Is NDGA legal in Canada?

Extended male mouse lifespan at three different doses, dose-dependently, and never in females. It also causes liver toxicity, which is why the plant it comes from was pulled from the supplement market.

NDGA is a plant lignan from the creosote bush, and it has a rare distinction in lifespan research: its effect was replicated across three separate doses within the same programme, dose-dependently, which very few compounds manage. It is also hepatotoxic, and that is not a theoretical concern.

Mechanism: A lignan with multiple reported activities, which is part of the interpretive problem. It inhibits lipoxygenase enzymes, acts as an antioxidant, and has been reported to affect insulin-like growth factor 1 receptor signalling and mitochondrial function.

Regulatory history: Not approved for any systemic indication. Masoprocol, a topical formulation, held an approval for actinic keratoses. Chaparral, the herbal product from the same plant, has been the subject of regulatory warnings over liver injury.

Authorises drugs for sale through a Notice of Compliance and Drug Identification Number. A compound that is not authorised for sale cannot lawfully be sold for human use, and personal importation of prescription drugs is limited.

The classification above is the The Longevity Archive reading of Health Canada, Health Products and Food Branch listings for NDGA 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.