What is Clinical Dose?
A clinical dose is the amount of an active ingredient that human trials have shown produces a measurable effect. It is defined by research, not by what fits neatly on a label.
The idea exists because a supplement can list an ingredient without including enough of it to matter. A clinical dose sits between a token sprinkle and a mega-dose that adds cost without benefit. It is closely tied to how a standardised extract is measured and to the extract ratio printed on a pack, and it is often hidden inside a proprietary blend where individual amounts are not disclosed.
Anyone comparing supplements benefits from thinking in clinical doses rather than ingredient names. The catch is that a clinical dose is specific to a form and a population, so a figure from one trial may not transfer to a different extract or a different person. Some ingredients also have no agreed clinical dose at all.
You can see the full per-serve amounts behind each formula on our science page.
Frequently asked questions
How is it different from the amount printed on a label?
A label lists an ingredient's weight, which may be far below the amount trials actually used. A clinical dose refers to the researched effective amount, whether or not a given product contains it.
Who uses it, or when is it the right choice?
Careful buyers and formulators use clinical doses to judge whether a product can plausibly work. It is the right lens whenever a benefit depends on reaching a threshold amount.
When is it the WRONG choice?
Chasing a clinical dose is unhelpful for ingredients where more is not better or where no human threshold has been established. In those cases the number gives false confidence.