Ingredients

What is actually in the products

Our complete ingredient catalogue. Search for an ingredient or filter by category to read what each one is, what it does in the body and what the research looks at. Every entry links to the studies on PubMed and to the products in our range that contain it.

22 ingredients

Beta-Glucan

Immunity

A soluble fibre found in oats, barley, baker's yeast and mushroom cell walls. The oat and yeast forms differ in structure and do different things.

What it does in the body

Oat beta-glucan forms a viscous gel that traps bile acids in the gut, forcing the liver to draw cholesterol from the blood to replace them. Yeast beta-glucan is recognised by receptors on immune cells instead.

What the research looks at

  • LDL cholesterol from oat beta-glucan
  • Frequency of upper respiratory infections
  • Post-meal blood glucose
Typical daily dose
3 g oat, 250–500 mg yeast
Time to effect
4–12 weeks
Usually taken
With meals

Bovine Colostrum

Immunity

The first milk a cow produces after calving, collected in the window before it turns into ordinary milk. It is dense in immune factors because a newborn calf is born without any.

What it does in the body

Colostrum carries immunoglobulins, lactoferrin, and growth factors including IGF-1 and TGF-beta. These act locally in the gut rather than being absorbed intact, supporting the epithelial lining and the immune tissue beneath it.

What the research looks at

  • Intestinal permeability, including exercise-induced
  • Upper respiratory infections in athletes
  • Gut immune signalling
Typical daily dose
1–3 g
Time to effect
4–8 weeks
Usually taken
On an empty stomach, in cold water

Cat's Claw (Uncaria tomentosa)

Immunity

A woody vine from the Amazon basin, named after the curved thorns along its stem. The bark contains oxindole alkaloids and is used in traditional Peruvian medicine.

What it does in the body

The alkaloids appear to modulate immune signalling and NF-κB activity. Extracts differ substantially depending on which alkaloid group dominates in the raw material.

What the research looks at

  • Joint comfort in osteoarthritis
  • Immune cell activity
  • Markers of inflammation
Typical daily dose
250–350 mg extract
Time to effect
4–8 weeks
Usually taken
Any time of day

Chaga (Inonotus obliquus)

Immunity In the Blueprint protocol

A black, charcoal-like growth on birch trunks across northern Europe and Siberia. It has been brewed as a tea in Nordic and Russian folk medicine for centuries.

What it does in the body

Chaga is exceptionally high in melanin and in betulinic acid drawn from the birch it grows on, alongside the beta-glucans common to medicinal mushrooms.

What the research looks at

  • Antioxidant capacity in vitro
  • Immune modulation
  • Oxalate content, which is high enough to be worth noting
Typical daily dose
1–3 g extract
Time to effect
4–12 weeks
Usually taken
Any time of day

Cordyceps

Energy In the Blueprint protocol

A fungus that in the wild parasitises insect larvae. Commercial supplements use Cordyceps militaris grown on grain, not the wild Tibetan species, which is among the most expensive biological materials on earth.

What it does in the body

Cordycepin and adenosine analogues appear to affect ATP turnover and oxygen utilisation. It became widely known after Chinese distance runners credited it in the early nineties.

What the research looks at

  • VO2 max and time to exhaustion
  • Fatigue resistance in older adults
  • Immune cell activity
Typical daily dose
1–3 g extract
Time to effect
3–12 weeks
Usually taken
Morning or before training

Eleuthero (Siberian ginseng)

Energy

Eleutherococcus senticosus, a thorny shrub from north-eastern Asia. Despite the common name it is not botanically a ginseng; the active compounds are eleutherosides rather than ginsenosides.

What it does in the body

Classified as an adaptogen: it modulates the stress response rather than stimulating a single system, and it is used in traditional medicine during periods of sustained physical load.

What the research looks at

  • Endurance capacity and recovery between sessions
  • Fatigue during periods of high workload
  • Immune cell counts
Typical daily dose
300–1200 mg
Time to effect
2–6 weeks
Usually taken
Morning

Ginger (Zingiber officinale)

Gut & digestion In the Blueprint protocol

The rhizome of the ginger plant. The pungency comes from gingerols, which turn into shogaols when the root is dried — a different compound profile in dried extract than in fresh root.

What it does in the body

Gingerols influence prostaglandin and leukotriene synthesis, the same enzymatic pathways involved in the body's inflammatory signalling, and ginger speeds up gastric emptying.

What the research looks at

  • Nausea, including motion sickness and pregnancy
  • Markers of inflammation
  • Muscle soreness after exercise
Typical daily dose
500–2000 mg
Time to effect
Same day for nausea
Usually taken
With food

Immunoglobulins (Serum-Derived, SBI)

Immunity

Concentrated IgG antibodies from bovine serum rather than from milk, which makes them suitable for people who cannot have dairy.

