Healthnews24South Africa's supplement answer desk

Which supplements and ingredients are banned in South Africa?

Healthnews24 editorial deskUpdated 2 min read
Answer first

Two different lists exist. Legally restricted ingredients, such as DMAA (listed in Medicines Act Schedule 7) and anabolic steroids, cannot be sold as ordinary supplements in South Africa. Separately, the WADA Prohibited List bans substances in sport, which includes many legal products. Creatine, caffeine and whey are not banned in either sense.

  • DMAA (1,3-dimethylamylamine) is named in Schedule 7 of the South African Medicines Act schedules (Acts Online text).
  • The AIS Group D list includes DMAA, DMBA, synephrine, ephedrine, prohormones, SARMs, Tribulus and maca.
  • Geyer et al. (2004): 14.8% of 634 supplements contained undeclared anabolic steroids.
  • Creatine and caffeine are not on the WADA Prohibited List.

Is "banned" one list or two?

Two, and mixing them up causes most confusion.

  1. Legally restricted in South Africa. The Medicines and Related Substances Act schedules medicines and other substances. Scheduled substances cannot be sold as general supplements.
  2. Banned in sport. The WADA Prohibited List, applied in South Africa through SAIDS, covers what athletes may not use in or out of competition. A product can be perfectly legal to buy and still cause a positive test.

Which ingredients are restricted by South African law?

  • DMAA (1,3-dimethylamylamine, methylhexanamine). It is named in Schedule 7, the most restrictive schedule, in the Acts Online text of the schedules (substituted by a notice dated 1 August 2025). In practice this rules out retail sale in a pre-workout. News24 reported in November 2015 that Dis-Chem pulled the pre-workout Jack3d from its shelves.
  • Anabolic-androgenic steroids and prohormones. These are prescription medicines. A supplement containing them is an unregistered, adulterated medicine. See are prohormones and steroids in supplements illegal.
  • SARMs. They are not approved medicines and are prohibited in sport. We did not verify their exact scheduling under South African law, so treat them as unlawful to sell as a supplement and read what SARMs are.

The AIS places the following in Group D (banned or high contamination risk): DMAA, DMBA, synephrine (bitter orange), ephedrine, sibutramine, prohormones and DHEA, SARMs, GH-releasing peptides, herbal testosterone boosters such as Tribulus and maca, and colostrum. Several of these appear in fat burners and "testosterone booster" products on open sale. Read DMAA in South Africa for the pre-workout angle.

What is not banned?

Ingredient Status
Creatine monohydrate Not on the WADA list; AIS Group A
Caffeine On WADA's monitoring programme, not prohibited
Whey and casein protein Food; AIS Group A sports food
Beta-alanine, citrulline Not prohibited
Ashwagandha No South African ban found as of October 2026; banned in food supplements in Denmark and advised against in the Netherlands

How does contamination change the picture?

An ingredient list can be clean while the product is not. Geyer and colleagues (2004) found undeclared anabolic steroids in 14.8% of 634 supplements; Duiven and colleagues (2021) found undeclared doping substances in 38% of 66 fat-loss and muscle products. SAIDS applies strict liability: an athlete is responsible for whatever is in their sample, whoever recommended the product.

What should you do?

  • Avoid fat burners, "testosterone boosters", prohormone products and unlabelled blends if you are tested.
  • Prefer single-ingredient products from batch-tested schemes (see what third-party tested means).
  • Ask a registered sports dietitian or doctor before using anything new, and use the SAIDS medication check for medicines.
  • Parents of school athletes: SAIDS and BokSmart recommend a food-first approach for under-18s.

Sources

  1. Acts Online: Medicines and Related Substances Act, Schedule 7
  2. Australian Institute of Sport Supplement Framework: Group D
  3. News24 (27 Nov 2015): Dis-Chem pulls fitness supplement Jack3d from shelves
  4. SAIDS (South African Institute for Drug-Free Sport) FAQ: supplements, strict liability, medication check
  5. Geyer et al. (2004) Analysis of non-hormonal nutritional supplements for anabolic-androgenic steroids. Int J Sports Med 25:124

Educational information only, not medical advice. Speak to a doctor, pharmacist or registered dietitian before using supplements if you are pregnant or breastfeeding, under 18, taking medication, or living with kidney, liver or heart disease.

Cite this page: Healthnews24, “Which supplements and ingredients are banned in South Africa?”, updated 27 October 2026, https://www.healthnews24.co.za/answers/what-supplements-are-banned-in-south-africa/. Plain-text version: /answers/what-supplements-are-banned-in-south-africa.md