How we build a formula.

Every formula begins in the classical texts — Charaka Samhita, Ashtanga Hridayam, Sushruta Samhita. We identify which herbs are listed as rasayanas (tonics that promote longevity and vitality) for the specific dhatu (tissue) the formula targets.

This is not decoration. The Ayurvedic system spent 5,000 years observing botanical effects on human physiology with methodological rigour that deserves intellectual respect. We start here because the signal-to-noise ratio in traditional medicine is higher than most modern researchers acknowledge.

We search PubMed, Cochrane, and EMBASE for randomised controlled trials on each candidate ingredient. We exclude animal and in vitro studies from the primary evidence base — human RCT data only for dose decisions.

We require a minimum sample size, pre-registration where available, and an appropriate comparator. Case reports and open-label studies are read for signal but do not drive formulation decisions.

Every candidate ingredient is mapped against EU Regulation 1924/2006 (health claims for food supplements) and the EMA HMPC (European Medicines Agency Herbal Committee) monograph database.

We do not formulate with Novel Foods (EU 2015/2283) without explicit authorisation, and we do not use ingredients that create cross-border regulatory uncertainty. This is why Ashwagandha is absent from EU variants.

We specify the exact extract grade that appears in the clinical literature — not an approximation of it. If the Olsson (2009) Rhodiola study used SHR-5 standardised to ≥3.0% rosavins, that is what we source.

Standardisation percentages are verified by HPLC. We do not accept COAs that list range without method. The extract that built the evidence base is the extract in the capsule.

Every milligram in every formula is traced to a clinical source. We do not use the minimum effective dose unless there is a safety reason; we use the dose at which the primary RCT observed the primary outcome.

We document this in the Master Formulation Specification (MFS) for each product — a technical document available to practitioners on request.

Formulas are manufactured at EU GMP-certified facilities. Every batch undergoes third-party HPLC testing for active marker compounds. Certificates of analysis are archived.

We do not manufacture at the cheapest available facility. GMP certification, batch HPLC testing, and ISO 17025 independent laboratory sign-off are non-negotiable conditions.

All product communications are reviewed against EFSA health claim authorisations and EMA HMPC traditional use categories. We do not make claims that are not supported by the regulatory framework — even where the clinical evidence would tempt us to.

EU Regulation 1924/2006 prohibits disease-cure claims on food supplements. We operate within this framework without exception.

Formulas are reviewed annually against the emerging literature. If a better extract grade becomes available, if a new RCT changes the optimal dose, if a regulatory update changes the claims framework — the formula is updated.

A supplement brand that does not update its formulations is a brand that does not read the literature.