Ingredient Category: Dangerous/banned
Usnic Acid
Usnic acid is a lichen-derived compound marketed for weight loss that has caused SEVERE HEPATOTOXICITY including acute liver failure requiring…
Germanium (organic)
Organic germanium (Ge-132, bis-carboxyethylgermanium sesquioxide) was promoted as an immune stimulant and cancer treatment by Japanese researcher Kazuhiko Asai [1].…
Methylsynephrine / Oxilofrine
Methylsynephrine (oxilofrine, p-hydroxyephedrine) is a sympathomimetic amine found in some weight-loss and sports supplements [1]. It is a WADA-banned substance…
Skunk Cabbage
Skunk cabbage (Symplocarpus foetidus or Lysichiton americanus) contains calcium oxalate crystals that cause intense burning of oral/GI mucosa, and has…
Ephedra / Ma Huang
Ephedra sinica (Ma Huang) contains ephedrine and pseudoephedrine — sympathomimetic amines that were the most commercially successful weight-loss supplement ingredients…
Phenibut
Phenibut (β-phenyl-GABA) is a synthetic GABA-B agonist and voltage-dependent calcium channel blocker developed in the Soviet Union (1960s) as an…
DMAA
DMAA (1,3-dimethylamylamine, methylhexaneamine) is a synthetic sympathomimetic amine that was marketed in pre-workouts (Jack3d®, OxyElite Pro®) until FDA enforcement actions…
Pennyroyal
Pennyroyal (Mentha pulegium) oil contains pulegone — a hepatotoxin metabolized to menthofuran, which depletes glutathione and causes centrilobular hepatic necrosis…