The U.S. Food and Drug Administration pulled the dietary supplement VITERA-XT from the market today because it contains ephedra. The supplement was misbranded and marketed as a treatment for serious diseases and conditions. At the FDA’s request, U.S. marshals armed with a warrant seized more than 2 million VITERA-XT capsules from the premises of Asia MedLabs, Inc., a Houston, TX, company manufacturing the supplement. In December 2003, the FDA informed all manufacturers of products containing ephedra that the substance was considered adulterated and would be banned effective April 2004.

[Ephedra(http://www.productsthathurt.com/companies/nutraceutical-international-corp/ephedra.php), also known as Ma Huang, is an ephedrine source that has been confirmed to raise blood pressure in users and otherwise stress the circulatory system.