Blackstone Labs - EpiCat - 60 Capsules

Blackstone Labs EpiCat is a two-ingredient natural muscle building supplement built around (-)-Epicatechin — a flavanol extracted from dark chocolate and cocoa — and Green Tea Extract. It is not a prohormone, not a steroid, not a SARM, and not a hormone-altering compound of any kind. Its mechanism of action is myostatin inhibition: epicatechin has documented effects on reducing circulating myostatin and increasing follistatin, shifting the hormonal balance that governs how much muscle the body is genetically capable of building. EpiCat is appropriate for men and women, requires no post-cycle therapy, can be used in extended cycles, and is one of the most commonly stacked natural anabolics in the Blackstone Labs lineup. 60 capsules per container. 1 capsule twice daily with food. California Prop 65 Warning applies.†

Supplement Facts — Blackstone Labs EpiCat (Per 2 Capsules / 1 Serving / 30 Servings)

• Green Tea (Camellia sinensis)(Leaf) Extract — 700mg
• (-)-Epicatechin — 300mg
• Other Ingredients: Rice Flour, Gelatin, Magnesium Stearate, Stearic Acid, Silica
• 60 capsules per container. 30 servings at 2 capsules per day.
• 1 capsule twice daily with food. Do not exceed 2 capsules per day.
• Not a prohormone. Not a steroid. Not a SARM. Not a hormone-altering compound.
• No post-cycle therapy (PCT) required.
• Safe for men and women.
• This product contains ingredients that may be banned by some sports organizations and may increase the risk of a false positive on a drug test. Consult your sports organization before use.
• California Prop 65 Warning applies.

The Science — What Myostatin Is and Why Inhibiting It Matters

Myostatin: Your Body's Built-In Muscle Growth Brake

Myostatin (Growth Differentiation Factor 8, or GDF-8) is a member of the TGF-beta protein superfamily — a signaling protein produced and secreted by skeletal muscle cells that functions as a negative regulator of muscle mass. Its evolutionary purpose is to limit excessive muscle growth: from a survival perspective, extremely large muscles are metabolically expensive to maintain and mechanically limiting for locomotion, so myostatin serves as a genetic governor that keeps muscle mass within a range the body considers appropriate.†

The significance of myostatin for muscle building was dramatically illustrated by a series of animal studies in the 1990s and 2000s. Mice with the myostatin gene knocked out developed approximately twice the muscle mass of normal mice with no other intervention — pure myostatin elimination doubled their muscular development. Cattle breeds with natural myostatin mutations (Belgian Blue and Piedmontese cattle) develop dramatically increased muscle mass and reduced fat, with a visibly hypertrophied physique that animal scientists call "double muscling." In 2004, a human case was documented — a German infant born with a myostatin gene mutation who displayed extraordinary muscular development by age 4. These cases collectively established that myostatin is the single most powerful genetic limiter of muscle growth in mammals, and that reducing its activity produces substantial increases in muscle mass.†

Follistatin: Myostatin's Natural Antagonist

Follistatin is a glycoprotein that naturally binds to and neutralizes myostatin — it is the body's endogenous myostatin inhibitor. The ratio of circulating myostatin to follistatin determines the net myostatin activity in muscle tissue: higher follistatin relative to myostatin means lower effective myostatin activity and a less restrictive muscle growth environment. Resistance training itself stimulates follistatin production — one of the molecular mechanisms by which progressive overload triggers muscle hypertrophy is by increasing the follistatin signal that reduces myostatin's inhibitory effect. Epicatechin supplementation extends this mechanism beyond what training alone produces.†

The Ingredients — How EpiCat Works

(-)-Epicatechin — 300mg

(-)-Epicatechin is a flavanol naturally occurring in cocoa beans, dark chocolate, green tea, apples, and other plant foods — but at concentrations too low in dietary sources to produce meaningful physiological effects on myostatin. The amount of epicatechin in a standard serving of dark chocolate is approximately 20-30mg; EpiCat delivers 300mg per day across two capsule doses, approximately 10 times more than a strong dark chocolate serving. This dose gap between dietary epicatechin and therapeutic epicatechin supplementation is why food sources cannot replicate supplemental effects.†

The human research on epicatechin supplementation and myostatin is specific and meaningful. A study published in the Journal of Aging and Physical Activity (Mafi et al., 2019) examined 8 weeks of resistance training with epicatechin supplementation in sarcopenic older adults — a population with both elevated baseline myostatin and reduced muscle mass — and found significant improvements in skeletal muscle strength and significant changes in plasma follistatin and myostatin levels compared to resistance training alone. The follistatin-to-myostatin ratio increased substantially in the epicatechin group, indicating a genuine shift in the hormonal environment governing muscle growth.†

Additional research documents epicatechin's effects on nitric oxide bioavailability (improving vasodilation and muscle blood flow), mitochondrial biogenesis (increasing the density of mitochondria in muscle tissue, improving endurance capacity and metabolic efficiency), and antioxidant activity (reducing exercise-induced oxidative stress and supporting recovery). The myostatin inhibition is the primary mechanism of interest for muscle building, but epicatechin's multi-pathway effects make EpiCat a genuinely comprehensive natural anabolic even beyond the myostatin mechanism alone.†

Green Tea Extract (Camellia sinensis)(Leaf) — 700mg

EpiCat's green tea extract is standardized to a high catechin content and provides multiple functional dimensions alongside the epicatechin. EGCG (Epigallocatechin gallate) is the primary catechin in green tea and is one of the most extensively studied natural antioxidant and thermogenic compounds available — documented effects include increased fat oxidation, improved metabolic rate, enhanced insulin sensitivity, and significant antioxidant activity that reduces exercise-induced muscle damage markers. At 700mg of high-standardization extract per serving, EpiCat's green tea component contributes a meaningful dose of EGCG alongside the thermogenic catechin profile.†

