So we are clear, a certain amount of ephedra is now legal in the United States. However, some authorities have specified that it is not for use in weight loss supplements. In addition, though Ephedra-5 does not actually use ephedra alkaloids, it does not mean that it won’t cause the same side effects. It just means that it will not actually provide the results you associate with ephedra based products. As always, under no circumstances would I recommend buying a product that uses ephedra of any kind, let alone flaunts it.