Login

Tools

Label Decoder

Paste the text of a Supplement Facts panel, or load an example, and see what each part of the label tells you and what it leaves out. Four examples are real MDS Labs labels, run through the same checks as any other; one is an invented label written to show common marketing problems. Your text stays in your browser; nothing is sent or stored.

Real MDS Labs labels (our own products, treated exactly like any other):

Stays in your browser. Nothing is sent or saved.

    Assumptions

    • Label rules come from the federal regulation on supplement nutrition labeling, which sets the Supplement Facts format, the 'Daily Value not established' marking, source forms, plant parts, extract labeling and proprietary blends 1.
    • Structure/function claims must carry the FDA disclaimer, and labels may not claim to diagnose, treat, cure, mitigate or prevent disease 2.
    • Piperine raises blood levels of some compounds by blocking how the body clears them 3.

    Limitations

    • This is pattern matching on text, not a review. It can miss terms, misread unusual formatting, or flag a word used innocently.
    • It explains label language. It does not judge whether a product is safe, effective, accurately labeled or right for you.
    • A label can be wrong. Independent tests have found products containing far more or less than stated 45.

    References

    1. US Code of Federal Regulations. 21 CFR 101.36: Nutrition labeling of dietary supplements. Electronic Code of Federal Regulations (current), 2026.Supports: Sets the Supplement Facts format: serving size, % Daily Value, the 'Daily Value not established' symbol, source forms shown with 'as' or 'from', botanicals named with the plant part, extract labeling, and proprietary blends listed by total weight with ingredients in descending order by weight.
    2. National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health. Using Dietary Supplements Wisely. NCCIH, National Institutes of Health (last updated January 2019), 2019.Supports: Federal law defines dietary supplements as products taken by mouth, made to supplement the diet, containing dietary ingredients such as vitamins, minerals, herbs, amino acids or enzymes; labels cannot claim to diagnose, treat, cure, mitigate or prevent disease; structure/function claims require an FDA disclaimer; some products contain undeclared prescription drugs.
    3. Shoba G, Joy D, Joseph T, et al.. Influence of piperine on the pharmacokinetics of curcumin in animals and human volunteers. Planta Medica 64(4):353-356, 1998. PMID 9619120.Supports: In humans, 2 g curcumin alone gave undetectable or very low serum levels; adding 20 mg piperine increased bioavailability by about 2000%.
    4. Erland LA, Saxena PK. Melatonin Natural Health Products and Supplements: Presence of Serotonin and Significant Variability of Melatonin Content. Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine 13(2):275-281, 2017. PMID 27855744.Supports: Melatonin content ranged from -83% to +478% of the label in 31 supplements; lot-to-lot variation up to 465%; serotonin found in 8 products.
    5. Cohen PA, Avula B, Wang YH, et al.. Quantity of Melatonin and CBD in Melatonin Gummies Sold in the US. JAMA 329(16):1401-1402, 2023. PMID 37097362.Supports: Of 25 melatonin gummy products, 22 were inaccurately labeled; melatonin ranged from 74% to 347% of the label, and one product contained no melatonin but 31 mg of CBD.

    Disclosure. The Evidence Lab is published by MDS Labs, which sells dietary supplements. Lab pages do not link to products, and product pages do not cite the Lab as proof. How we handle this.

    Back to Top
    Added to cart
    Your Cart
    0
    Close

    No products in the cart.