Meanings
nounephedrine (countable and uncountable, plural ephedrines)
plural ephedrines
- countableuncountablebiochemistryA crystalline alkaloid drug C₁₀H₁₅NO obtained from a Chinese ephedra (Ephedra sinica) or synthesized that has the physiological action of epinephrine. It causes constriction of the blood vessels and widening of the bronchial passages and is used in the form of its hydrochloride or sulfate to relieve asthma and hay fever.
The great advantage of ephedrine is its effectiveness if taken as a pill, whereas adrenaline works only if injected or inhaled.
2003, Samuel H. Barondes, chapter 5, in Better than Prozac, Oxford University Press, →ISBN, page 63
Origin
Translations
Bulgarian ефедрин
- ефедрин (efedrin)alkaloid drug
Catalan efedrina
- efedrinaalkaloid drug
Chinese Mandarin 麻黃素 /麻黄素, 麻黃鹼 /麻黄碱
- 麻黃素 /麻黄素 (máhuángsù)alkaloid drug
- 麻黃鹼 /麻黄碱 (máhuángjiǎn)alkaloid drug
Esperanto efedrino
- efedrinoalkaloid drug
Finnish efedriini
- efedriinialkaloid drug
French éphédrine
- éphédrinealkaloid drug
German Ephedrin
- Ephedrinalkaloid drug
Greek εφεδρίνη
- εφεδρίνη (efedríni)alkaloid drug
Hungarian efedrin
- efedrinalkaloid drug
Indonesian efedrina
- efedrinaalkaloid drug
Italian efedrina
- efedrinaalkaloid drug
Japanese エフェドリン
- エフェドリン (efedorin)alkaloid drug
Polish efedryna
- efedrynaalkaloid drug
Portuguese efedrina
- efedrinaalkaloid drug
Romanian efedrină
- efedrinăalkaloid drug
Russian эфедри́н
- эфедри́н (efedrín)alkaloid drug
Spanish efedrina
- efedrinaalkaloid drug
Swedish efedrin
- efedrinalkaloid drug
Turkish efedrin
- efedrinalkaloid drug
Cite this entry
APA
ephedrine. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/ephedrine
MLA
“ephedrine.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/ephedrine. Accessed November 4, 2026.
Chicago
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “ephedrine,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/ephedrine.
Source: ephedrine on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.