Is EGCG legal in Australia?

A phase 2 trial of 800 mg EGCG a day in multiple sclerosis was stopped by its data safety monitoring board after 5 of 7 participants on treatment developed abnormal liver function tests, one of them grade III. The largest efficacy trial, 84 young adults with Down's syndrome over twelve months, found no significant difference on 13 of 15 cognitive tests.

This page covers the isolated molecule and the standardised high-dose preparations built around it. The whole-extract question, including the mouse lifespan test and the weight loss literature, is covered separately on this site under green tea extract, and the two pages are meant to be read together.

Mechanism: A polyphenolic catechin with a galloyl group that gives it high antioxidant activity in vitro and lets it bind a wide range of proteins non-specifically, which is why the mechanism literature for it is enormous and unfocused. Documented activities include inhibition of DYRK1A, the chromosome 21 kinase that motivated the Down's syndrome trials, NRF2 pathway activation, and effects on laminin receptor signalling.

Regulatory history: Not an approved drug in oral form. A green tea catechin ointment is approved topically for external genital warts, which is a different route and purpose. Oral EGCG is sold as a dietary supplement.

Registers or lists therapeutic goods on the ARTG and schedules substances in the Poisons Standard. Many peptides are Schedule 4 (prescription only), so possession without a prescription and personal importation are restricted even when no product is registered.

The classification above is the The Longevity Archive reading of Therapeutic Goods Administration listings for EGCG at the reviewed date, not a legal opinion. Rules change, and importing, prescribing and possessing a compound can each be treated differently. Check the regulator directly before acting on anything here.