All 999 supplements, strongest evidence first

The soluble fibre from barley, one of the few supplement ingredients with an authorised cholesterol-lowering health claim.

Caffeine

The world's most widely consumed stimulant.

Casein Protein

Casein is a complete, slowly digested milk protein that builds muscle about as well as any other high-quality protein when it fills a gap in daily intake.

Creatine (monohydrate)

One of the most studied supplements in the world.

Energy Gels

Strong evidenceVitamins & minerals

Concentrated carbohydrate in a portable sachet.

Ferrous Sulfate

The reference treatment for iron-deficiency anemia: cheap, effective and extensively studied.

Folic Acid (Vitamin B9)

Strong evidenceWomen's health

Periconceptional folic acid is one of the few supplements with an unambiguous, large, replicated benefit: it prevents neural tube defects.

Infant Vitamin D Drops

Strong evidenceVitamins & minerals

One of the few supplements that is genuinely and unambiguously recommended: 400 IU/day for every breastfed infant from the first days of life prevents rickets and vitamin D deficiency.

Iron

Strong evidenceGeneral health

Iron is one of the few supplements with unambiguous, large benefits — but only if you are actually deficient.

Meal Replacement Shakes

Strong evidenceWeight management

This is one of the few weight-management categories with genuinely good evidence: structured meal replacement produces more weight loss than conventional calorie-restricted diets in randomised trials.

Oat Beta-Glucan

Strong evidenceGut health

Oat beta-glucan is one of the few supplements with a genuinely strong, regulator-endorsed evidence base: at 3 g/day it lowers LDL cholesterol by roughly 4-5% across dozens of randomized trials.

Pancreatin

A mixture of pancreatic enzymes with solid trial evidence in diagnosed exocrine pancreatic insufficiency.

Peppermint Oil (Enteric-Coated)

Strong evidenceGut health

One of the few supplements with genuine meta-analytic support for IBS — peppermint oil beats placebo for global symptoms and abdominal pain, with a number needed to treat around 4.

Plant Sterols

Plant sterols and stanols reliably lower LDL cholesterol by about 8-12% at 2 g/day — one of the best-established non-drug lipid interventions.

Potassium

Strong evidenceWomen's health

Raising potassium intake lowers blood pressure, and in the one large hard-outcome trial it reduced stroke and death.

Prenatal Multivitamin

One of the few supplements with genuinely strong evidence — but the benefit comes from a few specific nutrients (folic acid, iodine, iron, choline, DHA), not from having fifty ingredients on the label.

Psyllium Husk (fiber)

Strong evidenceGut health

A soluble, gel-forming fiber.

Red Yeast Rice

Red yeast rice genuinely lowers LDL cholesterol — because it contains monacolin K, which is chemically identical to the drug lovastatin.

Sodium Bicarbonate

One of the few sports supplements with a genuine, well-replicated ergogenic effect: it buffers blood acidosis and improves performance in efforts lasting roughly 1-10 minutes.

Soy Protein

Strong evidenceStress & mood

Soy is a complete plant protein that produces the same strength and lean-mass gains as whey in head-to-head training trials, and modestly lowers LDL cholesterol.

St John's Wort

St John's Wort is the rare herbal supplement with genuinely strong efficacy data — it works about as well as standard antidepressants for mild-to-moderate depression, with better tolerability.

Vitamin B12

Strong evidenceGeneral health

Essential for red blood cells and the nervous system.

Vitamin D3

Strong evidenceGeneral health

Essential for bone health, muscle function, and immunity.

Whey Protein

High-quality, fast-absorbing milk protein.

Whey Protein Isolate

A filtered whey with roughly 90% protein and very little lactose or fat.

Moderate evidence (247)

Acetyl-L-Carnitine

Acetyl-L-carnitine has the best evidence for painful diabetic neuropathy and depressive symptoms, where several trials show real benefit; its reputation as a general nootropic for healthy brains rests on much thinner ground.

Allulose

A rare sugar that tastes close to sucrose but is barely metabolised, so it contributes almost no calories.

Aloe Vera

Oral aloe vera gel produces small but fairly consistent reductions in fasting glucose and HbA1c in prediabetes and untreated type 2 diabetes, though the trials are small and low quality.

Alpha-Galactosidase

Alpha-galactosidase (the enzyme in Beano-type products) breaks down the galacto-oligosaccharides in beans and cruciferous vegetables before colonic bacteria ferment them, and small randomized trials show it genuinely reduces gas.

Alpha-GPC

A choline compound with genuine clinical data in age-related cognitive decline, mostly as an add-on to dementia drugs.

Alpha-Lipoic Acid

Alpha-lipoic acid has genuine, replicated evidence for reducing the symptoms of diabetic peripheral neuropathy at 600 mg/day, where it is an approved treatment in some countries.