Green tea's catechins also have documented effects on muscle recovery — the antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activity of EGCG reduces the oxidative stress produced by intense resistance training, contributing to faster recovery between sessions and reduced delayed-onset muscle soreness. For bodybuilders training at high frequency and volume (where recovery is often the limiting factor rather than training stimulus), the green tea component of EpiCat adds practical value that extends beyond its standalone thermogenic reputation.†

EpiCat vs. Prohormones — The Fundamental Distinction

The muscle building supplement market presents users with a spectrum of approaches — from fully natural compounds like EpiCat to prohormones that convert to active androgens in the body (like the compounds in products such as Blackstone Labs Chosen1 or Super-1-Andro Rx) to outright anabolic steroids that are controlled substances. These categories are fundamentally different in their mechanisms, risk profiles, and regulatory status.†

Prohormones and androgenic compounds work by increasing androgen receptor signaling — mimicking or converting to testosterone and related hormones — which produces anabolic effects but also the side effects associated with elevated androgen activity: suppression of natural testosterone production (requiring PCT), potential impact on liver enzyme markers, effects on lipid profiles, and hormonal disruption. Post-cycle therapy exists for prohormones because natural hormonal production needs support during recovery from the suppression cycle.†

EpiCat works through a completely different pathway — myostatin inhibition and follistatin upregulation — with no interaction with androgen receptors, no conversion to active hormones, no suppression of natural testosterone production, and no liver enzyme stress. This distinction has two important practical implications: EpiCat requires no PCT, and EpiCat can be used by women without the virilization risk that androgenic compounds carry. It can also be stacked directly onto prohormone cycles or used as a standalone natural muscle builder — it does not compete with or interfere with androgen-based products because it operates through a separate biological mechanism.†

How to Stack EpiCat

EpiCat's non-hormonal mechanism makes it stackable with virtually any other supplement — natural or otherwise. The most common Blackstone Labs-native stack is EpiCat plus Anogenin (laxogenin-based natural anabolic) for a dual-pathway natural anabolic approach that covers both myostatin inhibition (EpiCat) and protein synthesis enhancement (Anogenin). For users running prohormone cycles, EpiCat is added alongside the prohormone as a complementary mechanism — the prohormone drives androgen receptor activation, EpiCat reduces myostatin inhibition, and the two work through different pathways simultaneously. For natural athletes, EpiCat stacks directly with a creatine product like Ghost Size V3 (which itself contains 200mg epicatechin alongside Creapure and PeakATP) — though adding EpiCat on top of Ghost Size meaningfully increases the daily epicatechin dose well above Ghost Size's 200mg.†

Frequently Asked Questions About Blackstone Labs EpiCat

1. How long does it take to notice results from EpiCat?
   Myostatin reduction and follistatin upregulation are processes that develop over weeks of consistent supplementation — not days. Most users report the first noticeable effects (improved muscle fullness, harder muscle texture, enhanced pump during training) at 2-4 weeks. Strength improvements typically become measurable at 4-6 weeks. Body composition changes — increased lean mass visible in the mirror — are most apparent at 8-12 weeks of consistent daily use alongside consistent training and adequate protein intake. EpiCat is a slow-build natural anabolic, not an acute performance supplement. Consistent daily dosing is required — skipping days delays the accumulation of the myostatin modulation effect.†
2. Does EpiCat require post-cycle therapy?
   No. EpiCat does not suppress natural testosterone production, does not interact with androgen receptors, and does not alter the HPG (hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal) axis. PCT exists to help restore natural testosterone production after androgen-based suppression — since EpiCat produces no such suppression, PCT has no role in an EpiCat cycle. You can stop EpiCat at any time without a structured off-ramp or hormonal recovery protocol.†
3. Is EpiCat safe for women?
   Yes — EpiCat's non-hormonal, non-androgenic mechanism makes it safe for female use. The myostatin inhibition pathway does not interact with estrogen or testosterone signaling, produces no virilization effects, and does not affect hormonal balance in women. It is marketed as part of Blackstone Labs' women's muscle building stack (paired with Anogenin). Women who are pregnant or nursing should not use EpiCat.†
4. Can EpiCat cause a false positive on a drug test?
   Blackstone Labs' label states that EpiCat contains ingredients that may be banned by some sports organizations and may increase the risk of a false positive on a drug test. Green tea's EGCG and catechin content can potentially interfere with certain immunoassay-based drug screens. Competitive athletes subject to drug testing should consult their sports organization and/or a sports medicine physician before using EpiCat. Testing protocols and prohibited substance lists vary across organizations.†

How to Take Blackstone Labs EpiCat

Take 1 capsule twice daily with food. Space doses evenly throughout the day — morning and evening with meals is the standard protocol. Do not exceed 2 capsules per day. No loading phase required. No cycling required, though periodic breaks are recommended to prevent adaptation. No PCT required when discontinuing. Take consistently every day for best results — skip days slow the myostatin modulation process. California Prop 65 Warning applies.†

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Who Should Not Take Blackstone Labs EpiCat

• Not for use by persons under 18 years of age
• Not for pregnant or nursing women
• Consult a physician before use if you are taking any prescription medications or have any medical condition
• This product contains ingredients that may be banned by some sports organizations and may increase the risk of a false positive on a drug test — consult your sports organization before use
• Do not exceed 2 capsules per day
• California Residents: This product can expose you to chemicals known to the State of California to cause cancer and birth defects or other reproductive harm. Visit P65Warnings.ca.gov for more information.
• Keep out of reach of children

†These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.