Editing Ephedra distachya

{{Short description|Species of seed-bearing shrub}}
{{Speciesbox
| image = Ephedra distachya (with cones) 2011 1.jpg
| status = LC
| status_system = IUCN3.1
| genus = Ephedra
| species = distachya
| authority = [[Carl Linnaeus|L.]]<ref>{{GRIN | accessdate=2008-04-18}}</ref>
| synonyms_ref = <ref name=kkkkokokok/>
| synonyms = *''Chaetocladus distachys'' <small>(L.) J.Nelson</small>
*''Ephedra monostachya'' <small>L.</small>
*''Ephedra polygonoides'' <small>Pall. 1815 not Siev. 1796</small>
*''Ephedra vulgaris'' <small>Rich., illegitimate name</small>
*''Ephedra minor'' <small>Host</small>
*''Ephedra botryoides'' <small>Fisch.</small> 
*''Ephedra media'' <small>C.A.Mey.</small>
*''Ephedra subtristachya'' <small>C.A.Mey.</small>
*''Ephedra arborea'' <small>Lag. ex Bertol.</small>
*''Ephedra clusii'' <small>Dufour</small>
*''Ephedra macrocephala'' <small>Bertol.</small>
*''Ephedra maritima'' <small>St.-Lag.</small>
*''Ephedra dubia'' <small>Regel</small>
*''Ephedra podostylax'' <small>Boiss.</small>
*''Ephedra linnaei'' <small>Stapf ex Koehne</small>
*''Ephedra helvetica'' <small>C.A.Mey.</small>
*''Ephedra rigida'' <small>St.-Lag.</small>
*''[[Ephedra negrii]]'' <small>Nouviant</small>
}}

'''''Ephedra distachya''''' is a [[shrub]] in the family [[Ephedraceae]] that stands about 25&nbsp;cm to 50&nbsp;cm high. The shrub grows in many parts of the world, including southern and central [[Europe]] and western and central [[Asia]].<ref name=kkkkokokok>[http://apps.kew.org/wcsp/namedetail.do?name_id=332906 Kew World Checklist of Selected Plant Families]</ref><ref>[http://luirig.altervista.org/flora/taxa/index1.php?scientific-name=ephedra+distachya Altervista Flora Italiana, Efedra distachia,  ''Ephedra distachya'' L. ]</ref> Its local names include ''somlatha''.{{clarify|date=November 2022}}{{citation needed|date=November 2022}} Ephedra distachya lives on grey dunes which are fixed and stable sand dunes that are covered in continuous vegetation.

==Subspecies==
#''Ephedra distachya'' subsp. ''distachya'' – central + southern Europe, southwestern + central Asia
#''Ephedra distachya'' subsp. ''helvetica'' <small>(C.A.Mey.) Asch. & Graebn.</small> – Switzerland, France, Italy, Slovenia, Austria

==History==
''Ephedra'' is part of a group of plants called ‘gnetophytes’. These plants have hardly changed in the past 100 million years, and are thought to be relics of an ancient flora. The leaves of ''Ephedra'' are tiny and scale-like. Gnetophyte leaves evolved independently from leaves in flowering plants. ''Ephedra'' produces the alkaloid [[ephedrine]], which has been shown to interfere with insect thermoregulation and may also have effects on insect neurotransmitters. This may be the method by which the plant deters insect herbivores.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |title=Sea Grape (Ephedra distachya) |url=https://www.botanic.cam.ac.uk/learning/trails/medicines/sea-grape-ephedra-distachya/ |access-date=2022-10-18 |website=Cambridge Botanic Garden |language=en-US}}</ref>

==Uses==
{{Main|Ephedra (medicine)}}
''Ephedra distachya'' is used to relieve acute muscular and [[rheumatic]] pains (when it is called ''[[teamster]]s' [[tea]]''), as a stimulant, and in the cardio tonics in [[Ayurveda]].{{Citation needed|date=February 2010}} It is sometimes identified with the legendary drug [[soma (drink)|soma]], as described in the [[Avesta]] and the [[Rig Veda]], the respective ancient sacred texts of the [[Zoroastrianism|Zoroastrian]] and [[Hinduism|Hindu]] faiths.

[[Ephedrine]], an [[alkaloid]], is obtained from its dried branches and is used as a [[stimulant]], often to control [[asthma]]. It was isolated from the plant by [[Nagayoshi Nagai]] in 1885.  All parts of the plant contain up to 3% ephedrine.<ref>
{{cite web
|url=http://www.giftpflanzen.com/ephedra_distachya.html
|title=Meerträubel (Ephedra distachya) im GIFTPFLANZEN.COMpendium - www.giftpflanzen.com
|publisher=www.giftpflanzen.com
|accessdate=2008-04-18
|last=
|first=
}}
</ref>

== Side effects ==
Although Ephedra has many benefits, it has side effects including insomnia and a fast heart rate.<ref name=":0" />

==Gallery==
<gallery perrow="5">
Image:Illustration Ephedra distachya0.jpg|Botanical illustration.
Image:Ephedra distachya (male plant in bloom).jpg|Male plant in bloom.
Image:Ephedra distachya (male flowers) 2.jpg|Pollen cones. 
Image:Ephedra distachya (female flowers).jpg|Female cones.
Image:Ephedra distachya (cones) 2011 3.jpg|Ripe cones with seeds.
Image:Ephedra distachya berries 2.jpg|Female plant with ripe cones.
Image:Ephedra distachya (rhizome) 2011 1.jpg|Rhizome and bark.    
</gallery>

==References==
{{Reflist|25em}}

Schneider-Binder, & Kuhlke, F. (2015). HABITATS WITH SEA GRAPE (EPHEDRA DISTACHYA) ON THE DUNES OF LETEA (DANUBE DELTA, ROMANIA)/Lebensräume mit Meerträubchen (Ephedra distachya) auf den Dünen von Letea (Donau-Delta, Rumänien)/Habitatele cu Ephedra distachya de pe dunele de la Letea (Delta Dunarii, România). Transylvanian Review of Systematical and Ecological Research, 17(2), 45–. https://doi.org/10.1515/trser-2015-0062

==External links==
{{Commons}}
* [http://www.conifers.org/ep/Ephedra_distachya.php Gymnosperm Database: ''Ephedra distachya'']. Retrieved 2017-07-05.

{{Taxonbar|from=Q162784}}

[[Category:Ephedraceae|distachya]]
[[Category:Flora of Central Asia]]
[[Category:Flora of Western Asia]]
[[Category:Medicinal plants of Asia]]
[[Category:Medicinal plants of Europe]]
[[Category:Plants described in 1753]]
[[Category:Taxa named by Carl Linnaeus]]
[[Category:Stimulants]]
[[Category:Soma (drink)]]