American Ginseng

One of the few cold-prevention supplements with real randomized trials behind it.

Amla (Indian Gooseberry)

One of the better-supported Ayurvedic botanicals: two independent meta-analyses find consistent improvements in cholesterol, fasting glucose, and CRP.

Andrographis

Andrographis paniculata has better trial support for acute respiratory symptoms than echinacea does — consistent cough and sore-throat reductions across ~33 trials — but most studies are small, short and conducted with one proprietary combination product.

Anemia Support Formulas

Iron combined with B12, folate and vitamin C.

Anti-Inflammatory Formulas

Blends built around curcumin and boswellia for joint pain.

Artichoke Extract

Artichoke leaf extract produces a small but reproducible reduction in total and LDL cholesterol, and has decent trial support for functional dyspepsia.

Ashwagandha

An adaptogenic herb from Ayurvedic medicine.

ASU (Avocado Soybean Unsaponifiables)

ASU at 300 mg/day meaningfully reduces pain and improves function in knee osteoarthritis across pooled placebo-controlled trials, but the same analyses show no benefit in hip OA.

Bacillus Clausii

A spore probiotic used for decades in Europe and Latin America, mostly as Enterogermina.

Bacillus Coagulans

A spore-forming probiotic that survives heat and shelf storage, which is its main practical advantage.

Bacopa Monnieri

One of the few herbal nootropics with a replicated signal: about 12 weeks of standardized extract modestly speeds attention and improves delayed recall in healthy adults.

Barberry

Barberry trials in type 2 diabetes show real but modest glucose and lipid improvements — HbA1c down about 0.

Beef Protein Isolate

Beef protein performs about as well as whey for lean mass and strength when total protein intake is matched.

Beetroot (Dietary Nitrate)

Beetroot juice raises nitric oxide availability and produces small but real improvements in endurance and repeated high-intensity work, mostly in recreational athletes.

Benfotiamine

Benfotiamine is a fat-soluble thiamine derivative that genuinely reaches the bloodstream far better than ordinary thiamine.

Berberine

Berberine genuinely lowers blood glucose and LDL cholesterol, with effect sizes in the same range as low-dose metformin — but almost all trials are small, short and from a single region, and the methodological quality is poor.

Beta-Alanine

Raises muscle carnosine, buffering acid during intense exercise.

Beta-Glucans

Two different molecules share one name: oat/barley beta-glucan has strong, regulator-endorsed evidence for lowering LDL cholesterol, while yeast and mushroom beta-glucans have only modest and inconsistent evidence for reducing respiratory infections.

Beta-Sitosterol

The single most-studied plant sterol for prostate symptoms, with pooled trials showing a genuine ~4.

Bifidobacterium Bifidum

One of the few probiotic species with a well-replicated IBS result: the MIMBb75 strain improved symptoms in two randomized trials, including a heat-inactivated version.

Bifidobacterium Infantis

Properly B.

Bifidobacterium Lactis (BB-12/HN019)

One of the most studied probiotic species.

Bifidobacterium Longum

A dominant species of the adult and infant colon with genuinely interesting gut-brain data for two specific strains (NCC3001 and 1714), but the generic "B.

Black Ginger (Kaempferia parviflora)

A Thai rhizome rich in methoxyflavones, sold for stamina and fat loss.

Black Seed Oil (Nigella)

Nigella sativa has surprisingly consistent meta-analytic support for small reductions in blood pressure, fasting glucose and LDL-cholesterol.

Black Tea (brewed)

Regular black tea lowers blood pressure slightly in randomised trials, and large cohorts link 2 or more cups a day with modestly lower mortality.

Blackcurrant Extract

Anthocyanin-rich New Zealand blackcurrant extract has one of the better-replicated metabolic effects in sports supplements — it shifts fuel use toward fat during exercise — but translation into actual performance gains is small and inconsistent.

Bone Support Formulas

Combinations of calcium, vitamin D, vitamin K2 and trace minerals.

Boswellia Serrata

Boswellia resin extracts modestly reduce knee osteoarthritis pain and stiffness in placebo-controlled trials, usually within 4 weeks.

Butcher's Broom

Ruscus aculeatus root extract is a real venotonic with reasonable evidence for reducing leg heaviness, pain and swelling in chronic venous insufficiency.

Butterbur

Butterbur root extract at 75 mg twice daily cut migraine frequency by 48% versus 26% for placebo in a well-designed 245-patient trial, making it one of the better-evidenced herbal preventives.

Caffeine + L-Theanine

The most studied nootropic stack: caffeine supplies the alertness and theanine takes some of the edge off.

Caffeine Gum

Caffeine delivered through the cheek lining, which gets it into the blood faster than capsules.

Calcifediol (25-OH Vitamin D)

Vitamin D that has already been hydroxylated once, so it raises blood 25(OH)D faster and more predictably than cholecalciferol.

