ABSTRACT
Ephedrine, containing the generic pharmaceutical substance Ephedrine Hydrochloride, is an oral compound blurring the distinction between ‘supplement’ and ‘drug’ within bodybuilding subculture. During fieldwork it emerged that two particular products (Ultimate Orange and EPH.25), legally obtained in Britain from health food shops, either contained Ephedrine or substances exerting a similar effect. Thus, while it is possible to identify various Generic Copies of Ephedrine, bodybuilders using this substance often place specific black-market versions of the drug in the same category as licit supplements containing so-called ‘natural’ ingredients. Hence, the convention of listing the substance(s) and popular generic copies is overlooked here.
