This is an educational label/status guide, not a ranking or dosing guide. A current label shows what a manufacturer claims; it does not independently establish which ephedrine alkaloids, if any, are actually present. FitFrek does not lab-test these products.
In 2004, the FDA's final rule declared dietary supplements containing ephedrine alkaloids adulterated because they present an unreasonable risk. The FDA's current ingredient-status page still states that dietary supplements containing ephedrine alkaloids cannot be legally sold or marketed in the U.S.
That is different from saying every product using the word "ephedra" necessarily contains ephedrine. The rule is about the alkaloids, not the word on the label.
The FDA's current dietary-supplement inspection program addresses this directly. If a product label says "ephedra," investigators are instructed to determine whether the firm has evidence that the material does not contain ephedrine alkaloids — for example, because the Ephedra species used doesn't naturally contain them, or because laboratory testing supports their absence.
Because of that, two rules guide how FitFrek writes about these products:
A label is a claim. The FDA rule prohibits dietary supplements containing ephedrine alkaloids; for products labeled "ephedra," current FDA inspection guidance directs investigators to examine the firm's evidence about whether those alkaloids are absent. FitFrek does not make an independent legal-compliance determination for any specific product.
The single most important distinction on this page — the same framing as our DMAA guide.
Historical version alert
Federal enforcement in 2006 involved earlier Lipodrene and Stimerex-ES products labeled as containing 25 mg of ephedrine alkaloids per tablet. Current manufacturer labels use Ephedra Extract wording instead. Historical evidence must not be applied to today's formula without current-version or batch-specific evidence — which is exactly why the cards below track exact versions.
Regulatory lab testing has found ephedrine alkaloids in marketed supplements — which is exactly why label claims and lab evidence are tracked separately:
No credible independent ephedrine-alkaloid test for the current versions below was located in the sources FitFrek checked — so each is tracked at the label-claim level until a credible current-version test exists. (Historical same-name evidence exists; see the version alert above.)
Sources: FDA warning letter / lab findings, AL-ER-G case (2017); FDA CP 7321.008 (2025).
Current official labels — not a ranking. Each reflects the manufacturer's current claim, checked on the date shown.
Ephedra on current label | Yes — 25mg Ephedra Extract (leaves)
Ephedrine specifically declared | No
Manufacturer legal claim | "Legal in All 50 States" (manufacturer wording)
Other current-label context | Proprietary blend incl. 2-aminoisoheptane + 100mg caffeine
Independent ephedrine-alkaloid test | None located in sources FitFrek checked
"Legal in All 50 States" is the manufacturer's claim, not FitFrek's independent legal conclusion. The label lists an ephedra extract, not a declared ephedrine amount — the two are not interchangeable.
Ephedra on current label | Yes — 25mg Ephedra Extract (leaves)
Ephedrine specifically declared | No
Manufacturer legal claim | "Legal in All 50 States" (manufacturer wording)
Other current-label context | Proprietary blend incl. 2-aminoisoheptane + 100mg caffeine
Independent ephedrine-alkaloid test | None located in sources FitFrek checked
An extract claim, not an ephedrine amount. "Thermo-Z" is manufacturer brand/marketing context, not necessarily the exact Supplement Facts wording. Don't characterize it as "stronger than ephedrine" — the label doesn't establish an ephedrine content at all.
Ephedra on current label | Yes — 25mg Ephedra Extract (leaves)
Ephedrine specifically declared | No
Manufacturer legal claim | "Legal in All 50 States" (manufacturer wording)
Independent ephedrine-alkaloid test | None located in sources FitFrek checked
Same audit structure. The extract amount shown must come from the stored current full label image, not an old retailer page.
Ephedra on current label | Yes — 150 mg Ephedra Extract (leaves), as Thermo-Z Brand
Official / catalog source | Hi-Tech ecosystem
Ephedrine specifically declared | No
Exact ephedra amount comes from the stored current Supplement Facts image — not typed from an old retailer page. Add Stimerex Hardcore, Black Widow, etc. later only after their exact current labels are stored.
It means the manufacturer claims 25mg of an ephedra extract. That's it. It does not tell you:
This is the single most useful thing to understand before buying anything labeled "ephedra."
Don't assume it does. The historical human evidence concerned ephedrine-alkaloid-containing products, usually alongside caffeine. NCCIH summarizes the historical benefit as modest short-term weight loss that did not outweigh the serious safety risks.
So evidence for historical ephedrine-containing ephedra can't simply be transferred to a modern extract represented as lacking those alkaloids. An extract represented as lacking ephedrine alkaloids is not equivalent to the ephedrine-alkaloid-containing preparations studied historically.
Historical ephedrine-alkaloid-containing ephedra products were associated by the FDA and NCCIH with serious cardiovascular and neurological harms — including high blood pressure, heart attack, stroke and seizures. The FDA concluded these products present an unreasonable risk.
This page is educational and documents the market; it isn't dosing guidance or a recommendation to use these products. Anyone with a cardiovascular condition or taking medication should consult a qualified healthcare professional before using any stimulant product.
Ephedrine is a threshold substance on the WADA Prohibited List. Ephedrine and methylephedrine are prohibited in-competition when the urine concentration of either exceeds 10 micrograms per millilitre (2026 List).
The problem for a tested athlete: an "ephedra extract" label doesn't tell you whether a prohibited threshold substance could appear in your sample, and strict liability means you're responsible for whatever is found.
If you're tested, follow the current WADA / governing-body rules and reduce risk by choosing appropriately third-party-certified products. Certification lowers risk but doesn't eliminate it.
ECA refers historically to ephedrine + caffeine + aspirin, a combination that became popular in bodybuilding and weight-loss circles. This page covers its history and evidence — it does not provide an ECA dosing protocol. Because dietary supplements containing ephedrine alkaloids cannot legally be marketed in the U.S. and ephedrine is a threshold anti-doping substance, treat historical ECA dosing as history, not instructions.
