BACKGROUND DHEA was first discovered as a urine metabolite in 1934 by Adolf Buteiiandt and Hans Dannenbaum from Germany. It was reaffirmed as a urinary metabolite in 1943 and isolated from serum in 1954. Basically, the actions of DHEA oppose those of cortisol, but in addition it is used as raw material for production of a long list of “neurosteroid” hormones. Figure 1, Synthesis and metabolism of DHEA DHEA, a lipophilic prohormone, is pluripotent.In Humans, it is manufactured in the adrenal glands and the brain (the brain is the sole source of DHEA in lower animals) and to a lesser…