Calcium

Calcium supplements produce a small, one-off bump in bone density that does not keep growing with time and translates poorly into fewer fractures.

Calcium Carbonate

The cheapest and most concentrated calcium salt (40% elemental calcium) and a fast antacid.

Calcium Citrate

Absorbs essentially the same as cheap calcium carbonate when taken with food — the well-run comparison found identical 24-hour serum calcium curves and concluded the cost analysis favours carbonate.

Caraway Oil

Almost always sold and studied combined with peppermint oil.

Carb Blocker Formulas

White kidney bean extracts that inhibit the starch-digesting enzyme alpha-amylase.

Carbohydrate Powders (Cyclic Dextrin)

Carbohydrate during long or hard training genuinely works, but the evidence is for carbohydrate, not for this particular molecule.

Cascara Sagrada

Cascara sagrada is a genuine stimulant laxative — its anthraquinone cascarosides reliably produce a bowel movement in 6-12 hours.

Cassia Cinnamon

The common supermarket cinnamon, sold standardised for blood sugar.

Cayenne (Capsaicin)

The pungent compound in chilli peppers, which measurably raises energy expenditure and slightly lowers food intake.

Chamomile

Standardised chamomile extract has real, replicated RCT support for reducing generalised anxiety symptoms over 8 weeks — one of the better-evidenced calming herbs.

Chicken Essence

A concentrated, fat-free chicken broth extract popular across East and Southeast Asia.

Children's Probiotics

Kid-dosed probiotic drops and powders, mostly Lactobacillus reuteri or Saccharomyces boulardii.

Cholesterol Support Formulas

Formulas built around plant sterols, soluble fibre and red yeast rice.

Choline

Choline is an essential nutrient most people under-consume, with genuine importance for liver health and fetal brain development.

Chondroitin Sulfate

Heavily studied and genuinely mixed: pooled analyses show a small pain benefit in knee osteoarthritis, but the effect shrinks as trial quality rises, and the largest independent trial was null.

Citicoline (CDP-Choline)

The best-evidenced choline donor for memory, with a positive RCT in healthy older adults and supportive dementia meta-analysis data.

Citrulline Malate

Citrulline bound to malate, the form used in most pre-workouts.

Cocoa Flavanols

Cocoa flavanols reliably improve endothelial function and shave a couple of mmHg off blood pressure.

Cod Liver Oil

Cod liver oil is a cheap, traditional source of EPA, DHA, vitamin D and vitamin A, and it works as a food-based omega-3 and vitamin D supplement.

Collagen Peptides

Hydrolyzed collagen protein.

Concentrated Omega-3 (rTG form)

Re-esterified triglyceride omega-3 is absorbed better than the cheap ethyl ester form, so a given labelled dose raises blood levels more.

CoQ10 (Ubiquinone)

CoQ10 has reasonable evidence for symptom and outcome improvement in chronic heart failure as an add-on to standard therapy, and a modest blood pressure effect.

Cranberry Extract

Cranberry products genuinely reduce recurrent urinary tract infections in otherwise healthy women and in children — roughly a 30% relative reduction — but they do nothing for elderly nursing-home residents or people with bladder-emptying problems, and they do not treat an active infection.

Creatine Gummies

Creatine monohydrate in a chewable format.

Cumin Extract

The common kitchen spice, concentrated.

Curcumin (Turmeric extract)

The active compound in turmeric, with anti-inflammatory action.

DHEA

DHEA is an adrenal prohormone sold as an anti-aging fix, but the trial evidence shows only small, narrow effects: a modest fat-mass reduction in older men and a small quality-of-life gain in women with adrenal insufficiency.

Diosmin

Diosmin — usually sold as micronized purified flavonoid fraction (90% diosmin, 10% hesperidin) — has the largest trial base of any vein supplement and is a prescription medicine in much of Europe and Latin America.

Dry Eye Supplements

Omega-3 based blends aimed at the tear film.

EAA (Essential Amino Acids)

EAAs are the scientifically defensible version of BCAAs: all nine essential amino acids do drive muscle protein synthesis, and the classic tracer work shows the non-essential ones are unnecessary.

Egg White Protein

Egg white is a top-tier complete protein (PDCAAS 1.

Electrolyte Powder

Sodium-containing drinks genuinely improve fluid retention and rehydration after heavy sweat losses, and that part is well established.

Endurance Formulas

Carbohydrate-plus-electrolyte drink mixes for long efforts.

Enterococcus Faecium

A probiotic Enterococcus licensed as a medicine for diarrhoea in parts of Europe.

Erythritol

A sugar alcohol that is almost entirely absorbed and excreted unchanged, so it adds virtually no calories and does not raise blood glucose.

