South Med J. 2003 Jul; 96(7): 718-20.

Psychosis related to ephedra-containing herbal supplement use.

Walton R, Manos GH.

Department of Psychiatry, Naval Medical Center Portsmouth, Portsmouth, VA 23708, USA.

Ephedra, a psychoactive substance with stimulant properties, is found in many herbal products. Often perceived by the lay public as benign, the potential health-related dangers of using these products are beginning to be recognized. We review four cases associated with ephedra-containing herbal products and report three additional cases. Unlike the previously reported cases, the patients presented in this report developed persistent psychosis that required psychopharmaceutical management.