AHPA: DMAA Not Derived from Geranium

American Herbal Products Association board: Dietary supplement ingredient DMAA (also known as 1,3-dimethylamylamine) may no longer be labeled as geranium oil, after a review of scientific literature determined there was no credible evidence DMAA is found in geraniums. It is listed as “geranium stem” on the product labels of the popular workout supplements Jack3d and OxyELITE Pro. It is also often linked to geranium on the labels of party pills.

DMAA was initially introduced by Eli Lilly and Company in 1971 as an inhaled nasal-decongestant called Forthane. More recently, it has been used in dietary supplements for weight loss and bodybuilding. In this form, the ingredient 1,3-dimethylamylamine is listed on product labels as having been derived from geranium oil, stem or extract.

DMAA is sometimes called a geranamine due to a single report that linked it to geranium extract. The 1996 report initially claimed that DMAA was a naturally occurring essential oil distilled from the geranium leaf. The article was published in The Journal of Guizhou Institute of Technology, which is not a reputable, peer-reviewed journal of chemistry, according to the Natural Products Insider.

The American Herbal Products Association (AHPA) recently found several problems with the report, causing the board to mandate DMAA products no longer be labeled as geranium oil or any other part of the geranium plant. Some of the issues included concerns about the experimental conditions, interpretation of the data, quality of data reporting and the validation of findings.

Said Steven Dentali, AHPA’s chief science officer:

“We’re quite clear that this reported finding of DMAA from geranium is not scientifically valid. There are no known-published reports indicating that this a natural product. Any labeling stating that it is naturally occurring in geranium, or any other natural source, would need appropriate scientific evidence to support it. None has yet been found in the public domain.”

Geraniums are brightly-colored flowering plants. Geranium oil is often used in supplements because it is reported to improve health by preventing wrinkles, killing bacteria, reducing scarring, promoting cell health, increasing urination, deodorizing, toning muscle and skin, and speeding up healing.

DMAA is also known as:

• 1,3-dimethylamylamine
• 1,3-dimethylpentylamine
• Methylhexaneamine (MHA)
• Methylhexanamine
• Methylhexamine
• 4-methyl-2-hexanamine
• 2-amino-4-methylhexane