Eucalyptus Oil (Cineole)

Purified 1,8-cineole (eucalyptol) in enteric-coated capsules has several placebo-controlled trials in sinusitis, bronchitis, asthma and COPD.

Extended-Release Melatonin

A timed-release formulation designed to mimic the overnight melatonin curve rather than deliver one early spike.

Fava Bean Protein

A legume protein powder free of soy, dairy and gluten.

Fenugreek

Fenugreek's best-supported use is glycemic control: meta-analyses of RCTs show meaningful reductions in fasting glucose and HbA1c in type 2 diabetes and prediabetes.

Ferrous Fumarate

A standard iron salt with about 33% elemental iron.

Folinic Acid

A reduced folate that bypasses the MTHFR step and reaches the brain when the folate receptor is blocked.

Free-Form Amino Acid Complex

Pre-digested amino acids covering the full spectrum.

Galactooligosaccharides (GOS)

A prebiotic fiber that reliably increases bifidobacteria in the colon.

Garlic Extract

Garlic reliably produces a small blood-pressure reduction in people who are actually hypertensive — roughly the effect of a low-dose drug in some trials — plus a modest cholesterol drop.

Gelatin

Gelatin is collagen peptides' cheaper, less processed sibling — the same amino acids at a fraction of the price, with the best single piece of connective-tissue evidence in the whole collagen category coming from a gelatin trial, not a branded peptide.

Genistein

The isolated soy isoflavone with the most bone data behind it.

Ginger

Ginger has solid evidence for nausea — pregnancy-related, postoperative and to a lesser degree motion sickness — and weak, overhyped evidence for joint pain and inflammation.

Glucoraphanin

The broccoli-seed compound that the gut converts into sulforaphane, an activator of the Nrf2 detoxification pathway.

Glycerol

Glycerol reliably increases fluid retention and expands body water before exercise, which is a real physiological effect.

Grape Leaf Extract

Red vine leaf extract, standardised as AS 195, taken for heavy, aching, swollen legs.

Grape Seed Extract

Grape seed extract produces a small, fairly reproducible drop in systolic blood pressure and improves endothelial function.

Green Tea (brewed)

Brewed green tea is one of the better-supported everyday drinks: randomised trials show small falls in total and LDL cholesterol, and large cohorts link regular drinking with lower cardiovascular mortality.

Green-Lipped Mussel

Green-lipped mussel extract has a genuine but modest and inconsistent evidence base in osteoarthritis — several small positive trials, several null ones, and persistent quality problems.

Ground Flaxseed

A food, not really a supplement: ground flaxseed supplies viscous fiber, ALA and lignans.

Guar Gum

A highly viscous soluble fibre from the guar bean.

Hawthorn

Standardised hawthorn extract modestly improves exercise tolerance and symptoms in chronic heart failure as an add-on, but the largest properly powered trial found no survival benefit.

Hemorrhoid Support Formulas

Oral flavonoid blends, usually built on diosmin and hesperidin, for bleeding and pain from hemorrhoids.

Herbal Cough Syrups

Syrups built on ivy leaf, thyme and honey.

Hibiscus

Hibiscus tea produces a small but reasonably consistent reduction in blood pressure across randomised trials — roughly 4-7 mmHg systolic.

Homocysteine Support Formulas

B6, B12 and folate combinations reliably lower homocysteine.

Horse Chestnut

Standardized horse chestnut seed extract (dosed by its aescin content) is one of the better-supported oral options for chronic venous insufficiency, with Cochrane finding consistent reductions in leg pain and leg volume.

Hydroxocobalamin

The B12 form used for injections in much of Europe, because it stays in the body longer than cyanocobalamin.

Iberogast (STW-5)

A fixed nine-herb liquid built around bitter candytuft, peppermint and chamomile, used for functional dyspepsia.

Inositol (Myo-Inositol)

Myo-inositol improves insulin resistance and ovulation in PCOS with a benign side effect profile, making it one of the more defensible supplements in women's health.

Intra-Workout Formulas

Carbohydrate and amino acid drinks sipped during training.

Inulin (Prebiotic Fiber)

Inulin-type fructans reliably increase Bifidobacterium counts and modestly soften and speed up stool, but the downstream health claims (weight, blood sugar, immunity) are weak, and inulin makes IBS symptoms worse in many people because it is a FODMAP.

Iodine

Iodine is genuinely essential and correcting severe deficiency prevents goitre and cretinism.

Iron Bisglycinate

The one premium iron form with a real meta-analysis behind it: in pregnant women it raised haemoglobin more than conventional iron salts and cut gastrointestinal side effects by roughly two thirds.

Ivy Leaf Extract

Ivy leaf dry extract is one of the few cough herbals with actual placebo-controlled trial data, and it modestly speeds recovery from acute cough — roughly cutting three days of illness down to two.

Jet Lag Formulas

Melatonin-based blends for crossing time zones.

