The ‘natural’ substance banning athletes from sport

Despite being marketed as “natural”, Higenamine is one of the leading causes of positive doping tests in Australia. 

 Be aware, higenamine and other banned substances have been found in a number of supplements and not all of those products have those banned substances listed on the ingredients label. 

 If detected in an athlete’s sample, the athlete can face an up to four-year ban from sport. 

 Higenamine is found in many popular supplements and can also be called: 

• Norcoclaurine 
• Demethylcoclaurine 
• Aconite 
• Annona squamosal 
• Nandina domestica 
• Tinospora crispa 

Higenamine is also present in various plants and exists in plumula nelumbinis, a part of lotus seeds, which is commonly used as an ingredient in cuisines, herbal medicines and nutritional supplements in China and other countries in East Asia. 

 Higenamine, a S3 class Beta-2 Agonist, allows lungs to take in more oxygen and is prohibited in- and out-of-competition. 

However, as a cardiotonic, higenamine can increase heart rate, putting an athlete at an increased risk of heart problems such as palpitations and irregular heartbeat. 

Sport Integrity Australia warns the consumer has no way of determining how much higenamine is in a supplement even if it is on the label as the levels vary widely. Sport Integrity Australia further warns that manufacturers’ ingredients vary from product to product, and flavour to flavour.   

Sport Integrity Australia does not approve or endorse any supplements. 

“We have not and will not approve or endorse supplements, they pose too much of a risk to an athlete’s health and career," says Sport Integrity Australia CEO David Sharpe. 

Sport Integrity Australia recommends you check all your substances before you take them on the Clean Sport app available through the Google Play and Apple stores.  

Note, the following supplements are labelled as containing Higenamine.