This presentation is a nostalgic account of ephedrine, an alkaloid of Ma Huang, Ephedra sinica. In 1923 C.F. Schmidt and I initiated the investigation on the product of our own isolation at Peking Union Medical College, and shortly concluded that we were dealing with one of the sympathomimetic amines. Clinical studies followed in the U.S., Canada and Europe. Thousands of patients with bronchial asthma have been benefitted by taking ephedrine per os. Similarly, hay fever sufferers derive symptomatic relief after oral doses and nasal spray. In spinal anesthesia, intramuscular injection of ephedrine before introduction of the local anesthetic into the spinal canal regularly prevents the fall of blood pressure. The drug by mouth can overcome the hangover of a phynotic. It is my earnest hope that present scholarly exchange (1) will reveal more developments from China.