Jiaogulan

Jiaogulan (Gynostemma pentaphyllum) is the best-supported herb in this group: multiple small RCTs show modest improvements in blood lipids and blood glucose, likely via AMPK activation.

Kava

Older meta-analytic data show kava beats placebo for anxiety, but the largest and best-conducted modern trial was flatly negative — and the drug carries a genuine, regulator-recognised hepatotoxicity signal.

Krill Oil

Krill oil delivers EPA and DHA in phospholipid form and modestly lowers triglycerides, much like fish oil, at a much higher price per gram of omega-3.

L-Arginine

Arginine is the direct substrate for nitric oxide, but oral arginine is heavily degraded in the gut and liver before it reaches circulation, which is why citrulline usually outperforms it.

L-Carnitine

L-carnitine produces a small but real amount of extra weight loss (around 1 kg) and modestly improves glycemic markers in type 2 diabetes, but it is not the fat-burner marketing implies and does little for exercise performance in people who eat meat.

L-Carnosine

Carnosine is the beta-alanine/histidine dipeptide that beta-alanine supplements exist to build in muscle.

L-Citrulline

Citrulline bypasses the gut-and-liver breakdown that cripples oral arginine, making it the more effective nitric oxide precursor.

L-Leucine

Leucine is the amino acid that switches on the mTOR pathway, and adding it to low-protein meals demonstrably increases muscle protein synthesis.

L-Theanine

L-theanine produces small, genuine reductions in acute stress and anxiety and pairs well with caffeine for attention, but individual effects are modest and the sleep evidence is weaker than the marketing suggests.

L-Tryptophan

Tryptophan above 1 g before bed measurably reduces time spent awake during the night, but its use for depression rests on old, poor-quality trials, and its safety history includes a fatal contamination outbreak.

L-Tyrosine

Tyrosine reliably protects cognitive performance when the brain is depleted by acute stress such as cold, noise, or sleep loss, but it does essentially nothing for cognition in rested, unstressed people.

Lactase

Lactase tablets do exactly what they claim — hydrolyze lactose before your gut bacteria get to it — and breath-hydrogen studies confirm it.

Lactobacillus Acidophilus

The most famous probiotic species and the default filler in cheap multi-strain capsules, but almost all of its real evidence comes from a handful of specific strains (NCFM, CL1285, La-5) used in blends.

Lactobacillus Bulgaricus

The classic yogurt bacterium, normally paired with Streptococcus thermophilus.

Lactobacillus Casei

Reclassified into the Lacticaseibacillus genus, this species is best known from drinkable dairy strains (Shirota, DN-114001) with reasonable evidence for antibiotic-associated diarrhea and modest evidence for constipation.

Lactobacillus Crispatus

The species that dominates a healthy vaginal microbiome.

Lactobacillus Plantarum

Now formally Lactiplantibacillus plantarum, this is one of the better-studied probiotic species, with strain 299v carrying most of the evidence for IBS bloating and iron absorption.

Lactobacillus Reuteri

Lactobacillus Rhamnosus GG

The most-studied probiotic strain in the world, with decent meta-analytic support for antibiotic-associated diarrhoea — but a large, rigorous NEJM trial found it completely ineffective for acute gastroenteritis in children, which should temper expectations considerably.

Lactoferrin

Lactoferrin has real evidence in two specific settings — correcting iron-deficiency anaemia with fewer GI side effects than iron salts, and a modest reduction in late-onset sepsis in preterm infants — but the general "immune booster" positioning for healthy adults is unsupported.

Lavender Extract (Silexan)

Silexan, a specific oral lavender oil preparation, has the strongest clinical dataset of any calming herbal — multiple large placebo-controlled RCTs showing meaningful anxiety reduction without sedation or dependence.

Lemon Verbena

An aromatic South American herb (Aloysia citrodora) rich in verbascoside.

Licorice Root

Whole licorice root containing glycyrrhizin reliably raises blood pressure and lowers potassium — this is the most robustly proven effect of the herb, and it is a harm, not a benefit.

Lutein & Zeaxanthin

Lutein and zeaxanthin are the macular pigments, and in AREDS2 they were a safe and effective replacement for beta-carotene in the formula for slowing advanced age-related macular degeneration.

Lutein Esters

The form of lutein that occurs naturally in marigold flowers, where the molecule is attached to fatty acids and must be cleaved in the gut before absorption.

Magnesium

A mineral involved in over 300 enzymatic reactions.

Magnesium Chloride

An inorganic salt that quietly beats its reputation: it absorbs as well as the fashionable organic forms and is cheap.

Magnesium Citrate

The best-supported everyday magnesium form: clearly better absorbed than magnesium oxide, cheap, and widely available.

Magnesium Lactate

An organic magnesium salt that is absorbed reasonably well and is gentler on the gut than oxide.

