Forget steroids, Kermit's friends are being used as the latest performance enhancing drug in sports.

Or something like that.

Anything to get an edge as they say, as horse racing is facing a new scandal thanks to a few Phyllomedusa Sauvagei frogs with superpowers. It's believed the waxy monkey tree frog's skin produces a strong substance that helps mask pain, thus helping horses run faster.

The polliwog produced painkiller is said to be 40 times more powerful than morphine. So far 30 horses in four different states have tested positive for the banned substance.

Although found in South America, the frog will soon be causing pain to horse trainers around America, according to the NY Times. While no horsemen have officially been charged, that's coming soon enough.

Why is this such a big issue? It's simple: if a horse doesn't feel injury, the odds of the animal running harder go up.

“We hear about some pretty exotic stuff,” said Dr. Steven Barker, who directs the testing laboratory at Louisiana State University explained to the NY Times. “Frog juice — this is exotic.”

Nobody knowns how widespread the issue is, since most states don't have the ability to test for demorphin. The New Orleans Times-Picayune reports scientists have discovered its use in Oklahoma, New Mexico and Louisiana, with some speculation Texas is also involved.

As Roger Clemens and Barry Bonds can attest, it doesn't figure to be long before politicians get involved in this mess.

-- Follow Ben Maller on Twitter @BenMaller.

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