How to Read a Supplement Label Properly

Extract versus raw powder

An extract is what remains after raw herb is processed to concentrate its active compounds and discard fibre and inert matter. A smaller extract weight can therefore represent a much larger quantity of the original plant.

A ratio like 7:1 means seven grams of raw herb produced one gram of extract. Multiply to get the raw-herb equivalent.

Standardisation is a separate thing

Some labels state a standardised percentage — “standardised to 25% gymnemic acids”, for example. That specifies the concentration of a marker compound, which is more informative than a ratio alone because it describes the active fraction.

A label giving both a ratio and a standardisation is being more transparent than one giving neither.

Proprietary blends

A proprietary blend prints one total figure covering several ingredients. It is legal and occasionally defensible as formula protection. It also makes it impossible to know whether the expensive ingredient is present meaningfully.

Rule of thumb: individually named amounts signal confidence; a single blend total is a signal to ask why.

Liquid formats specifically

For drops, check the serving size in millilitres or droppers and the servings per container. A 60 ml bottle at 2 ml per serving is 30 servings; at 1 ml it is 60. That single number decides cost per day.

The four checks

1. Extract or raw powder, and at what ratio?
2. Is a standardisation percentage stated?
3. Named individually or hidden in a blend?
4. How many servings per container?

For a neutral reference on what supplement labels must state, the FDA dietary supplement overview is the primary source.

Keep reading

• Chromium and Blood Sugar, Explained
• Gymnema: The “Sugar Destroyer”, Examined
• African Mango: What the Evidence Actually Says
• Ginseng, Eleuthero and Maca: The Adaptogen Trio

Found this useful? The rest of the series is on the Glucovive blog.