Which supplements Soldiers can’t take: the DoD prohibited list, CBD, kratom and the rules for pilots

Published October 24, 2026

Quick answer: Soldiers can’t use a supplement with any ingredient on the Defense Department’s Prohibited Dietary Supplement Ingredients List, kept by Operation Supplement Safety (OPSS), unless a DoD health care provider authorizes it. The Army also bans hemp and CBD products, delta-8 THC and kratom, whatever the label says. Army aircrew, from pilots to drone operators, have a stricter rule: most supplements are off limits unless an aeromedical provider clears them.

FPKT, a free app for iPhone, iPad and Mac, keeps FM 7-22, with its section on dietary supplements, and the Army’s other fitness publications on your device, even offline.

The banned supplements for Soldiers are the ones with an ingredient on the Defense Department (DoD) Prohibited Dietary Supplement Ingredients List. You can’t take them unless a DoD health care provider authorizes it. The Army adds its own bans on hemp and CBD products, delta-8 THC and kratom, which apply however a product is labeled. If you’re aircrew (a pilot, crew member, air traffic controller or drone operator), the bar is higher still. Here’s what each rule covers and how to check a product before you buy it.

What is the DoD prohibited supplement list?

DoD Instruction 6130.06, Use of Dietary Supplements in the DoD (9 March 2022), sets the policy:

The list lives on the OPSS website, run by the Consortium for Health and Military Performance at the Uniformed Services University. It’s updated when the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) acts or new science comes out. The version we checked was last updated 3 September 2026.
Service members won’t use products on the list unless a DoD health care provider authorizes it.
Stores on post won’t sell them. That covers the commissary, the exchanges and other retail outlets.

OPSS also says controlled substances and drugs (prescription, over-the-counter and unapproved drugs) are prohibited as supplement ingredients. The list works ingredient by ingredient, not by brand. Search each ingredient as it’s written on the label, and if that finds nothing, try a shorter form: “Delta-8 THC” and “hemp extract” find nothing, but “delta-8” and “hemp” both match, and both are banned. No match doesn’t mean a product is allowed.

Common ingredients on the list

We checked these common label ingredients against the list on 24 October 2026, and every one was on it. The list also covers their other names.

Kind of product	Prohibited ingredients
Stimulants (often in pre-workouts and fat burners)	DMAA (1,3-dimethylamylamine), DMHA (octodrine), DMBA, BMPEA, ephedra, methylsynephrine, deterenol, octopamine, hordenine, higenamine
Muscle builders	SARMs such as ostarine (enobosarm), ligandrol (LGD-4033), RAD-140 (vosilasarm) and andarine; cardarine (GW-501516); MK-677 (ibutamoren); testosterone; androstenedione
“Fat burner” drugs	DNP (2,4-dinitrophenol)
Mood, focus and relaxation	tianeptine, phenibut, picamilon, vinpocetine, kratom (including 7-OH)
Cannabis and hemp	hemp (including hemp protein, hemp seed and hemp seed oil), CBD (cannabidiol), THC including delta-8

Creatine, caffeine, beta-alanine and melatonin weren’t on the list. That doesn’t make every product containing them safe, and aircrew need clearance for supplements in general; melatonin is disqualifying for them.

Can Soldiers use CBD or delta-8?

No. AR 600-85, the Army Substance Abuse Program regulation (4 October 2024), prohibits any product made or derived from hemp, including CBD, no matter how much THC it claims or actually has, and even where it’s legal for civilians. That covers products you eat, inhale or inject, including foods such as hemp protein, plus patches, lotions and oils, soaps, shampoos and cosmetics. The rule is punitive: breaking it can be punished under Article 92 of the Uniform Code of Military Justice (UCMJ).

The regulation makes a few exceptions:

Durable goods made with hemp, such as rope or clothing.
FDA-approved cannabinoid drugs with your own valid prescription, such as dronabinol (Marinol, Syndros) and cannabidiol (Epidiolex).
Use for legitimate law enforcement or medical duties, or without knowing a product came from hemp, when that lack of knowledge is honest and reasonable.

Delta-8 THC is named as a synthetic THC substitute that Soldiers may not use or possess. The Army tests for delta-8 and synthetic cannabinoids (“spice”) during random, probable-cause and competence-for-duty testing. An Army article from May 2026 also warns that products labeled “THC-free” aren’t always reliable, because labels can be wrong. Under AR 600-85, a hemp product is banned even if it truly has no THC.

Is kratom banned for Soldiers?

Yes. Army Directive 2026-14 (23 June 2026) prohibits the knowing use, possession, sale or manufacture of anything containing or derived from kratom, including mitragynine and 7-hydroxymitragynine (7-OH), and bringing it onto an installation. It applies whatever the concentration and even where kratom is legal for civilians. The rule is punitive under Article 92 of the UCMJ, and any Soldier found to have used kratom is referred for a substance use disorder evaluation and must complete the Army’s Alcohol and Drug Abuse Prevention Training (ADAPT). It covers the Regular Army, and the Army Reserve and National Guard when in Title 10 status; Reserve and Guard Soldiers who test positive while in Title 10 status can face administrative action even if they used it outside that status. The exceptions are law enforcement and medical duties, and a lack of knowledge that’s reasonable; deliberately not finding out doesn’t count.

What else the Army bans

AR 600-85 lists supplements among the substances Soldiers may not use to get high or intoxicated: anything on the DoD list, plus any ingredient the FDA or the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) has declared illegal, with ephedra, DMAA, DMBA and BMPEA as its examples. Separately, and with no such condition, the regulation restates Article 112a of the UCMJ, which bans the unlawful use of controlled substances, including steroids, and of prescription-only substances without a valid prescription.

Rules for Army pilots and aircrew

Aviation is stricter, and it covers more than pilots. AR 40-8 (2 February 2022) applies to anyone involved in the flight operation of aircraft, including non-rated crewmembers, air traffic controllers, unmanned aircraft systems operators, and Army civilians and contractors, regardless of flight activity category or readiness level. Paragraph 7b says all supplements, herbal and dietary aids, preparations and performance enhancers are prohibited unless an aeromedical provider (a flight surgeon, aeromedical physician assistant, aviation medicine nurse practitioner or aviation medical examiner) clears them using the Army’s Aeromedical Policy Letters. For medicines, you may treat yourself only as the over-the-counter medication policy letter allows.

The Army’s Aeromedical Policy Letters sort supplements into three classes, as an April 2025 Aviation Digest article by two Army dietitians and a nutrition care specialist describes them (citing the December 2021 letters):

Class 1: may be taken without a flight surgeon’s approval.
Class 2: may be taken only with a flight surgeon’s approval first.
Class 3: disqualifying, with waivers case by case. It includes melatonin, any stimulant other than caffeine, hormone modulators (prohormones, “pro-steroids” and estrogen blockers), pre-workouts with nitric oxide boosters or other vasodilators, and any product that doesn’t list every ingredient and its amount.

Energy drinks fall under the same rules: every ingredient listed, each one acceptable under Class 1 or 2, no proprietary blends, and no excessive amounts. Taking a Class 3 product before a flight can get you grounded.

The current policy letters are posted at aero.health.mil, which needs a Common Access Card (CAC), and they can change, so ask your flight surgeon before you take anything. Aircrew in the other services follow their own rules. A 2020 OPSS article says all of the services prohibit most supplements for flight crew, including performance enhancers and energy drinks, and that exceptions take discussion, such as a flight surgeon’s approval. The Army’s 2021 letters, as described above, set conditions for energy drinks rather than banning them outright.

How to check a supplement before you buy it

Search every ingredient on the OPSS list, one at a time. If the label’s wording finds nothing, try shorter forms, and remember that no match doesn’t mean a product is allowed. If you’re not sure, OPSS has an Ask the Expert service.
Look for a third-party certification seal. The OPSS scorecard counts BSCG Certified Drug Free, Informed Sport, NSF Certified for Sport, USP Dietary Supplement Verified and Eurofins Clean Sport. A seal confirms the product contains what the label says, but FM 7-22 notes it doesn’t prove the product is safe or that it works. And a seal doesn’t make a product allowed: if it lists a prohibited ingredient, hemp or CBD, it’s still a no-go.
Avoid proprietary blends. A “blend,” “complex” or “matrix” doesn’t have to list how much of each ingredient it contains, and FM 7-22 notes that many contain stimulants.
Run the OPSS scorecard. It asks, among other things, whether there are fewer than six ingredients, whether caffeine is 200 mg or less per serving, and whether every % Daily Value is under 200%. Four or more “yes” answers is okay, fewer is a no-go, and any prohibited ingredient is an automatic no-go.
Ask an expert. FM 7-22 points Soldiers to dietitians, sports dietitians, health care providers and pharmacists. Aircrew go to their flight surgeon.

Being on the shelf on post isn’t proof either. When Army dietitians checked supplements available at Fort Drum in 2024, initial results showed only 17% were third-party certified to OPSS standards. And if you’re looking at a fat burner to meet the body composition standard, here’s how the Army waist-to-height ratio standard works.

What happens if you test positive?

The Army says a positive drug test for any prohibited substance is a violation of the UCMJ and can lead to disciplinary action, including loss of rank or loss of employment and benefits. Under AR 600-85, a Soldier who tests positive for illicit drugs is referred to ADAPT and must finish it within 60 days, is evaluated for a substance use disorder, is disciplined if appropriate, and is considered for separation. A supplement can cause a positive test by accident, since FM 7-22 notes that labels don’t always list what a product really contains. The Military Health System advises choosing third-party certified products to help avoid side effects and a positive drug test.