A botanical complex of this kind contains a dozen or more ingredients at very different weights, and the label rarely explains which are doing the heavy lifting and which are present in trace amounts. This is a walk through all of them.
I sell one of these, so weigh that. The interactions are in here, and so are the amounts that are smaller than the marketing would suggest.
How the doses are written
Most botanical amounts here are equivalent weights from a concentrated extract, not the weight of powder in the capsule. "Equivalent to 3000mg" means an extract concentrated from that much raw plant. Standard convention, legitimate, and only comparable when both products state it. A few ingredients — garlic, cinnamon, thyme, clove, oregano — are whole powders, and those figures are the actual weight.
Aloe vera
The largest ingredient in most formulas of this type, and the one with the most important distinction attached.
An aloe leaf contains an inner gel and a latex layer beneath the rind. The latex contains hydroxyanthracene derivatives, which act strongly on the bowel. Quality preparations use decolourised inner-leaf material with the latex fraction removed; cheaper whole-leaf preparations may not.
If a label says only "aloe vera leaf extract", it is not telling you which. Including ours — we have asked our manufacturer to confirm the material and whether it is decolourised, and we will publish the answer.
Practically: some people find aloe has a loosening effect on the bowel. If that applies to you, start at one capsule a day.
Claim status: none authorised in GB.
Caprylic acid
A medium-chain fatty acid — C8 — found naturally in coconut oil and palm kernel oil. Usually delivered as magnesium caprylate, because the free acid is an oily liquid that smells unpleasant and does not sit well in a capsule.
Watch which number a label is quoting: the weight of the salt, or the caprylic acid it provides. Ours states 215mg of caprylic acid as magnesium caprylate. There is a fuller explanation in what caprylic acid actually is.
Claim status: none authorised.
The aromatic botanicals
Oregano
Origanum vulgare, leaf powder. The compounds usually named are carvacrol and thymol. Note the amount — in a complex, oregano is typically present at 5mg to 50mg. Ours is 5mg, which is a trace quantity, and we print it rather than featuring it. If you want oregano specifically, a complex is not where to get it.
Thyme and clove
Thymus vulgaris leaf and Syzygium aromaticum bud, both usually as whole powders at 10mg to 50mg. Ours are 10mg each. Small supporting amounts, declared as such.
Cinnamon
Ours is 15mg of powder. Worth knowing: there are two commercial cinnamons. Cinnamomum zeylanicum — Ceylon or "true" cinnamon, which is what ours uses — contains far less coumarin than the cheaper cassia cinnamon. Coumarin intake matters at high doses, so the species on the label is a genuine quality signal. Most labels don't name it.
Rosemary
Rosmarinus officinalis leaf extract, ours at 80mg equivalent. No authorised claim.
The ones with interactions — read this part
Grapefruit seed extract
The most important ingredient on this page from a safety point of view, and it appears in more formulas than anyone expects.
Grapefruit affects the enzyme system the liver uses to process a great many prescription medicines — including some statins, some blood pressure medicines, and others besides. The effect is well documented and it is the reason grapefruit warnings appear on medicine leaflets.
Ours is 50mg equivalent. If you take any prescription medication, check with your pharmacist before taking any product containing grapefruit seed extract — ours or anyone else's. And check the ingredients list, because it is often not mentioned on the front.
Garlic
Allium sativum powder, ours at 25mg. Garlic has a recognised interaction with blood-thinning medication, and is one of the botanicals usually stopped before surgery.
The rest
Quercetin
A flavonoid found in onions, apples and capers, usually supplied as quercetin dihydrate. Standalone products use 250mg to 500mg; in a complex it is typically 15mg to 50mg. Ours is 15mg — a supporting amount, not a headline one. No authorised claim.
Beetroot
Ours is 15mg equivalent, which is a trace compared with a dedicated beetroot product where the figure runs into thousands of milligrams. If beetroot is what you want, we have a separate guide to that category. No authorised claim.
Glucosamine
Ours is 8mg of glucosamine hydrochloride from a vegetable source rather than shellfish, which is what keeps the formula suitable for vegans and free of a crustacean allergen. Worth knowing because most glucosamine on the market is shellfish-derived. At 8mg it is a minor ingredient. No authorised claim.
Live cultures
Lactobacillus acidophilus and Bifidobacterium bifidum, ours at 100 million CFU each — 0.2 billion in total. For comparison, a dedicated live culture supplement typically runs to tens of billions. This is a small addition to a botanical complex, not a live culture product. No authorised claim.
The one that can claim something
After all of the above, the legally supported part of the formula is a single mineral:
- Zinc contributes to the normal function of the immune system.
- Zinc contributes to the protection of cells from oxidative stress.
- Zinc contributes to normal acid-base metabolism and to normal macronutrient metabolism.
Zinc needs at least 15% NRV per serving to carry those. Our Restore Balance Complex provides 3.1mg, 31% NRV, as zinc citrate — double the threshold rather than sitting on it.
The caution to carry away from this whole page: if you take any prescription medication — particularly statins, blood pressure medicines or anticoagulants — or you are pregnant or breastfeeding, this is a category to discuss with your GP or pharmacist rather than to browse. Grapefruit seed extract and garlic are the two reasons.
Go deeper
The companion guides: what caprylic acid is and how to read a CFU count, and our honest comparison of UK aloe vera supplements.
Browse our immune support range.
Last updated July 2026. Always read the label. Food supplements are not a substitute for a varied and balanced diet and a healthy lifestyle.
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