Witnessed by: Ayurveda
Himalayan ephedra (Ephedra gerardiana), of the Ephedraceae family. Tufted evergreen shrublet of stony alpine ground, with jointed rush-like green stems and scale leaves; native range: high dry slopes of the western Himalaya, from Kashmir to Kumaon. Globally recognized as somalata in Sanskrit, som, asmania in Hindi, and joint-pine, Himalayan ephedra, tutgantha in English. The part used is aerial stem. Wiry green segmented twigs, faintly bitter and acrid, with a warming, dispersing quality that catches at the breath.
In this cross-tradition database, we analyze how this substance operates across world medicine systems — tracking its traditional tastes, temperatures, tissue affinities, post-digestive effects, and planetary correspondences across Ayurveda, Unani, and Western herbalism.
HIMALAYAN EPHEDRA
IDENTITY
Name
- Common
- Himalayan ephedra
- Scientific name
- Ephedra gerardiana Wall. ex Stapf
- Family
- Ephedraceae
Form
- Part used
- aerial stem
PROPERTIES
Nature
Taste
how the plant declares itself on the tongue
- Ayurveda
- pungent · bitter · astringent (katu, tikta, kashaya)
Temperature
- Ayurveda
- heating (ushna virya)
PRACTICE
Virtue
Actions
- Ayurveda
- opens the breath and disperses kapha from the chest, promotes sweating, stimulates and warms, checks watery flux
Cautions
Contraindications: raised blood pressure, heart disease, anxiety, insomnia, and pregnancy; not to be combined with stimulants
Toxicity: rich in ephedrine; overdose brings palpitations, restlessness, tremor and a sharp rise in blood pressure
Sourcing status: legally-restricted
Interactions
- Ayurveda
- stimulants: additive sympathomimetic drive, racing heart and hypertension · MAO inhibitors: blocked breakdown of ephedrine causes a hypertensive surge · antihypertensives: pressor action opposes and undermines blood-pressure control · cardiac glycosides: combined cardiac stimulation may provoke arrhythmia
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