Since I often find myself explaining that just because herbs are "natural"
does not in any way mean that they are safe, and that it is important to use
extreme caution when attempting to "self-medicate" with pills and potions
found at the health food store, I'm assuming others on the list might have
this problem too.  I thought the following related article might be of
interest.

Love Liza
[log in to unmask] (Liza May)

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PANAMA CITY BEACH, Fla. (AP) - The family of a student who died from an
overdose of an herbal product that mimics the illegal street drug Ecstasy
agreed Tuesday to settle with manufacturers for $2.5 million.

Peter Schlendorf, 20, a student from State University of New York at Albany,
died March 1996 from an overdose of Ultimate Xphoria while on spring break
in
this Florida Panhandle city. A month later, Florida and New York banned the
sale of the pill and other ephedrine-containing stimulants.

``It was an egregious case because this was a product that had not been
analyzed by its makers,'' said lawyer Virginia Buchanan, who represents
Schlendorf's parents.

The two Tempe, Ariz.-based companies - American Supplement Technologies Inc.
and Alternative Health Research Inc. - had no comment.

Makers of such stimulants often claim they heighten sexual awareness and
enhance athletic performance.

The Food and Drug Administration classifies ephedrine as a dietary
supplement often used in weight-control products. But the FDA also warns ephedrine can
cause heart attacks, seizures and psychosis.