Magnesium Oxide

The cheapest magnesium and the worst absorbed — around 4% fractional absorption, and no better than placebo at raising magnesium status in a 60-day trial.

Marine Collagen

Fish-derived type I collagen peptides perform about as well as bovine peptides for modest gains in skin hydration and elasticity — the format is legitimate, but the "marine is more bioavailable" marketing rests on molecular-weight arguments, not head-to-head human trials.

MCT Oil

Replacing long-chain fats with MCTs produces a small but real reduction in body weight and fat mass, on the order of half a kilogram over a few weeks.

Melatonin

The hormone that regulates the circadian rhythm.

Melatonin Gummies

A chewable delivery format for melatonin, whose modest effect on falling asleep is reasonably well documented.

Meso-Zeaxanthin

The third macular carotenoid, concentrated at the very centre of the fovea.

Methylated B-Complex

B-complex using 5-MTHF and methylcobalamin instead of folic acid and cyanocobalamin.

Methylcobalamin

The methylated coenzyme form of vitamin B12.

Migraine Support Formulas

Blends of riboflavin, magnesium, CoQ10 and herbs for migraine prevention.

Milk Basic Protein (MBP)

A minor whey fraction, dosed at only 40 mg a day, that raised bone mineral density in several small randomized trials in women.

Milk Peptides (Lactium)

Lactium is a tryptic hydrolysate of bovine alpha-s1 casein containing alpha-casozepine, a peptide that binds GABA-A benzodiazepine sites without benzodiazepine dependence.

Milk Protein Isolate

Whole milk protein with the lactose and fat removed, keeping the natural roughly 80:20 casein-to-whey ratio.

Mucuna Pruriens

Mucuna is natural levodopa, and it behaves like the drug: two controlled trials in Parkinson's disease show comparable motor benefit to standard levodopa with faster onset.

Mulberry Leaf

Mulberry leaf extract contains 1-deoxynojirimycin (DNJ), a genuine alpha-glucosidase inhibitor that blunts post-meal blood glucose spikes in controlled trials.

Myrtol (GeloMyrtol)

Myrtol is a distilled blend of essential oils, mainly eucalyptus, sweet orange, myrtle and lemon, sold in Europe as GeloMyrtol.

NAC (N-Acetylcysteine)

NAC is a genuine life-saving drug for paracetamol overdose and a reasonable mucolytic in COPD, but the psychiatric and general-wellness claims that drive supplement sales have largely failed in meta-analysis.

Nerve Support Formulas

B vitamins plus alpha-lipoic acid marketed for neuropathy.

Nettle Root

The root, not the leaf, has repeated randomized trials for prostate symptoms.

Niacinamide

Niacinamide (nicotinamide) is the non-flushing amide form of vitamin B3, and at 500 mg twice daily it cut new skin cancers by about 23% in high-risk immunocompetent patients.

Nitric Oxide Boosters

Two nitric oxide precursors have real evidence — dietary nitrate (beetroot) and L-citrulline — while L-arginine, the ingredient most "NO booster" labels lead with, is largely destroyed by first-pass metabolism and performs poorly.

Nutritional Yeast

A genuinely useful food: deactivated Saccharomyces cerevisiae that delivers complete protein, fibre and — if fortified — a reliable vegan source of B12 and other B vitamins.

Okra Extract

Dried okra pod or seed powder, whose viscous mucilage slows carbohydrate absorption.

Omega-3 (EPA/DHA)

Essential fatty acids from fish oil.

Orthosilicic Acid (ch-OSA)

A bioavailable form of silicon with several small randomized trials on hair, nails, skin and bone markers.

Palmitoylethanolamide (PEA)

PEA is a naturally occurring fatty acid amide with a real, replicated analgesic signal in meta-analyses of chronic and neuropathic pain — larger than most supplements manage.

Panax Ginseng

Modest but reasonably consistent evidence that ginseng reduces subjective fatigue; essentially no evidence it improves physical performance, and no convincing evidence for cognition.

Pantethine

The active disulphide form of vitamin B5, with a genuine but modest LDL-lowering effect.

Papaya Leaf Extract

Papaya leaf extract raises platelet counts in dengue fever faster than placebo across several randomized trials.

Partially Hydrolyzed Guar Gum

A low-viscosity soluble fiber that is unusually well tolerated for a fermentable fiber.

Pea Protein

Pea protein supports muscle gains when dosed generously - roughly 50 g/day in the one substantial trial - and performs close to whey.

Pelargonium (Umcka)

Pelargonium sidoides root extract (EPs 7630, sold as Umcka) is one of the better-supported cold and bronchitis remedies, with a Cochrane review finding it probably shortens symptoms — but every trial comes from a single manufacturer and the evidence quality is rated low.

