Ephedrine - Substance Search

Summary dose.wiki Erowid TripSit PsychonautWiki

Ephedrine is a naturally occurring alkaloid found in Ephedra species. It is used medically as a bronchodilator, decongestant, and to treat hypotension. Structurally similar to amphetamines but less potent.

Dose Information dose.wiki TripSit PsychonautWiki

ROA	Light	Common	Strong	Heavy
Oral	10-20mg	20-30mg	30-50mg	50mg+

Light Common Strong Heavy

Onset, Duration & After-effects dose.wiki TripSit PsychonautWiki

ROA	Onset	Peak	Offset	After Effects	Total
Oral	20-90 min	1-2 hrs	2-4 hrs	2-4 hrs	3-7.5 hrs
Insufflated	5-15 min	30-60 min	1-2 hrs	2-4 hrs	3 hrs

Effect Profile

63 reports

Scores (1–10) curated from multiple sources:

Effect keyword matching from PsychonautWiki catalog
Validated against 63 Erowid trip reports
Weighted by importance: core (×3), major (×2), minor (×1)

Full methodology

Stimulant 7.8

Intense 8/10

Strong stimulation, euphoria, and anxiety/jitters with moderate focus

Stimulation / Energy ×3

10

stimulation wakefulness alertness enhancement

Euphoria / Mood Lift ×2

10

physical euphoria cognitive euphoria euphoria

Focus / Productivity ×2

6

memory enhancement

⚠ Anxiety / Jitters ×1

10

anxiety restlessness increased heart rate

Based on reports from:

Erowid Experience Reports

Add missing routes to PsychonautWiki Journal

The PsychonautWiki Journal app already has Ephedrine, but its built-in entry only covers Oral. Here are the other routes we have data for. You can't edit a built-in substance, but you can add a Custom Unit for any of these routes to log it.

⬇ Download import file Import this file as custom substances and you get "Ephedrine (Substance Search)" with every route's full dose ladder and timeline, no typing. Works on iOS and Android (v15+); the format is confirmed by the app's developer. The manual values below work for older versions.

Dose & duration (reference)

Ephedrine: routes the PsychonautWiki Journal app is missing
Source: SubstanceSearch (substancesearch.com)

Insufflated dose (mg): threshold 5

Insufflated duration: onset 5-15m · peak 0.5-1h · offset 1-2h · total 3h · after-effects 2-4h

Note: ranges are harm-reduction guidance, not a prescription. Start low, go slow, and test your substances.

Custom Units carry a single dose per route, so the full ranges live in the reference above. A route's suggested dose is the midpoint of its common range. Ranges are harm-reduction guidance, not a prescription.

Tolerance

Build-up develops over days to weeks of regular use

Reset 3–7 days for acute; 1–3 weeks for full reset

Tolerance Decay

Full tolerance 2d Half tolerance 3d Baseline ~21d

Tachyphylaxis to pressor and subjective stimulant effects is common with repeated dosing over hours–days; substantial recovery generally occurs over several days of abstinence. Data are largely theoretical/anecdotal for recreational patterns.

Cross-Tolerances

Amphetamines

40%

Other stimulants

30%

Effects Erowid

Aggregated from 63 Erowid experience reports

Positive Effects 8

Stimulation 65.1% 70%

Focus Enhancement 30.2% 70%

Euphoria 27.0% 70%

Music Enhancement 25.4% 70%

Empathy 15.9% 70%

Body High 14.3% 70%

Tactile Enhancement 9.5% 70%

Color Enhancement 9.5% 70%

Adverse Effects 7

Nausea 25.4% 70%

Anxiety 22.2% 70%

Confusion 17.5% 70%

Headache 12.7% 70%

Increased Heart Rate 12.7% 70%

Sweating 11.1% 70%

Memory Suppression 7.9% 70%

Combinations TripSit

Cross-Check Ephedrine with another substance

Community Trip Reports

Anecdotal first-person accounts from Reddit, Erowid, and Bluelight. Click a source to expand. Reports are harm-reduction context, not medical guidance. Tags summarise each author's own verdict — how reports are classified.

