Over 5000 years ago the Chinese discovered Ephedra, also known as Ma huang and Ephedrine. The Chinese have safely been using ephedrine to treat asthma, allergies, colds, hay fever and rheumatism. Ephedra works by opening bronchial passages to help treat asthma and cough, stimulating the heart and increasing perspiration to help a person recover from a minor cold and promoting the production of urine to relive edema. It also reduces the secretion of both saliva and stomach acids.