Jack3d from USPlabs is a pre-workout supplement that was launched in 2009 although the formula it contained at the time of launch had been used privately by its inventor and his friends since 2006. Jack3d has already been top of its class in two award categories for two consecutive years over at bodybuilding.com. That which makes Jack3d special is primarily the ingredient DMAA which is short for 1,3-dimethylamylamine, an extract from the oil of the flower Rose Geranium.

DMAA is an adrenaline-analogue substance – very similar to Ephedrine – that simply wakes up the body when taken orally or via injection. A few years back DMAA was very popular in party pills in New Zealand and Australia. Before that it was used atopically in the US as a nasal spray due to its constricting effect on the blood vessels. In conjunction with caffeine and Schizandrol A, DMAA makes your workouts really intense and focused. With the added benefit of creatine, arginine and beta-alanine, Jack3d is a recipe for success.

Unfortunately, DMAA is currently being investigated by authorities and may very soon be classified as a drug just as Ephedrine and Yohimbine were a few years back. Naturally it is not health concerns that govern the classification. It is the pharmaceutical industry and the private interests of those regulating the food and supplement industry. The history of FDA and its interaction with the pharmaceutical industry and the government is outlined in great detail in this excellent article by the lawyer Jonathan W. Emord.

As Paracelsus said: “It is the dose that differentiates a poison from a remedy”. Everything is toxic in too high a dose, even water, but that’s not what this is about. Basically, if an isolated compound works well, it is bound to be classified as a drug. That way the pharmaceutical industry kills off all competition and can start raking in the big money. Once a company has grown beyond a certain point, the most effective way to keep growing or stay on top is to push for legislation that keeps its competitors at bay. Nowhere is this more apparant than in the food, supplement and drug industry.

In Sweden the classification of DMAA as a drug is currently under way and expected to be completed sometimes this year. Once that is done, DMAA and Jack3d – in its current version – are done as workout aids. The swedish resource for Jack3d outlines this in greater detail.