Supplements

What is a food supplement?

A food supplement is a concentrated source of nutrients: vitamins, minerals, or compounds from plants and mushrooms. It is meant as an addition to your diet, not as a replacement for it. An important difference from a medicine: a medicine has to prove that it works before it may go on the market, while for a supplement it is about safety and purity. That is why with us you read what is in it and how you use it, and not what it would do for you.

Our brands

Our supplement range comes from four brands, each with its own speciality:

• Together for the basics: vitamins and minerals. A British brand that works with natural, food-state ingredients and is fully vegan.
• Augment Life for longevity and adaptogens, tested in German laboratories with test reports available on request.
• Pure Mushrooms for mushrooms: organically grown, fruiting body only, every batch tested.
• Shilafit for shilajit from the Himalayas, tested per batch in European accredited labs.

What we select on

We only take on a brand if it is transparent about three things: which raw materials it uses, how it produces, and what comes out of the quality checks. Standardised extracts with a stated content of active compound, no unnecessary fillers, and test reports you can request. If a brand cannot tell you what is in the jar, it is not here.

Frequently asked questions about supplements

Are you allowed to say what a supplement is good for?

Almost never, and that is a good thing. In the European Union a seller may only use health claims that have been officially approved. Those claims exist for vitamins and minerals, and their wording is fixed to the letter. For most plant compounds, such as adaptogens, mushrooms and longevity compounds, they do not exist. If you come across a webshop that tells you exactly what such a compound does for you, that webshop is overstepping the mark. We tell you what is in it, where it comes from and how you use it. The rest is up to you.

Do I need supplements if I eat healthily?

Often not. A varied diet gives most people enough. There are groups and situations where that is different, but we make no statements about those: that is a question for your GP or a dietitian. We would rather sell a little less than talk you into something.

When is the best time to take supplements?

That differs per type. Fat-soluble vitamins (A, D, E and K) you take with a meal containing some fat, because otherwise they are absorbed less well. Water-soluble vitamins can be taken at any time. For most other supplements the moment of intake is on the packaging and on the product page. Stick to what it says there.

Can you combine supplements with each other?

Usually yes, but start with one product at a time. That way you know where a response comes from if you have one. Watch out that you do not take in the same compounds twice: if you use a multivitamin and separate vitamins alongside it, they add up.

Can you take in too much?

Yes. For many vitamins and minerals there is an acceptable upper limit, and you can exceed it if you stack several products. Do not exceed the recommended daily amount on the packaging. Do you take medication, are you pregnant or breastfeeding? Then consult your doctor first.

What do you look for in the quality of a supplement?

At four things: is the content of active compound stated, is the extract standardised, is every batch tested, and can you request those test reports? If that is missing, you do not know what you are buying. A low price is usually the result of a low dose.

Not found what you are looking for?

Filter by category above, or go straight to vitamins and minerals, longevity, mushrooms, adaptogens or shilajit. Is your question not here? Ask it through customer service.