Immune Support

What this is. A vitamin, mineral and herb blend taken through winter or whenever you are run down. Built around the usual immune nutrients.

500 mg of elderberry extract and 11 mg of zinc per two-capsule serving, alongside seven other ingredients. The elderberry extract ratio is not stated, and most of what is in here sits below what the research uses. The full list and the honest comparison are below.

What you are actually getting, per 2 capsules

• Vitamin C — 180 mg
• Vitamin D3 — 40 mcg
• Vitamin E — 15 mg
• Vitamin B6 — 1.7 mg
• Zinc (as citrate) — 11 mg
• Elderberry Extract (ratio not stated on the panel) — 500 mg
• Echinacea purpurea (plant part and ratio not stated) — 200 mg
• Citrus Bioflavonoids 50% — 100 mg
• L-Lysine — 100 mg

The one standardised item: citrus bioflavonoids at 50%, 100 mg, which is about 50 mg of actual bioflavonoids. The vitamin D3 is given in micrograms only; 40 mcg is 1,600 IU, though the panel does not print that conversion. The elderberry and the echinacea have no ratio at all, so there is no arithmetic we can do on either of them.

Worth knowing before you buy

This is a wide formula at small amounts, which is the usual shape of an immune blend. The vitamins and the zinc are at everyday-nutrition levels: 11 mg of zinc is about an adult daily requirement, where short-term zinc lozenge studies use 75 to 100 mg a day in divided doses. Vitamin C at 180 mg is well under the 1,000 mg a day or more that most vitamin C trials use.

The L-lysine at 100 mg is the clearest gap. Lysine studies generally work with 1,000 to 3,000 mg a day. 100 mg is a tenth of the bottom of that range at best. Echinacea trials typically use several hundred milligrams to a gram or more a day of a defined preparation, and here neither the plant part nor the extract ratio is stated, so 200 mg cannot be compared to them at all.

The elderberry has the same problem as our standalone elderberry bottle: 500 mg with no ratio and no anthocyanin content is a weight, not a comparable dose. Taken together, this is a sensible everyday multi-ingredient capsule at everyday amounts. It is not a research-level dose of any single thing in it, and we would rather list that out than let a long ingredient list do the talking.

How to take it

Two capsules a day with water. Sixty capsules in the bottle at two a day, which is 30 days.

Other ingredients

Gelatin. The capsules are gelatin, which is animal-derived, so this is not suitable for vegetarians or vegans. The panel does not state the animal source of the gelatin. It declares no allergens.

Cautions

Zinc reduces the absorption of tetracycline and quinolone antibiotics, and of some thyroid medication — separate the doses by several hours if you take any of them. Vitamin E can add to the effect of warfarin and antiplatelet medicines such as clopidogrel and aspirin, so flag it to your doctor if you take one. Echinacea has not been well studied alongside immunosuppressant medication, and it is in the daisy family, so avoid it if you react to ragweed, chrysanthemums or marigolds. Vitamin D here counts towards your total if you also take a separate D supplement. Keep out of the reach of children. Do not use if the safety seal is damaged or missing. Store in a cool, dry place. Do not exceed the recommended dose. If you are pregnant, nursing, under 18, taking prescription medication or living with a medical condition, speak to your doctor or pharmacist before starting this or any supplement.

These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease.