That's an interesting one. Granted, Royal jelly contains testosterone, but that doesn't mean you're natty if you take test. And while ecdysterone is a hormone, it is not androgenic in humans, so that's natty IMO. Of course, this is a pretty subjective subject, and, in all honesty (coming from someone who is natty) if a non-natty "supplement" came out tomorrow that worked better than anything we have now, and was somehow completely safe and non-suppressive, would any of us want to be natty anyway? It seems that, at that hypothetical point, you'd be significantly limiting yourself based on only subjective morality, not safety/health concerns (putting legality/testing aside).
Safety/health concerns are what keeps me natty (I'm only 21). And yeah, there are plenty of natty supplements/substances that are terrible for you, and I'd rather take test than some of them, haha.
Haha, so would I. With all the time we spend eating/training, and all the money we spend on food/gyms/supplements, it wouldn't really make sense not to.
I understand that, but assuming there existed an incredibly effective, completely safe, non-natty "supplement," it would become very common and widely used over time, and, eventually, claiming natty and not using it would be viewed similarly to how we view people who think themselves superior for not taking protein shakes, creatine, or pre workouts (we don't take them very seriously). Of course, this is, sadly, a purely hypothetical scenario for now.
Perhaps, but it's possible to get effective (3-5g) creatine from natural food sources, assuming you eat a lot of steak. Good luck eating enough Royal jelly to take in enough testosterone to raise your test to supraphysiological levels. I do see your point though.
Perhaps, but it's possible to get effective (3-5g) creatine from natural food sources, assuming you eat a lot of steak. Good luck eating enough Royal jelly to take in enough testosterone to raise your test to supraphysiological levels. I do see your point though.
An argument can be made that taking amino acids/vitamins/minerals is natural, as they are natural (how most of us probably think), but in the most literal sense, taking anything that's not natural (synthetic; not existing in nature) is not natural (and I've even read some academic papers arguing that taking synthetic nootropics like piracetam makes you a non-natty scholar).
In my opinion, it illustrates how pointless and meaningless such s subjective title is in reality. I'm not going to delude myself, I'm not natty because I have some moral objection to taking gear, I'm natty because of the potential health/safety concerns/issues that come with use. As I said, if there was some magical non-natty pill that caused incredible gains in strength and size, but had no side effects or risks associated with it, I feel it'd be rather foolish not to use it, if you aren't competing in an organization/league that prohibits it.
I'd say that the benefits of test and/or IGF-1 use with older age are more a result of essentially restoring/creating ideal/optimal levels of hormones (health oriented), as opposed to mega-dosing them to the level pro body builders do (purely performance oriented), which is obviously not "healthy," especially if you start this from a young age.
I'd rather eat GMO Broccoli or Bananas, than a Poison Ivy salad. Are Extracts Natty? Can't get that much actives by eating the roots/leaves before getting full/throwing up for a lot of them. Stimulants? What was the one supposedly based on Geraniums? No one ever answered where they stored the 10,000 tons of Geranium needed for the amounts in each bottle. 
Rabbit Hole question of the Millennium
I'd say if you can't grow, pick, pluck, or kill - and eat it as is with some cooking... it ain't "Natty" That includes the 500lbs of bugs needed for an Ecdy product, or the 200lbs of Mushroom Fungus needed for a whatever one that product is. No one could gather and eat that much daily in the real world.
But I could care less - Non -Natural is the reason I don't freeze in the winter, get to LA in 40 mins, and (hopefully) live to at least my 90's
I understand the point you are trying to make, but black mamba venom isn't typically sold as an OTC supplement in your local nutrition store, or even online really. I think it is safe to say that there are more risks associated with using non-natty "supplements" than natty supplements (as in finished products sold by companies). Of course, there are natural substances that are dangerous/deadly, but they aren't commonly used as ergogenic supplements to build muscle.
I actually laughed out loud at that!