The US Food and Drug Administration has issued a warning about a popular sports supplement that may contain a dangerous, banned stimulant hidden under the label “geranium extract.” Late June 2026, federal officials revealed that laboratory testing found 1,4-dimethylamylamine, or DMAA, in Pre-Formance Black pills. The agency says this hidden ingredient puts consumers at risk of raised blood pressure, brain bleeds, and other heart problems.
Pre-Formance Black is marketed as a natural pre-workout to boost gym performance. Sellers claim it provides an energy burst using natural ingredients. The FDA, however, says the pills contain DMAA. This substance is an amphetamine derivative originally developed by Eli Lilly in 1944 to treat nasal congestion.
Drug manufacturers stopped using the ingredient in 1983 because it constricted blood vessels too aggressively and raised blood pressure. The agency banned DMAA in 2013 after unscrupulous supplement makers started adding it to performance products in the 2000s. The FDA warns that the stimulant can cause racing heart, arrhythmia, nausea, vomiting, agitation, tremors, dizziness, headache, and chest pain.
More severe health consequences have been reported. Doctors have linked DMAA to liver damage, brain hemorrhages, stroke, and even death. The warning specifically targets body builders and athletes, advising them to avoid this “pre-workout” product entirely.
Despite marketing claims, there is no evidence that geraniums naturally contain DMAA. As of 2014, researchers could not extract the chemical from the plant. The supplement industry, however, continued to list “geranium extract,” “geranium derivatives,” “Geranamine,” or “Pelargonium graveolens extract” on product labels.
Health experts note that the stimulant effect of DMAA likely does not offer any performance benefit that an espresso cannot provide. For serious athletes, the cardiovascular risks are simply not worth the questionable boost in energy.
The FDA’s alert highlights a broader issue with dietary supplements. Because the agency cannot police every product on the market, manufacturers often substitute unsafe ingredients for regulated drugs. This creates a market where products labeled “natural” can contain synthetic stimulants with a high toxicity profile. Consumers relying on these supplements for safety and consistency in their workouts may unknowingly ingest a substance with a history of causing severe medical events. The agency urges anyone who purchased Pre-Formance Black to stop using it immediately.
While the immediate focus is on the specific risks associated with this product, the situation reflects a larger challenge in the men’s health sector. Just as athletes must scrutinize the ingredients in their pre-workouts to protect their physical well-being, individuals facing reproductive challenges should similarly seek reliable medical guidance. The complexity of modern health products requires constant vigilance to ensure that treatments and supplements do not introduce new complications into the body.
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