Explain it to me like a 5 year old.
So you absorb more of the sulphate, but the hydrocloride absorbs quicker?
No problem, little boy. So pay attention. Ephedrine sulphate, as the name indicates, was chemically bound to the alkaloid with sulphuric acid to form the salt, whereas the ephedrine hydrocloride was bound with hydrocloric acid(ALKALINE BASE + ACID = SALT + WATER). The sulphate is more difficult for the stomach to digest and for the gastro-intestinal tract to absorb, because the sulphate is alien to the gut. The hydrocloride salt, conversely, is broken down by the gut much easier, because hydrochloride acid is the main stomach acid. This means that it gets into your bloodstream quicker. However, because it is exposed to the enzymes for less time, the absorption is not complete. The sulphate, conversely, needs to be exposed to the enzymes for a longer time to release, but it results in a greater amount being absorved. So, if you take 50 mg of ephedrine hydrochloride, only 30 mg will get into your bloodstream, with the rest being excreted unaltered, but it will do so in half an hour. 50 mg of the sulphate will deliver all the 50 mg, but it will do so over 1 to 2 hours. Get it?
SUCKMYMUSCLE