Ephedra is a plant. Ephedrine is the most active of the chemicals contained in it. You want an ephedrine hcl product or ephedrine sulfate.

If you go to the drugstore they will sell Bronkaid Dual Action which contains 25 mg of Ephedrine Sulfate per tablet. Thirteen dollars or so for 60 tablets. Better deal than most of the stuff on the internet.

Where I live they keep it behind the counter, you have to be 18 to buy it, and you can only buy so much per month. When you do buy it they record your info and put it in a database, send it to the DEA, or who knows what else to try and prevent the manufacture of methamphetamine.