A federal judge has overturned the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's ban on the ephedra, telling the agency to rewrite their rules regarding the supplement and restraining the FDA from enforcing their previous ban.

Judge Tena Campbell ruled in favor of Nutraceutical, a Utah company that had challenged the FDA ban. The company's lawsuit said that ephedra had been used safely for hundreds of years.

In April 2004, the FDA issued a ban for ephedra, used in many popular diet and body-building supplements, after it was linked to 155 deaths, including the death of Baltimore Orioles picture Steve Bechler. Belcher died during a spring training workout in February 2003.

The medical examiner who did Belcher's autopsy ruled that ephedrine -- from the plant ephedra -- played a major role in the pitcher's death.

Source: Judge Strikes Down Ephedra Ban
Earlier Article: Government to Ban Ephedra?