Ephedra
//ˈɛfɪdɹə// noun
noun ·Rare ·Advanced level
Definitions
Noun
- 1 Any plant of the genus Ephedra of gymnosperm shrubs. countable, uncountable
- 2 jointed and nearly leafless desert shrub having reduced scalelike leaves and reddish fleshy seeds wordnet
- 3 A stimulant derived from the plant Ephedra sinica used in traditional Chinese herbal medicine and in over-the-counter weight-loss aids. countable, uncountable
"Consider ephedra, an herbal stimulant that gained popularity as a weight-loss supplement in the 1990s — until hundreds of people reported ephedra-related problems including heart attacks, seizures and even deaths."
Example
More examples"Consider ephedra, an herbal stimulant that gained popularity as a weight-loss supplement in the 1990s — until hundreds of people reported ephedra-related problems including heart attacks, seizures and even deaths."
Etymology
From Ancient Greek ἐφέδρα (ephédra, “sitting upon”), from ἐπί (epí, “upon”) + ἕδρα (hédra, “seat”).
Related phrases
More for "ephedra"
Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.