A Breakdown of A Few New Amazon Health Supplements

I am a part of the Amazon Vine program, a program which allows you to choose from a variety of featured items that you can get for free from new sellers who need product reviews. In exchange for the 3 items that are allowed per day for Viners, we are expected to review at least sixty percent of orders. Those chosen for this exclusive program are usually chosen for the high quality of their reviews, because they have caught the eye of program management, which assumes that they would be helpful to the program. This is usually based on things like the number of customers that have rated your reviews as being helpful in the past, or the insightfulness of the reviews. To be perfectly honest, I didn’t even know that this program existed until a random email from Vine popped up in my inbox, which caused me to look into it. After doing a little bit of research just to dot all of my i’s and cross my t’s, I confirmed that it was a legitimate program. The only potential issue with it is that most of the products have a tax value assigned since Amazon Vine considers the free products they send to you as income- thus, you can really create a tax headache for yourself if you are not careful. Fortunately for me, I realized that this was the case when I was still pretty new in the program, so had not had time to rack up a lot of tax debt.

When I realized that you could find and order products that had a 0 ETV value on them (estimated tax value) that wouldn’t count towards your taxes, I started getting these. The majority of the products with a zero tax value attached to them are vitamins and supplements, which is actually one of my passions- thus, I now spend a lot of time researching and critiquing different herbal remedies and vitamins. The list below contains four of Amazon’s newer products that I ordered and experimented with firsthand as a Viner, and my subsequent breakdown of each. I’m writing this as a helpful resource for those who might not be sure of these supplements, or would simply like to be able to make a more informed decision about purchasing them, or any like supplements out there. I will have articles following that document more of them- so, each one will be broken into maybe four to six new supplements and my thoughts about them. Natural health is one of my passions and I like to pride myself to think that I have at least some insight to offer here. The last supplement, the Vitamin D3, was not ordered through the Vine program, and is not new, but I thought it would be helpful to include it in my reviews.

As I mentioned in my review of this product on its Amazon page, this 7 in 1 extract has a range of ingredients that are extremely diluted. It contains mullein flower extract in quantities of 50mg, which is extremely small. Most standard mullein plant extracts have at least 150 mg- I currently have one that’s already in my possession which has 679 mg, and I found that one to be extremely effective. Additionally, although the bottle contains an extract blend that includes echinacea, oregano, thyme, and ginger, since these quantities are provided only in 10 mg amounts for the entire blend, it’s unlikely to have much of a benefit on your health. Elderberry and marshmallow root are also included in 10 mg quantities.

I can understand how these ingredients might have been carefully chosen to work cohesively together as a lung supplement. Mullein may very possibly work in tandem with elderberry and marshmallow root to help reduce inflammation in the lungs, since all of these are known for their potential benefits for the respiratory system. The other herbal ingredients are known for their anti-inflammatory properties and ability to help heal the gut- easily creating the picture of an overall lung, digestion, and healing complex. Unfortunately, the ingredients are so diluted that they are unlikely to have the desired effect- nor indeed, any effect.

A few of the other reviewers mentioned that this supplement has no third party tester, and its origin of birth is unclear. All in all, I would not recommend this mullein extract for anyone, due not only to this, but also to the low levels of the ingredients added, as noted.

This is an interesting supplement that includes a proprietary blend of graviola, sea moss, vitamin C, and zinc. Soursop seems to be a good anti-inflammatory supplement, with benefits that can positively impact the digestive system, skin, and inflammation in the body (although before trying out this supplement, I had never heard of it). Some resources claim that it is known for its cancer fighting properties, which certainly would win a lot of fence-sitters over. The other ingredients, such as sea moss and vitamin C, have anti-inflammatory properties as well, so the extracts used in this product seem to work together in a cohesive way. It might be marketed under the label ‘anti-inflammatory supplement,’ or some such title, to give the buyer a better understanding of its use.

While the ingredients chosen seem to have been handpicked for intentional reasons, it may require a bit more research before I choose to take it regularly. Sea moss can often contain high amounts of heavy metals according to research, so it is important to get it from a reputable supplier if you are considering adding it to your daily routine. While this supplement appears to be laboratory tested, I feel like there could be some risks with taking it. For one thing, it is not clear whether it is third party tested or not. Although they testify that it is tested by a specialized laboratory, the ‘who, what, where, when,’ part is missing. There is no information that I can find indicating that the product has been tested by a reputable third–party source. Since sea moss is known to carry heavy metals in it, not knowing the testing origins and having more data is somewhat problematic.

I may or may not add this one to my daily regimen.

