There’s a huge variety in the type and potency of fat burners on the market today. At one end, you have the safer non-stimulant fat burners while at the other extreme, you have products like Black Spider from Cloma Pharma…
Table of Contents
About Black Spider (25 Ephedra)
Billed as “wickedly potent thermogenic support”, Black Spider Fat Burner is a fat burner supplement that aims for the hardcore market. It aims to improve energy, metabolism, fat burning, and is “high performance”.
These claims are what we’re going to look at in our review so we can decide whether it lives up to its own hype.
Note that it makes mention of Ephedra right off the bat – pointing out that each serving contains 25mg of Ephedra. This points to some of the highly-controversial ingredients you’re going to see in this product…
Black Spider 25 Supplements Facts
The ingredients in this product are not only controversial, but entirely hidden behind the proprietary blend that the manufacturer, Cloma Pharma, seems almost proud of. Here’s a quick look at the ingredient label; the information on what’s in this product:
Note how there’s no way to understand exactly what is in this product so far. We may know ingredients but the use of the proprietary blend obscures dosages which will be a big theme of this review. While it claims to contain 25mg of Ephedra, this could be a flat-out lie since there’s no official ingredient dosage.
We don’t like proprietary blends for two reasons:
- It makes it difficult to discuss the effects a product is likely to have in a fair, educated way (which is what we are all about!)
- It makes it impossible for customers to make informed, measured decisions on what they’re putting in their body
These combine to start us off on a bad footing with Black Spider; the manufacturer doesn’t care about being transparent with their customers – and that’s the opposite of what we look for in a good supplement/brand!
Directions for Use
The directions for use are right on the container with this product: take one capsule after meals 1-2 times a day, but no more than 2 capsules.
As we’re going to see, however, there are times when consuming with a meal is going to be essential to make up for the shortcomings of the product itself…
Black Spider Ephedra Ingredients
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Ephedra
This is going to be the biggest actor in Black Spider 25 but also the most controversial ingredient in this product – or almost any on the market.
Ephedra is a plant-based substance which contains the chemical ephedrine – a form of stimulant that is controlled by the FDA for its effects on heart health. Ephedrine is already associated with significant heart problems – both causing them and exacerbating them.
To start with, the structure of ephedrine is an analogue for methamphetamines which suggests that it has a similar effect on the body. This group of chemicals are widely associated with huge problems such as cardiac arrest, rapid changes to blood pressure, and damage to the hormonal system.
It’s one of the most powerful stimulants you’re likely to find listed for a fat burner and it teeters on the edge of legality in almost all cases. While stimulant load is a common concern for products containing caffeine, Ephedrine is far more potent and opens up a significant range of health problems.
We can’t recommend a product with ephedrine in because it has clear damaging effect on the heart, as well as worsening a number of common health risks. If you’re dealing with any kind of heart problem – or have a history in your family – this ingredient could be a mortal risk.
You need to seriously look at this product and this ingredient and what you want from it – because Ephedrine’s controlled status is a significant risk and we can’t recommend it when the risks are so high, and the returns just don’t make up for it.
Caffeine
The more innocuous stimulant in this product, caffeine is one of the most common drugs in our diet and for good reason. It’s here for energy and focus, as well as a mild and healthy increase in the metabolism.
It’s a compound that contributes to improved energy, reduced fatigue, and increased metabolic output. These are the hallmarks of a good fat-burning ingredient – even if we have no idea how much you’re getting.
There’s a sweet spot between 200mg and 450mg where your daily intake should sit. This product doesn’t tell us, and the stimulant load will always be far too much in our opinion due to the inclusion of an unspecified amount of Ephedrine.
Caffeine is a familiar and effective compound but only in the context of a dosage can we say if it’s going to be effective, safe, and ultimately a good inclusion. The insistence on a proprietary blend makes this impossible and the overall weight of roughly 600mg doesn’t tell us much.
White Willow
This is primarily a health and synergy ingredient since it doesn’t burn fat by itself. Rather, the Salicylic acid in this product is important for skin health and generalized anti-inflammatory effects.
It’s also useful for digestive regulation in a way similar to ginger, so that’s a useful combination you’re going to find here. It could be included to offset the cramping and digestive burden of the stimulants in the product, however.
Guarana
While this is a plant extract, it’s primarily included for the caffeine content it provides. This could be a significant addition to the existing stimulant load and the many other sources, depending on the dosage.
This plant contains more caffeine than coffee beans do, and the result is naturally an increase in the caffeine-based metabolic properties of the product, but also the associated risks. These continue to get more and more risky as more caffeine-rich ingredients, or alternative stimulants, are added.