What it does in the body

The antibodies bind bacterial toxins and antigens inside the gut lumen so that they never reach the epithelium. They act like a filter in the gut, not like a drug in the bloodstream.

What the research looks at

  • Intestinal barrier integrity
  • Loose stools and bloating
  • Immune activation markers in the gut
Typical daily dose
1–5 g
Time to effect
2–8 weeks
Usually taken
On an empty stomach

Inulin (Prebiotic Fibre)

Fibre

A chain of fructose units found in chicory root, Jerusalem artichoke and onion. It is a prebiotic: food for bacteria rather than bacteria themselves.

What it does in the body

Human enzymes cannot break the bonds in inulin, so it reaches the colon intact and is fermented by bifidobacteria into short-chain fatty acids, primarily butyrate, which the colon cells use as fuel.

What the research looks at

  • Bifidobacteria counts in stool
  • Calcium absorption
  • Post-meal glucose and satiety
Typical daily dose
5–10 g
Time to effect
2–4 weeks
Usually taken
With food, increasing gradually

L-Glutamine

Gut & digestion

The most abundant free amino acid in the body. It is conditionally essential: production keeps up under normal conditions but not during severe illness, burns or trauma.

What it does in the body

Glutamine is the preferred fuel of enterocytes, the cells lining the small intestine, and of rapidly dividing immune cells. It is also a nitrogen shuttle between tissues.

What the research looks at

  • Intestinal barrier integrity
  • Immune function under heavy training load
  • Recovery in catabolic states
Typical daily dose
5–15 g
Time to effect
4–8 weeks
Usually taken
On an empty stomach

L-Lysine

Protein In the Blueprint protocol

An essential amino acid, and the one that most often limits protein quality in cereal-based diets. Pulses are rich in it, which is why beans and grains complement each other.

What it does in the body

Lysine is cross-linked into collagen by lysyl oxidase, and it is the precursor to carnitine. It also competes with arginine for the same transporters, which is the basis of its traditional use.

What the research looks at

  • Collagen cross-linking and wound healing
  • Calcium absorption
  • Recurrence of cold sores
Typical daily dose
1–3 g
Time to effect
4–12 weeks
Usually taken
On an empty stomach

N-Acetylcysteine (NAC)

Liver & detox In the Blueprint protocol

A stabilised form of the amino acid cysteine. In hospitals it is the standard antidote for paracetamol overdose, given precisely because it restores liver glutathione quickly.

What it does in the body

Cysteine is the rate-limiting ingredient in glutathione synthesis — the body has plenty of the other two amino acids and not enough of this one. NAC also breaks disulphide bonds in mucus.

What the research looks at

  • Glutathione levels in liver and lung tissue
  • Mucus viscosity in airway conditions
  • Markers of oxidative stress
Typical daily dose
600–1800 mg
Time to effect
2–8 weeks
Usually taken
On an empty stomach

Panax Ginseng

Energy

Asian ginseng, the root that gives the whole adaptogen category its reputation. Standardised on ginsenosides, of which there are more than a hundred distinct forms.

What it does in the body

Ginsenosides affect nitric oxide signalling and the way cells respond to oxidative load. The composition differs between species and preparations, which is a large part of why study results vary.

What the research looks at

  • Working memory and mental fatigue
  • Subjective energy during illness and convalescence
  • Blood glucose regulation
Typical daily dose
200–400 mg extract
Time to effect
2–8 weeks
Usually taken
Morning

Probiotics

Gut & digestion

Live bacteria, most commonly Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium strains. Effects are strain-specific, not species-specific — two products with the same species name can behave quite differently.

What it does in the body

Probiotic strains compete with less desirable bacteria for space and substrate, produce short-chain fatty acids and lactic acid, and interact with the immune tissue in the gut wall.

What the research looks at

  • Antibiotic-associated digestive upset
  • Symptoms of irritable bowel by strain
  • Immune markers
Typical daily dose
1–50 billion CFU
Time to effect
2–8 weeks
Usually taken
With or just before food

Quercetin

Antioxidants

The most abundant flavonoid in the diet, concentrated in onion skin, capers and apples. Absorption is low unless it is formulated with phospholipids or enzymatically modified.

What it does in the body

Quercetin stabilises mast cells, which is the basis of its use for seasonal complaints, and acts as a senolytic in laboratory work — selectively clearing cells that have stopped dividing.

What the research looks at

  • Histamine release and seasonal symptoms
  • Senescent cell clearance in animal models
  • Blood pressure
Typical daily dose
500–1000 mg
Time to effect
4–8 weeks
Usually taken
With food

Raw Honey

Antioxidants

Honey that has not been heated or filtered, so it keeps its pollen, enzymes and the compounds that pasteurisation drives off. It is still sugar, and should be counted as such.

