According to the FDA and from its site:
"Questions and Answers about FDA's Actions on Dietary Supplements Containing Ephedrine Alkaloids
February 6, 2004
What did FDA do today?
FDA published a final rule concluding that dietary supplements containing ephedrine alkaloids (ephedra) present an unreasonable risk of illness or injury under conditions of use suggested or recommended in the labeling, or if the labeling is silent, under ordinary conditions of use, and are therefore adulterated under Section 402(f)(l)(A) of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act.
Are you prohibiting the sale of ephedra?
That is, essentially, what the rule will do. The rule concludes that dietary supplements containing ephedrine alkaloids present an unreasonable risk to the public health and are adulterated under Section 402(f)(1)(A) of the FD&C Act."
So if you're getting it, it's against the law. Are you getting pseudoephedrine maybe? Name brand is Sudafed, among others.
As far as distilled water, distilled water has no organisms in it, it is sterile. It can be contaminated, and manufacturers worry about that, so they put expiration dates on their packaging, not because there is worry about growth in the sterile packaging, but because they worry about the packaging being compromised in unknown, long term storage. Distilled water is not filtered, it is distilled, usually by heat distillation, which kills the bacteria and viruses possibly present.
Bill