Kola nut
This is another plant extract that contains caffeine and we’re just continuing to see that this product is primarily stimulant by-weight. This contributes to the same side-effects and metabolic changes we’ve seen elsewhere, though these are just different forms of caffeine.
The differences between the forms are nominal for their effect on you; the anhydrous form is stronger, but the Guarana/Kola sources do have the same effect. It’s just a way of increasing caffeine intake with some mild phytonutrient benefits, though these do seem better than caffeine alone.
The same concerns arise here; this product is full of stimulants and we don’t know the dosages, which is a real problem when stimulant load is a real concern for many people!
Citrus aurantium (synephrine)
This is a bitter orange extract that has some mild stimulant properties and is pretty controversial. While there’s not likely to be any significant side-effects, it does carry restrictions from sporting bodies like the NCAA.
These are pretty interesting, and they speak to the possible negative effects of stimulants. It contributes to the improvement of metabolic output, but it does also raise heart rate and carry simple side-effects like digestive cramping, headaches, and jitters – much like caffeine.
This is just another addition to the stimulant effects of this product, and they continue to concern us since the foundation for this product is the controversial and dangerous ephedrine. Stacking caffeine, synephrine, yohimbe, and theobromine on top of it doesn’t fill us with confidence!
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Yohimbe
On top of the risks of adrenergic compounds like Caffeine, Synephrine, and Ephedrine in combination, Yohimbe adds anxiety. The compound is likely to contribute to fat loss, but also comes with the risk of increased anxiety and stress, which are obviously negatives.
The trade-off for this compound still seems poor to us. Even with many people not experiencing anxiety responses, the reality is that fat-burning effects aren’t huge and simply speed up the process slightly. A little patience is a safer and lower-stress alternative to yohimbe.
The reports on this product do highlight some positives, however. If you’re keen to take this risk, the possible pay-offs are mild fat loss improvements and some male sexual health buffers, which may contribute to quality of life if you’re concerned for these effects.
This is your choice to make, but we think the combination of stimulants with pro-anxiety ingredients is a high price to pay for a small % boost to fat loss.
Cayenne
The sad fact about this product is that there are some cool ingredients mixed in among the heart-damaging stimulant load/selection. Cayenne is one of the best examples of a fat-burner on the market and is one of the best in this product.
The action of cayenne pepper extract – known as capsaicin – is both fat-burning and antioxidant. While the effects of Ephedrine force you to choose between fat loss and health, capsaicin offers both – improving thermogenesis and protecting cells from oxidative damage.
The combination of these effects is why we’re huge fans of cayenne extract, since better health and a better physique is a hell of a combo. The sad fact is that this could be a cool product if it didn’t contain controlled substances.
Green Tea Extract
This is a compound that supports fat loss via improving the metabolism of fats for energy. Research suggests this contributes to fat loss and its effects are comparable to about 50% of the effect of caffeine. It also does this in a totally different way and without contributing to the stimulant effects, which helps the effects stack up positively.
This is opposed to something like synephrine and caffeine which have similar mechanisms and may not always stack. This makes the combination of the stimulant products like caffeine and capsaicin with green tea a great strategy – though not unique to this product.
Panax Ginseng
Ginseng belongs to the small group of herbal ingredients that is as popular in western medicine as in traditional medicines. The effects are varied but it contributes to everything from anti-stress to anti-inflammatory effects.
These are a great combination and the wide variety make it a helpful compound for health and wellbeing. It’s going to help in a lot of ways – though it doesn’t contribute to fat burning.
It’s this use of secondary ingredients that can make the difference between a decent and a good fat burner. Black spider could be the latter if it didn’t contain ephedra and if it had clear dosages!
Ginger
Another herbal superstar, ginger is an excellent compound for digestive wellbeing, reducing systematic inflammation, cholesterol levels, and reducing pain. These are interesting applications and we recommend getting ginger into your diet one way or another.
The use here is an interesting one but it’s not likely to reach the 1-3g amount required for clinical effectiveness. As a result, you’re better off eating ginger through the diet than through supplementation!
Bladderwrack
This is a kind of seaweed and the reason it’s included here is its iodine content. Iodine deficiency – like Chromium deficiency – can inhibit healthy thyroid function.
The iodine in seaweed can help lose fat if you’re deficient in iodine, which isn’t uncommon. It won’t burn fat, but it can be a decent supplementary intake for keeping you healthy and fighting off deficiency.
Again, the dose is sketchy, and it may make more sense to just eat more iodine-rich foods like fish and seaweed on a daily/weekly basis.
