Ephedra herb (Ma Huang; Ephedra sinica, intermedia, gerardiana) is a regulated botanical sold as whole stem, cut, or powder against a 0.8 to 1.5 percent total-ephedrine-alkaloid HPLC assay. Kehkashan supplies licensed TCM, Unani, pharmaceutical-extraction, and research buyers only after licence and end-use verification; supplement use is banned in the US, EU, and GCC.
Ephedra — what it is and why it is a regulated botanical
Ephedra is a genus of leafless, jointed desert shrubs whose green stems carry the alkaloids ephedrine and pseudoephedrine. Three species dominate the trade. Ephedra sinica (草麻黄) is the classic Chinese Pharmacopoeia source of Ma Huang and carries the highest and most consistent alkaloid load. Ephedra intermedia (中麻黄) ranges across Inner Asia from Gansu to Balochistan and typically assays slightly lower. Ephedra gerardiana is the Himalayan species harvested in Gilgit-Baltistan, Ladakh and northern Balochistan, with a wider assay spread between lots. Ephedra equisetina (木贼麻黄) is the fourth pharmacopoeial species and the historical Kazakh extraction source.
The stem has been prescribed in Chinese medicine for roughly two millennia, and the WHO monograph on Herba Ephedrae documents the traditional and clinical basis. The same alkaloids, however, are precursors for illicit methamphetamine synthesis and were the active ingredient in the weight-loss supplements withdrawn across major markets in the 2000s. That dual identity is why this guide reads differently from our other herb guides on the ephedra product page: the compliance section comes before the price section, and we do not quote ephedra to any buyer whose licence and end-use we have not verified.
Origins — China, Pakistan, India and Kazakhstan
| Origin | Species | Harvest region | Typical total alkaloids | Ship-from |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| China | E. sinica, E. intermedia | Inner Mongolia, Ningxia, Gansu | 1.0-1.5% | Tianjin / Shanghai |
| Pakistan | E. intermedia, E. gerardiana | Balochistan (Ziarat, Kalat, Quetta), Gilgit-Baltistan | 0.8-1.3% | Karachi |
| India | E. gerardiana | Ladakh (Leh, Kargil), Lahaul | 0.8-1.2% | Mostly domestic use |
| Kazakhstan | E. equisetina | Chu-Ili and Karatau ranges | 1.0-1.6% | Rail and Caspian to Jebel Ali |
China remains the reference origin. Cultivated E. sinica from Inner Mongolia and Ningxia displaced most wild harvest after the 2000s, and Chinese lots arrive with the most complete pharmacopoeial paperwork. Pakistan's wild-harvested ephedra from the Balochistan highlands was a European ephedrine-extraction feedstock for most of the twentieth century and remains the main non-Chinese source. India's Ladakh harvest mostly feeds domestic Ayurvedic and Unani manufacturers rather than export. Kazakhstan supplies E. equisetina that reaches Gulf consolidation by rail and Caspian routing. Harvest runs August to October, when alkaloid concentration in the green stems peaks; stems are shade-dried, because sun-drying degrades ephedrine content measurably.
Grades and the alkaloid assay
Three trade grades cover almost every RFQ:
- Whole stem — 20 to 50 cm dried green stems, compressed into bales. Pharmacopoeial identification (node spacing, ridge count, pith colour) is easiest on whole stems, so decoction manufacturers usually buy whole.
- Cut — 1 to 3 cm segments, sieved of woody base and root. Standard for granule and extract producers.
- Powder — 40 to 80 mesh, milled at origin or by the buyer. Lowest freight cost per kilogram of alkaloid, hardest to authenticate visually; buy only against lot-level HPLC.
The single number that defines a lot is total ephedrine alkaloids (ephedrine plus pseudoephedrine, with methylephedrine often reported separately) by HPLC. The Chinese Pharmacopoeia sets the floor for Ma Huang at not less than 0.80 percent; commercial lots run 0.8 to 1.5 percent, and premium Inner Mongolian E. sinica can exceed that. The COA assay matters for three reasons. It sets the price, because buyers pay per unit of alkaloid rather than per kilogram of stem. It sets the dose, because pharmacopoeial formulas are calibrated to a known alkaloid range. And it is what the permit authority reads: the precursor quantity on an import licence is the assay multiplied by the tonnage.