Ultra inositol, by the brand Nusoran, is another new supplement that recently came out. This supplement is a convenient 14-in-1 formula that includes a wide variation of ingredients that work together in a cohesive way to support hormone balance. It includes both myo-inositol and D-chiro inositol, which work in tandem (they have two different functions, with the myo-inositol, or MI, being primarily involved with helping with glucose utilization and the D-chiro-inositol, or DCI, being involved more with storage). Following in the wake of these two ring-leader supplements are extracts like ashwagandha, berberine, and chromium. Berberine and chromium are both well-known pillars in the weight-loss community, and ashwagandha is better known for its ability to positively affect the brain. The latter one is usually known to help with anxiety and sleep.

On the heels of these A-listers is a proprietary blend of herbal extracts, most of them as equally well-known as the ones I mentioned. They include things like dong quai, chasteberry, lipoic acid, cinnamon, and maca root, to name just a few. A more detailed look at the proprietary-blend tells me that these ingredients were probably carefully chosen to help support bone, cardiovascular, health, improving immunity, and mood. It also includes 4,000mg of vitamin D, which can help to protect against colds and viruses. Chasteberry can help with pcos symptoms in women, and this one should probably be grouped with the initial supplements I mentioned that help to support hormone regulation and weight loss.

Honestly, it’s not too clear to me what the aim of the supplement is, and when all is said, I could probably do with just the inositol- a better known aid in hormonal regulation in my opinion. I can see the logic behind berberine and chromium, having used both to help with weight loss in the past. Lumping in heart, bone, skin, brain, and hormonal health all in one though? I’m not saying these ingredients were randomly chosen or anything. It’s just that there are so many that I’m not sure they wouldn’t take away more from the product’s effectiveness rather than add to it. If you are already taking a few supplements, therefore, I would do a little bit of research to make sure that nothing you are taking interacts with anything in this bottle.

Doing the research before taking this product to check for potential interactions with other supplements, or just doing the research on what’s included to ensure that there isn’t anything here that you don’t tolerate well is important. Everyone’s digestive system and tolerance level is different, but as an ibs sufferer, I can tell you that this product did not agree with me. Moments after taking it I experienced a bit of dizziness, but that quickly went away. What did not go away, however, was the tummy grumbling and digestive trouble I had- not only for the rest of the day but also into the next. Thus, make sure you research all of the ingredients before buying this one.

In my overall opinion, the wide range of ingredients and extracts included in this is just a bit too much. I wouldn’t really recommend it, and most especially not to anyone who’s sensitive!

This supplement provides a mix of vitamins and herbs that seem to be crafted for the purposes mostly of aiding metabolic, cardiovascular, and bone health. It has a bit of a fiery flavor for me, but my husband really seemed to enjoy the taste, since he actually enjoys a little bit of flair in his food. In addition to cayenne, a known star when it comes to weight loss aid, this product includes a wide range of extracts from herbs and plants known for their ability to support digestive and cardiovascular health. The cardiovascular additions to it are clear from ingredients like beetroot and hawthorn berry, while ingredients like bromelain, peppermint leaf and ginger root contribute to the digestive side. Cayenne pepper, the star ingredient, The bottle also includes vitamins D3 and K2 (in mk7 form, which is supposedly more easily absorbed by the body). Thus, the supplement also supports bone health.

I feel about this supplement similarly to how I felt about the Inositol, in that there are so many ingredients that it just makes me wonder about overall effectiveness. I will say that I had tummy troubles from using this one as well, but, despite the fact that I took a much smaller amount than was recommended and still had problems, this alone doesn’t disqualify the bottle from my recommended product list. I realize that I have a more sensitive stomach than most and I can’t judge a product on this purely. Rather, what gives me pause is the fact that there is no obvious third-party tester and the label doesn’t really grab the customer looking for a solution to a specific problem. The label just lists the ingredients- cayenne pepper, hawthorn berry, vitamin D3 +K2, beetroot. Just by looking at this and putting myself in the customer’s shoes, I know I would be thinking umm . . . what is it again? I don’t think it really works for marketing purposes. Rather, it’s a hodgepodge of different ingredients that I might buy if I was looking for something to improve overall health, but not for a specific health issue I’m trying to correct.

My husband has been taking this without any digestive trouble and seems to have no issue with it, but he’s not experiencing noticeable benefits from it, either. He claimed that he thought it ‘may’ have made him more productive, but didn’t show any enthusiasm when he said it- although to be honest, that’s probably just him.

At this point, I am lukewarm on this product. I would say give it a try if you want but I don’t have any strong feelings about it either.