Which regions are the main producing areas of ephedra distributed in?

Ephedra is a perennial herbaceous shrub-like small shrub of the Ephedraceae family, used medicinally for relieving cough, relieving asthma, expelling phlegm and inducing sweating; it is also a raw material for making methamphetamine, and the state prohibits its free trade. So, where are the ephedra producing areas?

1. Ephedra producing areas

The native producing areas of ephedra are in Xinjiang, Inner Mongolia, Hebei, Shanxi and other places in China. Apart from the provinces and regions of the lower reaches of the Yangtze River and the Pearl River basin, it is distributed in all other places, with more species in the provinces and regions of the northwest as well as in Yunnan, Sichuan and other places. Abroad, it is also distributed in arid and desert regions of Asia, the Americas, southeastern Europe and northern Africa.

2. Ephedra is regulated by the state

1. Apart from pharmaceutical production and trading enterprises qualified to purchase ephedra, no pharmaceutical production or trading enterprise may purchase or trade ephedra.

2. Pharmaceutical production and trading enterprises qualified to purchase ephedra must establish and improve all management systems, strengthen the management of ephedra purchase, sales and storage, and ensure that sources are clear and the flow can be verified and traced.

3. Manufacturers of traditional Chinese medicine decoction pieces, manufacturers of traditional Chinese patent medicines, and manufacturers of ephedrine-type pharmaceutical raw materials that use ephedra as a raw material must purchase ephedra from units qualified to purchase ephedra.

4. Professional markets for traditional Chinese medicinal materials may not trade in ephedra-type medicinal materials.