No to yohimbine
One RASFF entry from Norway flagged the “unauthorised placing on the market of fat burn capsules containing yohimbine and maca root (Lepidii meyenii radix) from Germany”.
Yohimbine is the active compound found in the bark of the African Pausinystalia yohimbe tree.
As a food supplement ingredient and traditional medicine it has been pushed as a sexual stimulant and aphrodisiac. However its use in food supplements is illegal in the EU.
A lack of data meant an investigation into its safety by the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) back in 2013 proved inconclusive.
Adulteration has been an issue for the supplement sector in the EU and the US.
Meanwhile maca root is a root vegetable also used as a traditional herbal medicine native to the high Andes of Peru.
According to the EU novel food catalogue this plant is not classed as a novel food and does not need approval. It is unclear why the Norwegian authorities flagged this ingredient.