Erowid 8 reports 4 neutral 4 cautionary visit

A Weekend on Ephedrine neutral exp #41

We started just before work. I was bored and feeling strangely adventurous. My friend Amy was having a cigarette and she pulled out a dime-sized ziploc with a lot of small white pills in it, took 4, and handed me 3. After we'd taken them, she explained that they were basically a natural form of speed.

Yellow Jackets cautionary exp #26705

The first time I bought a yellow jacket, I had been in the vitamin and healthfood store searching for Stacker 3's, another ephedra loaded stimulant. I was amazed at the wide spectrum these pills were available in: pink/purple, neon yellow, yellow/purple, blue/black.

Fluctuant Intangi-Tweaking neutral exp #40336

One day I was waiting in an acquaintances car when I noticed a bottle of pills in the glove compartment. Being the curious individual that I am, I examined the evidence. The bottle had something printed on it about giving one energy and alertness.

Speed Lite neutral exp #108404

50mg Vyvanse + 150mg Bupropion + 12.5mg Ephedrine Hydrochloride + Cannabis I take 50mg Vyvanse and 150mg Bupropion daily, and have had very limited experience with ephedrine. Taken at ~12:05 12:25 - Felt the first effects, a noticeable change in heart rate and mood.

The Recreational Effects From Ephedrine neutral exp #14733

This is not one specific experience report but rather the compilation of various ephedrine experiences and a guide for people new to ephedrine. Ephedrine can be found in OTC (over-the-counter) pills such as Mini-Thins, Yellow Jackets, and Stacker 2s.

Yellow Jackets Attack cautionary exp #79490

So this was going to be like any other experience i've had with ephedra up till now, or so I thought. I had bought a bottle of yellow jackets in my local smartshop, never had that specific brand of ephedra before but figured it was the same thing I was used to dose wise.

Yellow Jackets cautionary exp #7361

It all started a week before when I saw these really cool looking pills behind the counter at a gas station. The pills were yellow and black, and actually looked like yellow jackets. I got some before work where one of my co-workers and I sniffed one for kicks.

A Profound Sense Of Dread cautionary exp #28182

I will try and keep this as cut and dry as possible so you can see how fast you can hooked on a substance, even a diet pill. I am already a skinny guy so maybe that influenced my reaction. The following took place over 6 weeks. A friend of mine started taking Ephedrine to lose weight.

Bluelight 3 threads 3 neutral visit

Ephedrine Nootropic Stack Experienced Best Legal High I Have Ever Found neutral

I've decided that for my first post on this site I will contribute a trip report. This is more than a trip report though, as I am about to share what I have found to be an amazing legal high.

Ma Huang Ephedra Inexperienced Dude You Rollin neutral

This is not going to be a very detailed report because there really aren't many details to report, however I feel I should share my findings because there certainly were effects. I obtained 3oz of dried ma huang from a local vendor. I've been looking for it for a long time, and finally found some.

Ephedrine Semi Experienced This Is Ephedrine Bloody Hell neutral

Ephedrine-moderate-THIS is ephedrine? bloody hell! This might almost come across as a little troll-ish, but hopefully I have been around BL long enough for people to realise I'm not a trolling fucktard The set, is my room, the setting, enjoying some quality time with my fiancee.

Pill Identifiers

1 known pill identifiers on record — view imprints, colors, shapes, and images

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Ephedrine's nerd page Pharmacology, chemical data, effect profiles, and more

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Helpful Links

📘 Experience Reports 📖 dose.wiki 📖 TripSit 📖 PsychonautWiki

Report an issue or suggest an edit

Spotted incorrect or dangerous information, have a correction, a new study, or a useful addition for Ephedrine? Let us know. Reports are reviewed by moderators — this is not posted publicly.

Ephedrine Well-documented Well-documented Multiple authoritative sources agree on dosing and effects. 5 corroborating sources 1 ROA with full dose ladder duration data present 18 combo interactions documented toxicity data (PsychonautWiki, PubChem)