These energy supplements are harmful to some people, and beneficial to others. Before taking any of them (even if they are without ephedra) check with your doctor to see if your body is compatible with them (look at family health history and stuff). Ephedra is safe, its the idiots who used it unsupervised, were obese (therfore already a massive strain on the heart) or ignoring all the warnings on the labels that have given it a bad rap. For example, anyone with high blood pressure, or a family history of high blood pressure should not use...But then that baseball player who took xenadrine had high blood pressure, was told by the physician not to continue taking it, and the idiot continued to take it...And now he's dead. So...Before using any form of energy supplement, check with your doctor. Or just consume green tea or coffee.