What it does in the body

The enzyme glucose oxidase produces small amounts of hydrogen peroxide, which is why honey resists spoiling and why it is used on wounds. Raw honey also contains flavonoids and phenolic acids from the nectar source.

What the research looks at

  • Cough and throat irritation in children
  • Wound dressing in clinical use
  • Antioxidant content by floral source
Typical daily dose
1–2 teaspoons
Time to effect
Same day for throat use
Usually taken
Any time; not added to boiling liquid

Reishi (Ganoderma lucidum)

Sleep In the Blueprint protocol

A hard, lacquered bracket fungus called the mushroom of immortality in Chinese texts. It is too woody to eat, so it is always taken as an extract.

What it does in the body

Triterpenes give reishi its bitterness and are linked to its calming reputation; beta-glucans are the immune-active fraction. A dual extract is needed because the two dissolve in different solvents.

What the research looks at

  • Sleep quality and fatigue
  • Immune cell markers
  • Blood pressure and lipids
Typical daily dose
1–3 g extract
Time to effect
4–12 weeks
Usually taken
Evening

Scutellaria baicalensis (Baicalin)

Antioxidants

Chinese skullcap, one of the fundamental herbs in traditional Chinese medicine. The root is rich in the flavones baicalin, baicalein and wogonin.

What it does in the body

Baicalin is a flavonoid antioxidant that influences several enzymes in the inflammatory cascade. It is also studied for how it interacts with liver detoxification enzymes.

What the research looks at

  • Markers of oxidative stress
  • Liver enzyme activity
  • Airway and seasonal complaints
Typical daily dose
250–1000 mg
Time to effect
2–8 weeks
Usually taken
With food

Vitamin A (Retinol)

Vitamins

A fat-soluble vitamin that comes in two forms: preformed retinol from animal foods such as liver and cod liver oil, and beta-carotene from plants, which the body converts with varying efficiency.

What it does in the body

Retinol is converted to retinal in the retina, where it forms the light-sensitive pigment rhodopsin, and to retinoic acid, which regulates gene expression in skin and mucous membranes.

What the research looks at

  • Night vision and eye health
  • The barrier function of skin and mucous membranes
  • Immune cell maturation
Typical daily dose
700–900 µg RAE
Time to effect
4–12 weeks
Usually taken
With a fat-containing meal

Vitamin C (Ascorbic Acid)

Vitamins In the Blueprint protocol

Humans are among the few mammals that cannot make their own vitamin C — a broken enzyme, shared with guinea pigs and fruit bats, is the reason it has to come from food.

What it does in the body

Ascorbate is a cofactor for the enzymes that hydroxylate collagen, which is why deficiency shows up first in connective tissue. It also regenerates vitamin E and keeps iron and copper in the right oxidation state.

What the research looks at

  • Duration of common colds
  • Collagen synthesis and skin firmness
  • Non-haem iron absorption
Typical daily dose
80–1000 mg
Time to effect
2–8 weeks
Usually taken
Split across the day

Vitamin D3 (Cholecalciferol)

Vitamins In the Blueprint protocol

Technically a hormone rather than a vitamin. Skin makes it from sunlight, but above roughly 40 degrees latitude the sun sits too low from October to March for that to work at all — which covers most of Europe.

What it does in the body

Cholecalciferol is hydroxylated in the liver and then the kidney into calcitriol, which binds a nuclear receptor present in most tissues and regulates several hundred genes, including those governing calcium absorption.

What the research looks at

  • Calcium absorption and bone density
  • Respiratory infections during winter
  • Muscle strength in older adults
Typical daily dose
1000–4000 IU
Time to effect
8–12 weeks
Usually taken
With the largest meal of the day

Zinc

Minerals In the Blueprint protocol

A trace mineral present in the active site of hundreds of enzymes. There is no storage depot for it, so a few weeks of low intake shows up in function rather than in a reserve being drawn down.

What it does in the body

Zinc is structural in zinc-finger proteins that read DNA, required for T-cell maturation, and a cofactor in the enzymes that build collagen and keratin.

What the research looks at

  • Duration of common colds
  • Wound healing and acne
  • Testosterone levels where intake is low
Typical daily dose
10–25 mg
Time to effect
4–12 weeks
Usually taken
With food, away from iron and calcium

Why the form and the dose matter

Two products can name the same ingredient on the label and behave completely differently. Magnesium oxide and magnesium glycinate are both magnesium; only one of them is absorbed properly. Ethyl ester fish oil and triglyceride fish oil are both omega-3. Folic acid and methylfolate are both folate, but not for everyone.

That is the difference this page is written to make visible. Where a form matters we have given it its own entry rather than hiding it inside a general one, and the dose listed is the one used in the research — not the smallest amount a manufacturer can put on a label and still name the ingredient.

