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.

14 ingredients

Berberine

Energy

A bright yellow alkaloid from barberry, goldenseal and Coptis root, used in Chinese and ayurvedic medicine long before its metabolic effects were described.

What it does in the body

Berberine activates AMPK, the enzyme that signals low cellular energy and switches the cell from storing to burning. It also changes the composition of the gut microbiota, which may account for part of the effect.

What the research looks at

  • Fasting glucose and HbA1c
  • LDL cholesterol and triglycerides
  • Gut microbiota composition
Typical daily dose
500 mg, two or three times daily
Time to effect
4–12 weeks
Usually taken
With meals

Binders (zeolite, charcoal, chitosan)

Liver & detox

Not nutrients but adsorbents: porous materials that bind compounds in the gut so they leave with stool rather than being reabsorbed.

What it does in the body

Each material has a different affinity — activated charcoal is broad and non-selective, zeolite has a crystalline cage structure, chitosan binds fats. Because they are non-selective they also bind medication and nutrients.

What the research looks at

  • Adsorption capacity for specific compounds
  • Enterohepatic recirculation
  • Interaction with medicines taken at the same time
Typical daily dose
1–2 g
Time to effect
Same day
Usually taken
Away from food, medicine and supplements

Bitter Herbs (gentian, dandelion, artichoke)

Gut & digestion

A traditional European category rather than a single substance: gentian root, dandelion, artichoke leaf and wormwood, taken before a meal. The point is the bitterness itself.

What it does in the body

Bitter compounds activate taste receptors on the tongue and further down the gut, which triggers the release of saliva, gastric acid, bile and digestive enzymes before food arrives.

What the research looks at

  • Bile flow and fat digestion
  • Feelings of fullness and bloating after meals
  • Appetite regulation
Typical daily dose
A few drops to 1 ml
Time to effect
Minutes
Usually taken
10–15 minutes before a meal

Chlorella

Liver & detox

A single-celled green alga with a cellulose wall too tough for human digestion — quality products have that wall physically cracked, which is what "broken cell wall" on a label means.

What it does in the body

The cell wall material binds certain compounds in the gut, and chlorella is unusually rich in chlorophyll. Unlike spirulina it does contain some bioavailable B12.

What the research looks at

  • Binding of dioxins and heavy metals in the gut
  • Liver enzymes
  • Immune markers
Typical daily dose
3–6 g
Time to effect
4–12 weeks
Usually taken
With food

Choline

Brain & focus

An essential nutrient grouped with the B vitamins although it is not one. Egg yolk and liver are the richest common sources, and most Europeans fall short of the adequate intake.

What it does in the body

Choline is the raw material for acetylcholine, the neurotransmitter of memory and muscle activation, and for phosphatidylcholine, a structural component of every cell membrane. It also donates methyl groups.

What the research looks at

  • Memory and attention
  • Fat transport out of the liver
  • Foetal brain development
Typical daily dose
400–550 mg
Time to effect
4–12 weeks
Usually taken
With food

Curcumin

Antioxidants In the Blueprint protocol

The yellow pigment in turmeric, and roughly three per cent of the dried root by weight. On its own it is very poorly absorbed, which is why serious formulations pair it with piperine, phospholipids or a micellar carrier.

What it does in the body

Curcumin acts on NF-κB, the transcription factor that switches on much of the body's inflammatory signalling, and on Nrf2, which regulates the cell's own antioxidant defences.

What the research looks at

  • Markers of inflammation such as CRP
  • Joint comfort and mobility
  • Exercise-induced muscle damage
Typical daily dose
500–1500 mg
Time to effect
4–8 weeks
Usually taken
With a fat-containing meal

DIM (Diindolylmethane)

Hormones

Formed in the stomach when indole-3-carbinol from broccoli, cabbage and Brussels sprouts meets stomach acid. Eating the vegetables gives the precursor; the supplement gives the product.

What it does in the body

DIM shifts oestrogen metabolism in the liver towards the 2-hydroxy pathway rather than the 16-hydroxy one, changing the ratio between metabolites rather than the total amount of hormone.

What the research looks at

  • Ratio of 2-hydroxy to 16-hydroxy oestrogen metabolites
  • Hormone-related cyclical symptoms
  • Prostate markers
Typical daily dose
100–200 mg
Time to effect
4–12 weeks
Usually taken
With a fat-containing meal

Glutathione

Antioxidants In the Blueprint protocol

The body's own principal antioxidant, a tripeptide of glutamate, cysteine and glycine present in every cell. Oral glutathione is broken down readily, which is why liposomal delivery exists.

What it does in the body

Glutathione neutralises peroxides and regenerates vitamins C and E. It is also the conjugating molecule in phase II liver detoxification, which is how fat-soluble compounds are made excretable.

What the research looks at

  • Blood and tissue glutathione levels after supplementation
  • Oxidative stress markers
  • Liver detoxification capacity
Typical daily dose
250–1000 mg
Time to effect
4–12 weeks
Usually taken
On an empty stomach

Milk Thistle (Silymarin)

Liver & detox

A thistle from the Mediterranean whose seeds contain silymarin, a group of flavonolignans. It is the most-studied botanical in the liver category by a wide margin.

What it does in the body

Silymarin stabilises hepatocyte membranes and supports glutathione levels in liver tissue. It also acts as a direct antioxidant in a tissue that handles a high oxidative load by design.

What the research looks at

  • Liver enzymes such as ALT and AST
  • Fat accumulation in the liver
  • Antioxidant status in liver tissue
Typical daily dose
200–600 mg
Time to effect
4–12 weeks
Usually taken
With food

Molybdenum

Minerals

One of the least discussed essential trace minerals. The requirement is measured in tens of micrograms, and pulses and grains supply it readily.

What it does in the body

Molybdenum is the cofactor for sulphite oxidase, which converts sulphite to sulphate, and for the enzymes that break down purines and certain drugs.

What the research looks at

  • Sulphite metabolism
  • Purine and uric acid handling
Typical daily dose
45–150 µg
Time to effect
4–8 weeks
Usually taken
With food

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

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

Sulforaphane

Antioxidants In the Blueprint protocol

Formed when broccoli is chewed or chopped and the enzyme myrosinase meets glucoraphanin. Broccoli sprouts contain up to a hundred times more of the precursor than the mature head.

What it does in the body

Sulforaphane is the most potent known natural activator of Nrf2, the transcription factor that switches on the cell's own antioxidant and phase II detoxification enzymes. It works indirectly, by making the cell defend itself.

What the research looks at

  • Nrf2 target gene expression
  • Detoxification of airborne pollutants
  • Markers of oxidative stress
Typical daily dose
10–40 mg
Time to effect
4–12 weeks
Usually taken
On an empty stomach

TMG (Betaine / Trimethylglycine)

Liver & detox

Three methyl groups attached to glycine. Beetroot is the richest food source, which is where the name betaine comes from.

What it does in the body

TMG donates a methyl group to convert homocysteine back into methionine — a route that runs parallel to the folate and B12 pathway and does not depend on either.

What the research looks at

  • Homocysteine levels
  • Liver fat
  • Power output in strength athletes
Typical daily dose
500–3000 mg
Time to effect
4–12 weeks
Usually taken
With food

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.