WASHINGTON, Dec. 30 (UPI) -- The U.S. health agency in Washington has decided it is time to move against a dietary supplement, the first occasion the agency has taken such a step.

The Wall Street Journal reported the Food and Drug Administration will announce Tuesday it was banning the herbal weight-loss treatment ephedra.

Health and Human Services Secretary Tommy Thompson is expected to join FDA Commissioner Mark McClellan as he announces the FDA is moving towards banning the use of ephedra in dietary supplements, a senior administration official said.

They are also expected to provide details for implementing the ban through a formal rulemaking that will likely take months to go into effect.

The action will set a precedent for how the FDA deals with the alleged risks posed by supplements and could draw litigation from manufacturers who dispute the agency's assertion that ephedra, also known as ma huang, is a proven health risk.

Once widely taken to enhance athletic performance and as a weight-loss aid, ephedra increasingly has been linked to heart problems and strokes and was fingered in the death earlier this year of 23-year-old Baltimore Orioles pitcher Steve Bechler.