Amentoflavone: Benefits, Dosage & Side Effects

Quick Summary

Amentoflavone is a natural plant compound found in species like Ginkgo biloba and St. John’s Wort.
It offers a wide range of health benefits, including anti-inflammatory, antiviral, and anticancer effects.
Amentoflavone enhances muscle contraction, fat burning, and blood flow—ideal for fitness performance.
Its mood-enhancing and stimulating properties make it a popular pre-workout ingredient.
May support fat loss by inhibiting fat storage and stimulating lipolysis (fat breakdown).
Supplements often include Amentoflavone for its ergogenic and thermogenic effects.
While promising, most research is based on animal or cell studies—not large-scale human trials.
Can interfere with drug metabolism; medical advice is essential if you take medications.

What is Amentoflavone?

Amentoflavone is a naturally occurring biflavonoid—a compound made of two flavonoid units—commonly found in plants such as Ginkgo biloba, St. John’s Wort, and Selaginella tamariscina. Long studied for its pharmacological properties, Amentoflavone is gaining attention for its potential in health support and physical performance.

As a bioactive compound, it demonstrates promising anti-inflammatory, antiviral, neuroprotective, and fat-burning capabilities. These properties have made it an increasingly popular ingredient in pre-workout supplements and fat burners used by athletes and fitness enthusiasts.

Where does Amentoflavone come from?

Amentoflavone naturally occurs in several medicinal plants. While most commonly linked to Ginkgo biloba and St. John’s Wort, the richest known source is the plant Selaginella tamariscina, a type of spikemoss. Amentoflavone can be isolated in significant quantities from this plant.

One of the most concentrated and commercially available forms is a proprietary extract known as AmentoMAX™, which delivers approximately 20% Amentoflavone content by weight.

Amentoflavone Benefits

Amentoflavone offers a wide spectrum of biological benefits:

Anti-inflammatory effects: Reduces inflammation by modulating enzyme activity (1).
Antiviral activity: Shows potential to combat viruses by inhibiting viral replication (2).
Anticancer properties: Inhibits tumor growth through anti-angiogenesis (3), induces cancer cell death (4), and blocks fatty acid synthase (5).
Fat metabolism: Inhibits fat storage and enhances lipolysis (6), supporting body composition goals.
Vasodilation: Promotes blood vessel relaxation, improving circulation and nutrient delivery (7).
Muscle performance: Enhances calcium release in muscle cells, intensifying contractions (8).
Mood and cognition: Modulates neurotransmitters like GABA and affects adrenal receptors, supporting mental clarity and reducing anxiety (9,10).

Amentoflavone Benefits for Athletes, Bodybuilding and Fitness

The combination of physiological and neurological benefits makes Amentoflavone especially appealing to bodybuilders and active individuals:

Muscle strength: Enhanced calcium signalling may help increase lifting performance.
Muscle pumps: Vasodilatory effects can result in better pumps and vascularity during workouts.
Fat loss: Reduces fat storage and enhances fat breakdown, supporting weight management.
Improved focus and mood: Supports mood and mental drive, valuable during intense training or calorie restriction.

These combined effects make Amentoflavone a popular addition to modern pre-workouts and fat-burning formulas.

Amentoflavone Side Effects, Safety & Negatives

While the potential of Amentoflavone is impressive, users should remain cautious:

Limited human data: Most studies are based on animals or laboratory settings. Human trials are still lacking.
Drug interactions: Amentoflavone inhibits cytochrome P450 enzymes, which are responsible for metabolizing approximately 75% of medications (10). This can increase or decrease drug levels in the body.

Anyone taking prescription medications should consult a medical professional before using Amentoflavone or related supplements.

Amentoflavone Dosage & Timing

There is no standardised dosage for Amentoflavone. However, common usage includes:

Performance enhancement: 200–400mg taken 20–30 minutes pre-workout for strength, pump, and mental focus.
Fat loss: 1–2 daily servings (e.g., morning and mid-afternoon) to support thermogenesis and mood throughout the day.

Start with lower doses (100–200mg) to assess tolerance and adjust gradually as needed.

Amentoflavone Supplements

Amentoflavone is featured in various sports nutrition and herbal supplements. These include:

Standalone Amentoflavone capsules or powders
Formulas with Ginkgo biloba or St. John’s Wort (which naturally contain small amounts)
Specialised fat burners and pre-workout supplements for energy, mood, and fat loss

Stacking Amentoflavone

Amentoflavone stacks well with other complementary ingredients to amplify results:

L-Carnitine: Targets fat oxidation via mitochondrial transport. Together, they offer comprehensive fat-burning support.
Natural amines: N-methyltyramine, higenamine, or synephrine are excellent synergistic options for added energy without over-stimulation.

While Amentoflavone does have some stimulant-like properties, users sensitive to caffeine may prefer stacking with lower-caffeine or caffeine-free supplements.

References

Kim HK, Son KH, Chang HW, Kang SS, Kim HP. Amentoflavone, a plant biflavone: a new potential anti-inflammatory agent. Arch Pharm Res. 1998 Aug; 21(4):406-10.
Birt DF, Widrlechner MP, Hammer KD, et al. Hypericum in infection: Identification of anti-viral and anti-inflammatory constituents. Pharm Biol. 2009;47(8):774-782.
Tarallo V, Lepore L, Marcellini M, et al. The biflavonoid amentoflavone inhibits neovascularization preventing the activity of proangiogenic vascular endothelial growth factors. J Biol Chem. 2011 Jun 3;286(22):19641-51.
Lee S, Kim H, Kang JW, et al. The biflavonoid amentoflavone induces apoptosis via suppressing E7 expression, cell cycle arrest at sub-G₁ phase, and mitochondria-emanated intrinsic pathways in human cervical cancer cells. J Med Food. 2011 Jul-Aug;14(7-8):808-16.
Lee JS, Lee MS, Oh WK, Sul JY. Fatty acid synthase inhibition by amentoflavone induces apoptosis and antiproliferation in human breast cancer cells. Biol Pharm Bull. 2009 Aug;32(8):1427-32.
Dell'Agli M, Bosisio E. Biflavones of Ginkgo biloba stimulate lipolysis in 3T3-L1 adipocytes. Planta Med. 2002 Jan;68(1):76-9.
Kang DG, Yin MH, Oh H, et al. Vasorelaxation by amentoflavone isolated from Selaginella tamariscina. Planta Med. 2004 Aug;70(8):718-22.
Suzuki A, Matsunaga K, Mimaki Y, et al. Properties of amentoflavone, a potent caffeine-like Ca2+ releaser in skeletal muscle sarcoplasmic reticulum. Eur J Pharmacol. 1999 May 7;372(1):97-102.
Ishola IO, Chatterjee M, Tota S, et al. Antidepressant and anxiolytic effects of amentoflavone isolated from Cnestis ferruginea in mice. Pharmacol Biochem Behav. 2012 Dec;103(2):322-31.
von Moltke LL, Weemhoff JL, Bedir E, et al. Inhibition of human cytochromes P450 by components of Ginkgo biloba. J Pharm Pharmacol. 2004 Aug;56(8):1039-44.