Higenamine

Higenamine (norcoclaurine) is a chemical compound found in a variety of plants including Nandina domestica (fruit), Aconitum carmichaelii (root), Asarum heterotropioides, Galium divaricatum (stem and vine), Annona squamosa, and Nelumbo nucifera (lotus seeds).

Legality

Higenamine, also known as noroclaurine hcl, is legal to use within food supplements in the UK, EU, the USA and Canada. Its main is within food supplements developed for weight management, also known as 'fat burners'. However, products containing (or claiming to contain) pharmacological relevant quantities still require registration as a medicine. The regulatory boundaries for higenamine are unclear as modern formulations have not been clinically evaluated. Traditional formulations with higenamine have been used for thousands of years within Chinese medicine and come from a variety of sources including fruit and orchids. There are no studies comparing the safety of modern formulations (based on synthetic higenamine) with traditional formulations. Nevertheless, it will not be added to the EU 'novel foods' catalogue, which details all food supplements that require a safety assessment certificate before use.