Ephedra is one of the oldest medicinal plant genera known to mankind. This genus belongs to the Ephedraceae family of gymnosperms, and about 50 Ephedra species are indigenous to areas in Asia, Europe, North Africa, and the Americas. The aerial stems ofEphedra plants have been utilized as a crude drug preparation known as ephedra herb (Ephedrae Herba), used mainly for treatment of bronchitis and bronchial asthma, or to induce perspiration and blood pressure elevation. Ephedra herb is particularly used in traditional Oriental medicines; it is well known as má huáng in traditional Chinese medicine (often abbreviated to TCM), and is frequently used in Japanese Kampo medicine, often as one component of a combined drug formulation. 

Year：2015

Institution：Department of Biological Sciences, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada

Material: Canada

Data link: http://www.herbal-genome.cn/index.php?m=content&c=index&a=show&catid=100&id=102