Piperine (Black Pepper Extract)

Piperine is not a health supplement — it is an absorption enhancer, and for a few compounds (most famously curcumin) it genuinely works.

Pollen Extract (Femal/Serelys)

A purified, non-hormonal pollen extract that reduces hot flashes in placebo-controlled trials.

Pomegranate Extract

Pomegranate consistently produces a small blood pressure reduction of a few mmHg in pooled trials.

Post-Workout Recovery Blends

The protein and carbohydrate in a recovery blend genuinely support repair and glycogen resynthesis — but so does food.

Potassium Citrate

An alkalinising potassium salt used mainly to prevent calcium kidney stones from recurring.

Potassium Iodide

An iodine salt used to correct iodine deficiency and, at high dose, to block the thyroid after a radioactive iodine release.

Pre-Workout Formulas

Multi-ingredient pre-workouts work mostly because of caffeine, and secondarily because of the creatine, beta-alanine and citrulline that some (not all) of them dose properly.

Prenatal DHA

Omega-3 in pregnancy has a genuine effect on prolonging gestation, which is better supported than the brain-development claim it is usually sold on.

Probiotics

Live microorganisms with strain-specific effects.

Propionyl-L-Carnitine

Propionyl-L-carnitine is a carnitine ester with better uptake into vascular and cardiac tissue than plain L-carnitine, studied mainly as a drug for peripheral arterial disease.

Propolis

Bee resin with genuine anti-inflammatory and antimicrobial activity — the best human data are for glycemic control and inflammatory markers in type 2 diabetes, not for the cold-and-flu claims it's mostly sold on.

Purslane

A leafy weed rich in alpha-linolenic acid, taken for blood sugar and cholesterol.

Pygeum

Bark extract of the African cherry, one of the better-studied prostate herbs: pooled trials show men are about twice as likely to report symptom improvement, with roughly 19% less nocturia and 23% higher peak urine flow.

Quercetin

One of the better-studied flavonoids, with a small but real blood-pressure-lowering effect at doses above 500 mg/day.

R-Alpha Lipoic Acid

The naturally occurring isomer of lipoic acid.

Resistant Starch

A starch that escapes digestion and is fermented in the colon, where it feeds butyrate-producing bacteria.

Restless Legs Formulas

Iron plus magnesium blends sold for leg jitters at night.

Riboflavin-5-Phosphate

The phosphorylated "active" form of vitamin B2.

Rikkunshito

A Japanese Kampo formula of eight herbs, widely prescribed in Japan for functional dyspepsia.

Rose Hips

Standardised powder from the fruit of Rosa canina, one of the better-tested herbal options for osteoarthritis pain.

S-Equol

The active soy metabolite that only about a third of people produce themselves.

Saccharomyces Boulardii

A probiotic yeast with genuinely good evidence for preventing antibiotic-associated diarrhoea and reducing the side effects of H.

Saffron Extract

Saffron has repeatedly beaten placebo and matched fluoxetine for mild-to-moderate depression in randomized trials, and the effect sizes are large enough to be suspicious.

Sage Extract

Sage extract has a genuine cholinergic mechanism and several small human trials showing acute improvements in attention and memory, plus one positive four-month trial in Alzheimer's disease that was never replicated.

Salacia

Salacia is an alpha-glucosidase inhibitor from South Asian traditional medicine with a genuine, reproducible effect on post-meal glucose and a small HbA1c benefit in randomised trials — roughly a 0.

Salmon Oil

Unconcentrated whole fish oil from salmon.

SAM-e

SAM-e has more RCT support than most mood supplements, but Cochrane found the evidence low quality and inconclusive; it is expensive, unstable, and carries a genuine risk of triggering mania in people with bipolar disorder.

Sangre de Grado (Dragon's Blood)

The purified oligomeric proanthocyanidin from Croton lechleri latex is crofelemer, an FDA-approved prescription antidiarrheal — genuinely effective for a narrow indication.

Sarcosine (N-Methylglycine)

An amino acid that modulates NMDA receptor signalling, studied as an add-on to antipsychotics in schizophrenia.

Selenomethionine

The organic selenium form found in food and used in most trials.

Senior Multivitamin (50+)

A standard multivitamin adjusted for older adults: usually no iron, more B12 and vitamin D.

Senna

Senna is a genuinely effective stimulant laxative — it reliably produces a bowel movement within 6-12 hours and is a first-line option for opioid-induced constipation.

Shiitake Extract

Whole shiitake mushrooms and their beta-glucan lentinan have measurable immune effects in humans — including a survival benefit as injected lentinan alongside gastric cancer chemotherapy — but that drug is not the capsule on the shelf.

Siberian Rhubarb (ERr 731)

A standardised rhapontic rhubarb root extract with several placebo-controlled trials showing reduced hot flushes and menopausal symptom scores.

