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Proprietary Blends: Why Hidden Amounts Matter for Safety
A proprietary blend prints a total weight and a list of names, but not each amount. The names must go from heaviest to lightest, which gives a ceiling for each. Hidden amounts make it hard to judge dose, interactions or value. Ask the seller for per-ingredient amounts and a certificate of analysis.
Written by the PureLung label deskUpdated · 5 min read
What a blend is
Manufacturers may group ingredients under a blend name and show only the total, in order of weight (FDA, FDA 101: Dietary Supplements). The reason is often to protect a recipe. The cost to buyers is that dose is hidden.
What you can work out
Because names are listed from most to least by weight, the nth name weighs at most the blend total divided by n. In a 600 mg blend, the fifth name is at most 120 mg, and the eleventh at most about 55 mg. These ceilings are limits, not amounts. The real weights can be much lower.
The risks
Hidden amounts create four problems, and each affects a different kind of buyer.
Hidden amounts create four problems.
- You cannot compare the dose with studies.
- You cannot judge interactions with medicines, as the amount of an active herb is unknown.
- You cannot check value, since a cheap filler could make up most of the weight.
- You cannot tell if a name is present only in a tiny amount, a practice called label dressing.
Label dressing
Some products list many impressive names, each in an amount too small to matter, to make the label look rich. The long list tempts a buyer to think more is better. In a blend, the order helps only a little, so a long list says little about the dose.
Safety angles
Ingredients with known cautions, such as ginkgo with bleeding or green tea extract with the liver, can sit inside a blend without a number. A buyer with a medicine risk cannot judge the size of the risk. That is why the safe step is to ask a pharmacist and the seller.
Ask the seller for per-ingredient amounts, plant parts, extract ratios and a certificate of analysis for your lot. A refusal is information.
PureLung: 60 capsules a bottlePacks of 1, 3 or 6 bottles · live price shown at checkout · guarantee as printed on the live listing
See packsIs a blend always bad?
Not necessarily. Some blends are of low-risk nutrients and a fair price. The point is that you cannot check, so extra care is wise, especially with medicines or health conditions.
What does the PureLung label say?
The label shows 60 capsules, a serving of 2 and a 600 mg Proprietary Blend of eleven names with no single amount; it names no disease.
| Item | As printed |
|---|---|
| Form and count | Capsules, 60 per bottle; serving size 2 capsules; 30 servings |
| Blend per serving | Proprietary Blend, 600 mg: eleven names, no single amount printed |
| Inactive | Rice Flour, Magnesium Stearate, Silica Dioxide |
| Distributor | MJO, Sheridan, WY 82801 |
How to compare
Prefer products that list each amount. If two products look alike, the one that prints more is easier to judge, and the one that prints less asks you to trust the seller. Trust is fine when it is earned, and a lab report is how it gets earned. If you choose a blend, favour one with a named lab report. See how this works on the PureLung blend page and the ceiling math post.
3-bottle pack
3 bottles: 180 capsules
Not listed on the packNot listed on the pack a bottle
Shipping shown at checkout · Guarantee as printed on the live listing
Order 3 bottles
6-bottle pack
6 bottles: 360 capsules
Not listed on the packNot listed on the pack a bottle
Shipping shown at checkout · Guarantee as printed on the live listing
Order 6 bottlesPrices are filled in once the live listing is confirmed. A single bottle is also sold. Check your medicines with your doctor or pharmacist before you order, and keep using every inhaler and prescribed medicine.
FAQ01
PureLung questions people ask
Why do companies use blends?
To keep recipes private.
Can I find the amounts?
Ask the seller or lab.
Are blend names in order?
Yes, by weight.
Is the first name the main ingredient?
It weighs the most.
Do blends break the rules?
No, if the total and order are shown.
Who wrote this02
Written and reviewed by
Pages built from the label images, seller information and linked NIH, FDA, CDC, FTC and peer-reviewed sources.
Last updated . Read our editorial standards and how we check reviews. This website is the information site for a U.S. authorized retailer for PureLung. It is not the manufacturer or the distributor named on the label. We earn money when you buy through our order links.
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Check your medicines first, keep every inhaler and prescribed medicine, read the directions on the bottle that arrives, then pick a pack of 1, 3 or 6 bottles. The checkout shows the live price, any shipping and the guarantee.
- Checkout runs on the sales site
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