Consumer advocate: Ephedra is a naturally occurring compound that some people use as a weight-loss aid  Recently, the government prohibited the sale of dietary supplements containing ephedra on the grounds that ephedra has been shown to have grave side effects  This prohibition is unreasonable
Echinacea is another natural compound that has been shown to have side effects, yet echinacea is widely available at health food stores
Before the prohibition, ephedra had been available in health food stores.