Sinupret (BNO 1016)

Sinupret is a fixed extract of five herbs (gentian root, primula flower, sorrel, elderflower and verbena) and one of the few sinus remedies tested in large placebo-controlled trials.

Sodium Alginate

A seaweed fibre that forms a floating gel raft on top of stomach contents.

Sodium Citrate

An extracellular buffer, the gentler cousin of sodium bicarbonate.

Soy Isoflavones

Soy isoflavones produce a real but modest reduction in menopausal hot flashes — roughly a fifth to a quarter fewer, versus about three-quarters with hormone therapy — and take 8-12 weeks to work.

Spinach Extract (Thylakoids)

Membrane fragments from spinach leaves that slow fat digestion and prolong satiety signalling.

Spirulina

Small trials fairly consistently show lipid and blood-pressure improvements, and the pooled effect sizes are large enough to be suspicious — nearly every trial is small, short, and from a handful of research groups.

Stevia Extract

A zero-calorie sweetener from Stevia rebaudiana.

Stimulant-Free Pre-Workout

Caffeine-free pump formulas built on citrulline and nitrate sources.

Stress B-Complex

High-dose B vitamin complexes aimed at perceived stress.

Sulforaphane (Broccoli Extract)

The best-evidenced Nrf2 activator available, with genuine human data showing accelerated detoxification of airborne carcinogens.

Synbiotics

Products combining a probiotic with a prebiotic.

Tagatose

A rare sugar with about 90 percent of the sweetness of sucrose but a much smaller glycaemic effect.

Tart Cherry

Montmorency tart cherry has a legitimate, meta-analysed benefit for recovery of muscle strength after hard exercise — small but real.

Taurine

Taurine is a cheap, safe conditionally essential amino acid with genuinely decent cardiometabolic data: meta-analyses show reductions in blood pressure and improvements in lipids.

Thyme Extract

Thyme is the best-studied cough herb in Europe, with several placebo-controlled trials in acute bronchitis.

Tomato Extract (Fruitflow)

A water-soluble tomato concentrate that makes platelets less sticky.

Tongkat Ali

Tongkat ali is the one testosterone-booster herb with a positive meta-analysis behind it, though the effect is clearest in older or hypogonadal men rather than healthy young ones.

Troxerutin

A semi-synthetic hydroxyethyl derivative of the flavonoid rutin, used in Europe as a venoactive drug for chronic venous insufficiency.

Turkey Tail Mushroom

The strongest human evidence for any medicinal mushroom — but it belongs to PSK (krestin), a standardized prescription extract used as adjuvant cancer therapy in Japan, not to the mushroom powder sold as an immune supplement.

Ubiquinol

Ubiquinol is the reduced form of CoQ10 and does raise blood CoQ10 more efficiently than plain ubiquinone powder — but well-formulated (solubilized) ubiquinone matches it, so the 2-3x price premium is often unjustified.

Undenatured Type II Collagen (UC-II)

A 40 mg daily dose of undenatured type II collagen improved knee osteoarthritis symptoms more than placebo — and more than glucosamine plus chondroitin — in a 180-day randomised trial.

Urolithin A

One of the few "longevity" compounds with real, industry-independent-ish randomized human data showing modest gains in muscle endurance in middle-aged and older adults.

Vegan Vitamin D3 (Lichen)

Cholecalciferol extracted from lichen rather than sheep's wool.

Vein Support Formulas

Flavonoid formulas for heavy, aching legs and varicose veins.

Vitamin A (Retinol)

Preformed vitamin A is essential and supplementation dramatically cuts child mortality and blindness where deficiency is endemic.

Vitamin B1 (Thiamine)

Thiamine is life-saving in deficiency states — Wernicke's encephalopathy, beriberi, refeeding syndrome — and deficiency is common in alcohol use disorder, after bariatric surgery, and in diuretic-treated heart failure.

Vitamin B2 (Riboflavin)

High-dose riboflavin (400 mg/day) has reasonable evidence for reducing migraine frequency in adults, which is the one use worth considering.

Vitamin B6 (Pyridoxine)

Vitamin B6 has genuine, specific uses — nausea in pregnancy, isoniazid-induced neuropathy, and possibly PMS — but it is also the one water-soluble vitamin with well-documented nerve toxicity at doses people routinely buy over the counter.

Vitamin D2 (Ergocalciferol)

Ergocalciferol does raise 25-hydroxyvitamin D — just roughly half as efficiently per IU as D3, with a shorter-lived effect.

Vitex (Chasteberry)

Vitex agnus-castus is one of the better-supported herbs for premenstrual syndrome and cyclic breast pain, but most positive trials come from a small number of manufacturer-linked research groups, so the true effect is probably smaller than the published numbers suggest.

Whey Protein Hydrolysate

Whey partially broken into peptides before you drink it, which speeds absorption.

White Peony