Theobromine
This is another mild stimulant alkaloid but has a different system of action to caffeine, offering an interesting complementary profile. This can skirt around your caffeine tolerance and will provide effective energy-boosting even if you’re used to a moderately high caffeine intake.
As a result, it’s worth considering the stimulant load and how it’s going to affect you. Naturally, this isn’t comparable to the negative effects of ephedra, but it does contribute. The dose is likely quite low in this product, but it does contribute to positive change like blood flow, which can be useful for exercise performance/recovery.
Garcinia
This is a popular product in fat burners but doesn’t actually do anything. It’s popular but that doesn’t mean anything since the research on Garcinia cambogia tells us that it doesn’t have appreciable effects in humans.
As with other ingredients like Raspberry ketone, the hype around this ingredient is based on rodent studies that don’t show any effects in humans. There are tons of biological differences between humans and rodents, so you aren’t likely to see any significant fat-burning effects.
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Black Spider Formula Analysis
The question of whether it works is a simple one: yes, but at what cost?
The effects of this product are clear and certain – you’ll lose fat, but through systems that put your health at risk. Ephedra by itself is a red flag for health risks, and in a proprietary blend we can’t justify its inclusion.
The dosages of ephedrine can make the difference between a nominal increase and a serious risk. We can’t say if this is going to cause you health problems, but the FDA has seen 10,000s of reports of adverse reactions to this compound.
The stimulant load through the rest of the product is also varied and could be very high. The proprietary blend hides the total stimulant load and we can’t assume anything about this product other than the ingredient choice puts your health at risk – and we don’t like that.
Your health is more important than rushing your fat loss. If you’re doing well with your diet and exercise, you’ll burn fat on your own. A good supplement can speed up the process and support your weight loss, but it shouldn’t risk your health like this product does.
On top of this, the proprietary blend is something we take issue with. It hides the contents of the product and we don’t think any good, responsible supplement manufacturer should hide their contents. A good supplement should be transparent and proud of effective, scientific doses!
Benefits of Black Spider 25 Ephedra
Black Spider potentially causes extreme stimulant effects from metabolic speed to energy and focus, and all the side effects these could carry. The benefits are those you’d associate with any other stimulants, and these do include increased calorie output and thus weight loss, if your diet stays the same.
Who Should Use It?
In our opinion, Black Spider 25 Ephedra shouldn’t be used due to the potential health risks and unclear dosages. However, we’ve seen that this kind of product is most popular among bodybuilders during the later stages of competition preparation.
If you’re an average joe who just wants to look, feel, and perform better, then this isn’t for you. It’s a bit of a Faustian bargain: you may get (mildly) accelerated fat loss but, seemingly, at the cost of health.
Any Potential Side Effects with Black Spider 25?
We’ve mentioned them a lot, but the possible stimulant side-effects of this product are high. Ephedrine is the leading cause of these concerns and should be where you’re most concerned and cautious, since it’s very high-risk compared to others.
The other stimulants in this product – anhydrous caffeine, guarana caffeine, kola caffeine, synephrine, and theobromine – add to smaller side-effect risks. These aren’t as severe, but they do include possible stomach cramping, diarrhetic effects, jitters, and headaches.
Talk to your doctor about any supplement that includes stimulants – and especially if you’re considering the use of Ephedrine. Your doctor can offer personalized medical advice and we’re pretty sure they will also tell you not to use ephedrine!
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Summary
Pros
- Some good ingredients like capsaicin and green tea extract
- Cheap
Cons
- Ephedrine isn’t safe for human consumption, according to the FDA
- Synephrine carries a controversial reputation
- Stimulants make up the vast majority of the product
- Trades health for slightly faster fat loss – a poor trade in our opinion
Price & Where to Buy
If you’ve read this whole article and still insist on trying this product for yourself, it can be found online at supplement markets like SameDaySupplements. The cost is relatively low at around $25 per container, though we’re not sure that you should be concerned with economy if you’re putting this kind of chemical into your body.
Final Word on Black Spider 25 Ephedra Fat Burner
If you took out the ephedrine and gave us reliable doses of everything else, this product could be great. However, between the risky ingredients and the proprietary blend we really don’t like it.
There’s something patently dangerous and irresponsible about this combination since it poses an undefined, unmeasured risk. We can’t recommend it in good conscience, as your health and wellbeing are too important to risk for a slightly faster fat loss.
Isn’t the point of fat loss to look and feel better? Losing fat isn’t healthy if it uses illicit drugs, it’s dangerous.
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