Who buys ephedra legitimately
The legitimate buyer base is narrow and well defined:
- Licensed TCM manufacturers in China, Taiwan, South Korea and Japan producing pharmacopoeial formulas — Ma Huang Tang, Xiao Qing Long Tang, and the Kampo equivalents Maoto and Kakkonto. The Japanese and Korean Pharmacopoeias both carry Ephedra Herb monographs, and Taiwan's GMP TCM plants source under Ministry of Health and Welfare licensing.
- Unani and Ayurvedic manufacturers in India and Pakistan, where the herb is documented as Somlata or Hum, buying under AYUSH or DRAP herbal-product licences.
- Pharmaceutical extraction plants isolating ephedrine and pseudoephedrine under a precursor manufacturing licence.
- Universities and contract laboratories buying kilogram lots for pharmacognosy and analytical reference work.
What is not on that list: dietary-supplement, weight-loss, sports-nutrition and energy-product brands in any jurisdiction where ephedra is banned in supplements, and any buyer who cannot name the regulator that licenses them. A request that arrives without a licence number or with a consumer-product end-use does not proceed to quotation.
Regulatory map — where ephedra is banned or restricted
| Jurisdiction | Raw herb | Supplements and foods |
|---|---|---|
| United States | Importable for licensed pharmaceutical and research use; ephedrine and pseudoephedrine are DEA List I chemicals | Banned since 2004 under 21 CFR Part 119 |
| European Union | Herbal medicinal use only under national medicines authorisation | Ephedra herb and preparations prohibited in foods (Reg. (EU) 2015/403) |
| Canada | Ephedrine permitted only as a low-dose nasal decongestant | Ephedra products for weight loss or stimulant use recalled |
| Australia | Ephedra scheduled as prescription-only in the Poisons Standard | Not permitted in listed complementary medicines |
| GCC (SFDA and peers) | Import for licensed pharmaceutical use only | Ephedra on the SFDA prohibited-ingredient list for supplements |
| China, Japan, Korea, Taiwan | Pharmacopoeial herb; procurement licensed | Not permitted in foods or health foods |
The FDA final rule of February 2004, codified at 21 CFR Part 119, declared dietary supplements containing ephedrine alkaloids adulterated, and it has never been reversed. The EU added Ephedra herb to Annex III Part A of Regulation 1925/2006 in 2015, prohibiting it in foods across all member states, while herbal medicinal use stays under national law. GCC regulators mirror the US supplement position. None of this restricts pharmacopoeial or pharmaceutical use, which is exactly the channel we serve.
Precursor control — INCB Table I and import permits
Ephedrine and pseudoephedrine are listed in Table I of the 1988 UN Convention, and the INCB precursor list is the reference every import authority works from. The raw plant is not itself scheduled under the Convention, but because the alkaloids can be extracted from it, several countries regulate the herb as if it were the chemical.
In practice this means:
- Importers in China buy ephedra herb under provincial licensing with public-security precursor oversight, whether the lot is domestic or imported.
- Indian buyers need an AYUSH manufacturing licence and, for extraction use, Narcotics Control Bureau controlled-substance registration.
- US importers extracting alkaloids fall under DEA List I chemical registration and import declarations.
- Pakistani exports may require a no-objection certificate from the federal narcotics-control authority alongside the phytosanitary certificate.
- Permit issuance typically takes 15 to 45 working days and often names the supplier, tonnage and assay in advance.
We build that permit lead time into the shipping schedule rather than around it. Requests to under-declare assay, mislabel the herb under a generic HS 1211.90 description, or route through a jurisdiction without controls are declined without exception; the quality page sets out our compliance policy.
How Kehkashan screens buyers, and the documentation set
Before a quote leaves the trade desk, three things are on file: a copy of the buyer's manufacturing, pharmaceutical or research licence with the issuing regulator named; a signed end-use declaration stating the pharmacopoeial formula, extraction process or research protocol; and confirmation that the destination jurisdiction permits that use. Supplement manufacturers in the US, EU, Canada, Australia and GCC are declined at this step, whatever the order size.
Every ephedra container then leaves Karachi or Jebel Ali with:
- Bill of lading
- Commercial invoice and packing list, HS 1211.90, species named in Latin
- Certificate of Origin
- Phytosanitary certificate (Department of Plant Protection or origin NPPO)
- Certificate of Analysis — HPLC total ephedrine alkaloids with ephedrine and pseudoephedrine split, moisture, ash, foreign matter
- Heavy-metals panel (lead, cadmium, mercury, arsenic) and pesticide-residue screen
- Copy of the buyer's licence and the end-use declaration, attached to the shipping file
- Import permit reference number where the destination regulator issues one
Assays are run at SGS, Eurofins or Intertek on a sealed lot sample; in-house certificates are not accepted for this product.
