Back in the summer of 2013, the FDA banned the use of the stimulant DMAA. From the FDA website:
FDA.gov - DMAA (1,3-dimethylamylamine) is an amphetamine derivative that has been widely used in sports supplements sold in the United States. Also known as methylhexanamine or geranium extract, DMAA is often touted as a “natural” stimulant, with many claimed functional uses including a body-building aid, an athletic performance enhancer, and a weight-loss aid. Although DMAA at one time was approved as a drug for nasal decongestion, no medical use of DMAA is recognized today. FDA is not aware of any reliable science indicating that DMAA exists naturally in plants.
DMAA-containing dietary supplements are illegal and their marketing violates the law. Based on the scientific information reviewed by FDA, DMAA is not a dietary ingredient.
DMAA was a popular ingredient in preworkout supplements like Jack3d and Muscle Marinade. Since the ban, supplement retailers have been emptying their inventories of the now illegal supplements, while supplement companies have been reworking their preworkout formulas, without DMAA.
As the tubs of the final remaining DMAA products lingered on shelves and in online stores, eBay became the last true stanchion for purchasing illegal, DMAA-containing preworkouts. While most supplements seemed to have simply been replaced by their “New Forumlas!,” one preworkout has taken the old econ adage of “supply and demand” to a whole new level. I present to you, the $1,000 tub of Muscle Marinade:
Fucked, right? At these prices a single scoop of Muscle Marinade would cost $38. Apparently, egregious eBay users have decided that they want to try their hand at drug dealing. Hey, if you are going to sell an illegal drug, you might as well charge illegal drug prices.
At $76 for a two scoops serving, MM fanatics will have to decide between snorting their Muscle Marinade, or drinking a gram of cocaine. Why not just buttchug a mixture of both and stomp around the weight room like a monster? Your stimulant fueled rage at how much you paid for your preworkout will boost your bench by 10%, guaranteed. THINK OF THE GAINS!
- Tony “Two Scoops” Muscoli
