I thought others might want to know that Bob Church isn't the only one
concerned about the effects of ephedrine alkaloids, whether synthesized
or found naturally in "...Ephedra species of herbs (also known by its
traditional Chinese medicine name - ma huang)."
 
http://nccam.nih.gov/health/alerts/ephedra/
 
In addition to the concerns Bob raises, the spookiest part to me is
mixing herbals, which contain variable concentrations/amounts of the
active chemical, and ferrets, which weigh about a kilogram.  A 10
milligram miscalculation, say, might have little effect in a 70kg human,
but could have pronounced effects in an animal as tiny as a ferret.  I
haven't read all the FML history of this topic, but must ask: why would
anyone give amphetamines to a ferret?
 
Rob
[Posted in FML issue 3933]