Dave Bing

He went on to be a successful businessman in the Detroit area after his retirement. In the 1994 FIFA World Cup, the Argentine footballer Diego Armando Maradona tested positive for ephedrine in a doping control for using one dietary supplement product containing the substance. At one time a current joke about him and his backcourt partner, Jimmy Walker, was that it was a shame they could only play the game with one ball at a time. However, as of July 2005, diet supplement manufacturers, including the very company that challenged the ephedra ban in court, are still reluctant to reintroduce ephedra into their product lines. As the point guard he functioned as the playmaker distributing the ball, but also did more shooting and scoring than most others who had this position. On 14 April 2005, this ban was struck down on procedural grounds by Utah federal judge Tena Campbell [2]. His playing style was somewhat unusual for the time. Several states have enacted their own laws regarding the sale of ephedra and ephedra-based products, some stricter than the non-statutory FDA regulation.

After attending Syracuse University, Bing averaged 20.3 points and 6 assists per game in his 12 NBA seasons, played in seven NBA All-Star Games (winning the All-Star Game MVP Award in 1976), was named to the All-NBA First Team twice, and was elected to the Basketball Hall of Fame. Bulk ephedra herb (such as that used in traditional Chinese medicine) not specifically marketed for human consumption is not under the jurisdiction of the FDA and is therefore unaffected. He went on to spend two years with the Washington Bullets and one with the Boston Celtics before retiring at the conclusion of the 1977-78 season. Synthetic ephedrine is still available as an ingredient in some over the counter (OTC) medications that are clearly labeled in accordance with FDA regulations. David Bing (born November 24, 1943 in Washington, DC) is a former All-Star basketball player in the NBA, primarily for the Detroit Pistons from 1966 to 1975. On December 30, 2003, the US Food and Drug Administration announced a ban (effective from 12 April 2004) on the uncontrolled sale of supplement products containing Ephedra, citing "an unreasonable risk of illness or injury" from the use of the drug. Health food store GNC banned ephedra-containing products in June 2003, and the National Football League banned players from using it as a dietary supplement in 2001.

Critics maintain, however, that there is anecdotal evidence that the use of Ephedra can cause tolerance and dependence. However, many advocates of Ephedra maintain that it is safe when used as directed, and continue to regard it as a dietary supplement rather than as a drug. According to the FDA, 155 deaths can be blamed on Ephedra, most of them related to cardiac problems and strokes. Sympathomimetic amines such as ephedrine raise heart rate and blood pressure and can be particularly hazardous to those with pre-existing cardiac problems.

Ephedra was found in many popular weight control products, some of which the FDA believed may be hazardous. As Ephedra is a herb, products containing it were marketed as dietary supplements and therefore were exempt from FDA regulation in the United States. Beginning in the 1990s, concerns about the safety of Ephedra and Ephedra-based products began to be publicly raised. Ephedrine is considered a performance-enhancing drug and is prohibited in most competitive sports.

Ephedrine constitues 40-90% of the alkaloid content, with the remainder consisting of pseudoephedrine and the demethylated forms of each [1]. sinica, has a total alkaloid content of 1-3% by dry weight. Some species in the Ephedra genus have zero alkaloid content and are therefore essentially inert, however the most commonly used species, E. The alkaloids ephedrine and pseudoephedrine are the active constituents of the plant.