. Also, a number of studies, including a 50-week clinical trial (3), reported good results with the 20/200 combination. So, the 20/200 combination three times per day seems to be the best way to go, but it's not written in stone.

    
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TOC

1.) Astrup A and Toubro S "Thermogenic, metabolic, and cardiovascular responses to ephedrine and caffeine in man" Int J Obes Relat Metab Disord 1993, Vol 17 Suppl 1 Pg S41-3, PMID: 0008384179.

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