Logistics, container math and lead times
Ephedra stem is bulky and light. Compressed bales of whole stem load 10 to 12 metric tons into a 40-foot high-cube; cut stem loads 12 to 14 metric tons in the same box; powder in 25 kilogram laminated bags reaches 18 to 20 metric tons in a 20-foot FCL. Cargo must stay dry and ventilated, so we specify desiccant and kraft-lined bales for the monsoon-season sailings.
| Destination port | Country | From Jebel Ali | From Karachi | Typical Incoterm |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Shanghai | China | 18-24 days | 18-24 days | CFR / CIF |
| Busan | South Korea | 21-28 days | 22-28 days | CFR / CIF |
| Kaohsiung | Taiwan | 17-23 days | 18-24 days | CFR / CIF |
| Nhava Sheva | India | 4-7 days | 8-12 days via Jebel Ali transshipment | CFR |
Pakistani-origin material bound for India moves through Jebel Ali consolidation under a Kehkashan bill of lading. MOQ tiers as we run them:
- 100 kg — research and reference lots, courier or air
- 1,000 kg — pilot lots for formula validation, LCL
- 10,000 kg+ — full 40-foot HC of whole or cut stem
The logistics page sets out Incoterm and consolidation options in detail.
Pricing drivers — RFQ only
We do not publish an indicative price band for ephedra, and buyers should be wary of any exporter who does. The price is a function of alkaloid content first, and everything below moves it:
- Assay band — a 1.4 percent lot carries almost twice the alkaloid of a 0.8 percent lot at the same stem weight, and is priced accordingly.
- Species and origin — Inner Mongolian E. sinica commands the premium; Balochistan E. intermedia and Himalayan E. gerardiana price below it.
- Grade — cut and powder add processing cost but cut freight per unit of alkaloid.
- Harvest year — the August to October harvest resets the market; late-season lots that sat through summer assay lower.
- Chinese export licensing — ephedra herb is on China's export-licence list, and quota tightness feeds directly into non-Chinese origin pricing.
- Compliance overhead — third-party HPLC, permit handling and lot sealing are real costs on a 1-ton order.
Send species, grade, target assay band, tonnage, destination port and licence details to [email protected]. The trade desk replies within one working day with FOB Karachi or Jebel Ali, CFR and CIF options, subject to the licence check clearing.
Buyer FAQ
Can Kehkashan supply ephedra for a dietary supplement, weight-loss or energy product?
No. Ephedrine-alkaloid supplements have been banned in the United States since 2004, ephedra herb is prohibited in foods across the EU, and SFDA and other GCC regulators list it as a prohibited supplement ingredient. We decline these requests regardless of destination or order size, and we do not supply intermediaries who cannot document a licensed pharmaceutical or traditional-medicine end-use.
What alkaloid assay should I specify on the RFQ?
State total ephedrine alkaloids by HPLC with a target band, for example 1.0 to 1.3 percent, and ask for the ephedrine and pseudoephedrine split. The Chinese Pharmacopoeia floor for Ma Huang is 0.80 percent; Japanese and Korean monographs are similar. Pharmacopoeial buyers usually specify a band rather than a minimum so that formula dosing stays consistent across lots.
Do I need an import permit for raw ephedra herb?
Often, yes. Because ephedrine and pseudoephedrine are INCB Table I precursors, China, India, the United States and several other jurisdictions require a permit, registration or no-objection certificate from the drug or narcotics regulator before the herb clears customs. Check with your regulator before ordering; we can share the documentation pack and assay data your application will need.
Which origin is best for pharmacopoeial Ma Huang?
Inner Mongolian and Ningxia Ephedra sinica is the reference material for Chinese, Japanese and Korean pharmacopoeial formulas and carries the most complete paperwork. Pakistani Balochistan Ephedra intermedia is the leading alternative origin for extraction and Unani use, with assay typically 0.8 to 1.3 percent. Origin preference should follow the monograph your formula is registered against.
How is ephedra shipped and how much fits in a container?
Whole stem ships as compressed bales at roughly 10 to 12 metric tons per 40-foot high-cube; cut stem reaches 12 to 14 metric tons; powder in 25 kilogram bags loads 18 to 20 metric tons per 20-foot FCL. Transit from Jebel Ali or Karachi is 18 to 24 days to Shanghai, 21 to 28 days to Busan, 17 to 24 days to Kaohsiung and 4 to 7 days from Jebel Ali to Nhava Sheva.
