FDA Adds Higenamine and Hordenine to Ingredient Advisory List

A week after sending out warning letters to companies using DMHA and Phenibut, the FDA has added several ingredients, including Higenamine and Hordenine, to their Dietary Supplement Ingredient Advisory List. 

Higenamine and Hordenine are stimulants used in pre-workouts and fat burners to help increase energy, boost metabolism and aid in fat loss. They are typically dosed between 30mg and 50mg. They have increased in popularity due to the potency of the ingredients. They are typically paired with Caffeine.

Other ingredients that made the Dietary Supplement Ingredient Advisory List are Andarine (SARM) and DMAA (this is not new).

Per the FDA, ingredients are added to the Dietary Supplement Ingredient Advisory List for the following reasons:

1. the ingredient appears to be excluded from use in a dietary supplement;
2. the ingredient does not appear to be a dietary ingredient and does not appear to be either an approved food additive or generally recognized as safe for use; and/or
3. the ingredient appears to be subject to the requirement for pre-market notification, but the requirement has not been satisfied.

It appears the FDA will continue to evaluate the dietary supplement industry to add more ingredients to this list. The FDA issued a warning to supplement manufactures and retailers who are using or selling these ingredients:

Retailers, manufacturers, and other businesses may wish to avoid selling, making, or distributing dietary supplements that include any of the above ingredients.

It is important to note that just because the ingredient is on the list, it does not mean it is unsafe. The FDA is considering these ingredients "unlawful."

Fitness Informant's POV

I am going to echo what I said in my article when the FDA sent out warning letters on DMHA and Phenibut, it is not that the ingredient is necessarily bad, I personally like both Hordenine and Higenamine, but it is the idiotic supplement manufactures who think it is smart to overly stimulate the general public by using massive doses of these ingredients that could cause harm. There has been a lot of chatter lately about "stimulant blends" being OK, but that is going to quickly go away if we see more stimulants make this list. Consumers are going to want to know the dosages of EVERYTHING they put in their body.

These are two very popular ingredients. I would not be surprised to see more and more ingredients make this list, like Synephrine or Yohimbe for example. As consumers we get upset that the FDA is getting involved and taking away ingredients, but in reality, as consumers, we should be irate at the irresponsibility of brands who are making products that contain insane amounts of these stimulants. This irresponsibility is leading to the FDA getting involved. We must self regulate ourselves, somewhere along the lines people/brands lose sight of this.