Substance information

Prohibited substance category: S6: Stimulants 
Prohibited in-competition? Yes
Prohibited out-of-competition? No

MHA is commonly found in dietary or nutritional supplements. It is marketed as a pre work-out supplement to increase focus, heart rate and productivity. Often products claim that MHA is ‘natural’ as it derives from the geranium plant, but this is not correct.

What are the health risks?

Increased anxiety, nervousness, sweating, heart rate and high blood pressure, heart attack. 

What is the starting sanction for a first offence in rugby?

2 years

What else should you know?

Some products which openly contain, or have been identified in certain countries to contain, MHA or its variants include: 
Hemo Rage, Jack3d, OxyElite Pro, 1.M.R., Mesomorph, Rocked, Crack, USN Anabolic Nitro, Ergolean Amp 2, DynaPep, Core Zap, C4 Extreme, Nutrimax Burner, NitroX, IBE X-Force, Fusion Geranamine, ClearShot, Black Cats, and Musclespeed. 
Please note these are just examples, not an exhaustive list.

Risk of rule violation

Many amateur and professional rugby Players have tested positive for MHA contained in nutritional supplements. In many cases, MHA was not declared on the product label.