A beta-2 adrenergic agonist alkaloid found in several plants including Nandina domestica, Aconitum species and Tinospora crispa, used in pre-workout and fat-burning products. It is prohibited in sport.
Higenamine is a plant alkaloid that behaves like a beta-2 agonist, which is precisely why the World Anti-Doping Agency added it to the prohibited list in 2017 — beta-2 agonists are banned at all times. It is nevertheless widely sold in pre-workout and weight-loss products, often listed only by a plant name that gives no indication of what it contains. An analysis of US products found higenamine quantities varying enormously between brands and bearing little relation to labels, with some supplying doses in the tens of milligrams — comparable to pharmaceutical beta-agonist exposure, taken without medical supervision. US regulators have issued warning letters stating that higenamine does not meet the definition of a lawful dietary ingredient.
Sold as
Pre-workout powder, Capsule, Weight-loss blends, Listed under plant names such as Nandina domestica
Standardised to
Rarely stated; independent analysis found label amounts unreliable and sometimes absent entirely — a product without this marker may not resemble what was studied.
Regulation: Prohibited at all times in sport by the World Anti-Doping Agency as a beta-2 agonist. US regulators have issued warning letters to companies selling it, taking the position that it is not a lawful dietary ingredient. Despite this it remains widely available in pre-workout products, frequently disguised under botanical names.
What the research used
The amounts, forms and durations published trials of Higenamine actually administered.
These are the amounts published trials administered — not a recommendation, and not a dose to copy. Trial participants were screened, supervised and given a characterised preparation. What is in a retail bottle is frequently not what was studied, and the amount that suits one person is not general advice.
Studied for Amounts found in retail products
1–62 mg
Not enough
Per labelled serving of pre-workout or fat-burner products
From an independent analysis of US products, which found quantities spanning more than a sixty-fold range and frequently not matching the label. No dose has been established as safe, and this is exposure to a beta-agonist without supervision.
This is general information about food, not medical advice. It cannot diagnose, treat or replace guidance from a clinician who knows your history.
When it was taken
Each window says whether a trial compared it against an alternative, or whether it is convention and pharmacology. Most timing advice is the second kind.
None of the timings below were directly compared in a trial. They reflect how the research happened to dose, or what the pharmacology implies — which is not the same as a timing being better.
🏃Before exercise
Not enough
Taken before training because that is what the products are for. There is no timing research and no established dosing schedule.
Timing was not directly compared. This reflects convention or how the compound behaves in the body, not a trial showing this window works better.
The evidence in depth
Best supported: Not enough
What each association actually rests on, and the papers behind it. A rating describes the state of the research, not how promising the supplement sounds. How we rate evidence.
Fat-loss claims rest on beta-agonist pharmacology and animal work. There is no adequate human trial of higenamine for body composition.
What may be going on: Higenamine activates beta-2 adrenergic receptors, the same class targeted by asthma inhalers and by clenbuterol, producing bronchodilation and lipolysis.
Not enough evidence. Not enough human research to say anything useful yet.
No source is attached to this association yet, so it is rated not enough evidenceby default. It is listed because people commonly ask about it — not because there is evidence for it.
There is no controlled human trial supporting a performance effect, and any athlete taking it faces a sanction regardless of whether it works.
Not enough evidence. Not enough human research to say anything useful yet.
No source is attached to this association yet, so it is rated not enough evidenceby default. It is listed because people commonly ask about it — not because there is evidence for it.
Things to know
Interactions, contraindications and dose limits, most serious first. Concentrated extracts interact with medication in ways the whole plant does not, so this section carries more weight here than it does on a food page.
Worth knowing
Prohibited in sport at all times
Higenamine is on the World Anti-Doping Agency prohibited list as a beta-2 agonist, banned in and out of competition. Because it is frequently hidden behind plant names on labels, athletes have tested positive without knowing they had taken it. Any tested athlete should avoid pre-workout products that list Nandina, Tinospora or aconite-family botanicals.
Worth knowing
Cardiovascular effects and unregulated dosing
Beta-agonists increase heart rate and can cause palpitations, tremor and arrhythmia. Retail products have been found containing doses comparable to pharmaceutical exposure, taken without monitoring, often stacked with caffeine and other stimulants.
Worth knowing
Regulators consider it an unlawful ingredient
US authorities have issued warning letters stating that higenamine does not meet the statutory definition of a dietary ingredient. Products containing it are being sold in defiance of that position, which is a poor sign for everything else on the label.
Interaction
Additive with stimulants and cardiac drugs
Interacts withBeta-blockers, beta-agonist inhalers, caffeine, other stimulants
Combining a beta-agonist with caffeine, other stimulants or asthma medication compounds cardiovascular effects, and it opposes the action of beta-blockers.