We only describe a product as third-party tested when there is documentation behind the claim. Below is what each of our brands actually documents, brand by brand.

Third-party testing

Certificates of analysis

Pick a brand to see what is actually tested and who tests it. Four of the seven publish reports you can open right here — and they publish different amounts, from a certificate for every batch down to a single lot. The other three document their testing and hand over the paperwork for a specific batch when you ask. That difference is worth knowing before you buy, so we have not smoothed it over. Every report is also linked from the product it covers.

Blueprint 24 reports published

Every batch goes to an independent accredited laboratory in the United States, which checks the contents against the label and screens for heavy metals, microbes and other contamination. Blueprint publishes the full report for every batch, and a new one follows each production run.

Supplements

Nutrition

Skincare

Haircare

Lineage Provisions 9 reports published

Samples from every batch are run on ICP-MS, LC-MS and GC-MS and screened for more than three hundred contaminants, among them heavy metals, glyphosate, pesticides and mycotoxins. The analyses are done by Light Labs, who publish a running report per product with every test result in it — not a single certificate but the whole series, with the date of the most recent test.

Supplements

Nutrition

Designs for Health 14 reports published

Raw materials are tested for identity, purity and potency at external ISO-certified laboratories and screened for heavy metals, pesticides and microbiological contamination. A supplier’s own certificate is treated as a claim to verify rather than a result to accept. Certificates are published per lot rather than for the product as a whole, so the one below covers the lot number printed on it and no other — for a different lot, ask us and we will request it.

Supplements

SALTE 1 report published

Each batch is sent to Eurofins, an independent accredited laboratory, which confirms that the sodium, potassium, magnesium and chloride in a sachet match the amounts on the packet. The published report covers five flavours in one document and is the laboratory’s own, in Swedish.

Supplements

ARMRA Testing documented

Every production run is audited by ISO/IEC-accredited third-party laboratories for heavy metals, glyphosate, other contaminants and microbiology before any of it is released for sale. ARMRA documents the programme and its certifications publicly; the report for a specific batch comes from the manufacturer on request.

Quicksilver Scientific Testing documented

Made in an NSF/ANSI 455-2 GMP-certified facility in Colorado with its own ISO/IEC 17025-accredited testing laboratory. Every batch is tested both in-house and by outside laboratories for potency and purity; the certificate for a batch comes from the manufacturer on request.

Solgar Reports on request

Solgar tests raw materials on arrival and finished products before release in its own quality laboratory, and manufactures to GMP. That is an in-house programme, not an outside verification: Solgar carries no NSF or USP certification, so we do not describe it as third-party tested. Batch documentation is available from the manufacturer on request.

Vital Nutrients Testing documented

Vital Nutrients documents a Quality Assurance Programme that engages third-party laboratories — every batch of GMO-susceptible ingredients, for example, is tested for GMO markers at an independent genetics laboratory, and even the bottles are third-party verified BPA-free. Individual lot certificates are not published; documentation for a batch comes from the manufacturer on request.

T.A. Sciences Testing documented

T.A. Sciences documents an end-to-end testing and analysis programme across sourcing, formulation and US manufacturing, and TA-65 has been determined Generally Recognized as Safe (GRAS) by an independent expert panel. That safety assessment is not batch testing, and no lot certificates are published — documentation comes from the manufacturer on request.

Why testing matters

Why does a supplement need testing at all?

Because nothing else verifies the label. A supplement is regulated as a food, not as a medicine, which means no authority checks each batch before it reaches a shelf. Testing is what turns the number on the tub into something you can look up.

What is being tested for?

Two separate things. Identity and quantity — is the ingredient present, and in the amount the label states. And contamination — heavy metals, microbes, solvent residues and traces from the packaging, which can come from the raw material, the production line or the container.

How often is the label actually wrong?

Often enough to be worth checking. Of 272 supplements implicated in liver injury in the United States, 51 per cent had contents that did not match the label (Hepatology Communications, 2019). Among 57 botanical sports supplements, 89 per cent were inaccurately labelled and 40 per cent contained none of the labelled ingredient at all (JAMA Network Open, 2023).

What can I ask you for?

The report for the batch you were sent. Where a manufacturer does not publish one, we ask them for it — tell us the product and the batch number on the tub and we will come back with what they give us, or with the fact that they would not.

The certificates are the property of the manufacturers and their laboratories, and are linked here in their original location. Blueprint’s reports may not be reused without Blueprint’s permission.

This page is general information about ingredients, not advice for you. Food supplements are not medicines and do not cure, treat or prevent disease. They do not replace a varied diet, sleep, movement or medical care. Doses and timings are those used in published research and on product labels; they are not a recommendation. If you are pregnant, breastfeeding, taking medication or living with a medical condition, talk to a doctor or pharmacist before starting anything new.