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QUESTION: I see a lot of companies now including different geranium oil extracts in their fat burners. What’s the deal with geranium, and how does it affect fat loss?

ANSWER: There are more than 40 constituents of geranium oil,
but the one that’s currently found in bodybuilding and sports supplements is usually referred to by its trademarked name Geranium. There are several different names for Geranamine that are currently being used on supplement labels, but they all mean the same thing.

Some of the other names are:

• 1,3-dimethylamylamine
• dimethylamylamine (DMAA)
• methylhexaneamine, 4-methyl-2-hexanamine
• 4-methyl-2-hexylamine
• 2-amino-4-methylhexane
• 1,3-dimethylpentylamine
• Floradrene
• GERANIUM 20 (pictured above)

If you can believe it, this compound was actually first researched and discovered back in the early 1940s! Pharmaceutical company Eli Lilly filed for a patent on methylhexaneamine in 1944 and intended to use it as a nasal decongestant because of its bronchodilating properties. Now fast-forward about 60 years later to the year 2005. This is when a good friend of mine named Patrick Arnold, who is best known for discovering prohormones and being front and center in the BALCO steroid scandal, rediscovered this unique compound after reviewing the old patent. Patrick, who founded the supplement company Ergopharm, is a genius when it comes to rediscovering old drugs that never made it to market and figuring out how they can be classified as dietary supplements under the Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act of 1994 (DSHEA). You see, although Geranium is technically not FDA approved, it can still be used in supplements because it’s a component of geranium oil, which is approved for use in foods. This is just one of the many loop holes that Patrick has figured out, and that’s why he was the first to include his trademarked version of Geranium he named "Geranamine" in the original version of his AMP fat burner formula back in 2006. All right, so enough of this history lesson. Now let me explain how Geranamium can enhance fat loss. First off, it affects the central nervous system (CNS) by acting as a norepinephrine reuptake inhibitor and a norepinephrine-releasing agent. This allows the body to secrete more norepinephrine and epinephrine, which are the body’s most powerful fat-burning hormones. Geranium also has a synergistic effect with caffeine, which can amplify fat burning and to a much greater degree than when either of these stimulants is used on its own. 

Supplements Containing Geranium

Geranium oil derivatives can now be found in several fat burners on the market, including F10 By Advanced Genetics (pictured above), GERANIUM 20 (which is a straight pharmaceutical-grade geranium supplement), Clear Shot (pictured above also) Nutrex’s Lipo-6 Black Hers, S.A.N.’s Tight Extreme, and CRXCUT by Dorian Yates Nutrition. It’s also creeping into preworkout powders, such as Jack3D, BPI’s 1.M.R. and several others. 

Although there’s somewhat limited research available on Geranium, user feedback over the past couple of years has been very positive, so it’s definitely worth giving it a try to boost in fat burning and mental focus.