Did you know Nomadic Effects doesn’t use fillers in our products? We believe our adaptogens should be pure and untainted by unnecessary additives. Many companies use fillers to reduce manufacturing costs, reduce the occurrence of ingredients splitting, separating, cracking or clumping.

When looking for adaptogens, be on the lookout for these additives:

What do additives do and how might they affect your health?

Magnesium stearate: Mg(C18H35O2)2

Magnesium Stearate is a “flow agent” which speeds up the manufacturing process. It prevents ingredients from sticking to the mechanical equipment. Magnesium Stearate has been widely used in the food industry as an emulsifier (combining two ingredients together which do not ordinarily mix easily.), a binder and a thickener. In pharmaceuticals, it’s commonly used as an inactive ingredient for tablets, capsules, and powders.

There is little published information available related to the genotoxic potential of magnesium stearate. Genotoxicity refers to the ability of chemicals that can damage the genetic information within a cell resulting in mutations which can lead to a cancerous growth. 

In a study on rats, it was found that Magnesium Stearate suppressed T cells. T cells are an important part of the immune system. T cells find and destroy infected cells that have been turned into virus-making factories. 

Other potential side effects:

Magnesium Stearate may produce a laxative effect. It can irritate the mucosal lining of your bowels. This causes your bowels to spasm, triggering a bowel movement or even diarrhea and other gastrointestinal effects. (Source)

Titanium dioxide: TiO2

Titanium dioxide accounts for 70% of the total production volume of pigments worldwide. It is widely used to provide whiteness and opacity to products such as paints, plastics, papers, inks, foods, and toothpastes. 

Titanium dioxide is classified by the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) as an IARC Group 2B carcinogen ''possibly carcinogen to humans'' for employees who handle the product in manufacturing. In March 2019, the French government banned the sale of food products containing titanium dioxide (TiO2) starting January 1, 2020 based on findings published by the French food safety agency (ANSES) who recommended reducing the exposure of TiO2 to workers, consumers and the environment.

Silicon dioxide: SiO2 

It is used primarily as a flow or anti-caking agent in powdered foods such as spices and non-dairy coffee creamer, or powders to be formed into pharmaceutical tablets. While evidence doesn’t indicate that Silicon dioxide is hazardous to ingest as a food additive, some studies have shown it has an occupational hazard for those in manufacturing.  Inhaling finely divided crystalline silica is toxic and can lead to severe inflammation of the lung tissue, silicosis, bronchitis, lung cancer, and systemic autoimmune diseases, such as lupus and rheumatoid arthritis. 

Magnesium silicate: MgO3Si

Magnesium Silicate, also known as talc, talcum powder, or baby powder. It can be used as an anti-caking agent in powder supplements. However, it has been linked to stomach cancer and lung inflammation in some studies.

https://www.jstage.jst.go.jp/article/indhealth/advpub/0/advpub_2013-0105/_article

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/12851164/

Bulking Agents

Some companies use inactive ingredients to make the supplement appear more attractive or to increase the size or volume of the tablet or tablet. This is done so that you think you are getting your money’s worth. Some common bulking agents are rice flour, corn starch, maltodextrin, and cellulose powder. 

As part of our Guiding Principles, Nomadic remains committed to ensuring our ingredients are as pure and as absorbable as possible by avoiding the use of fillers, binders or bulking agents that do not provide nutritional value and may reduce the overall quality and benefit of a product for both our customers and our employees!

How to ensure you’re getting quality supplements:

• Research banned substances in Europe. Europe is known to have more strict food regulations.
• Purchase non-GMO, organic and vegan when possible.
• Anything that is propyl or ethyl should be avoided.
• Generally, the less ingredients, the better.
• Capsules are less likely to contain harmful ingredients.
• Be extra careful when buying “cheap” products online – if something is unusually inexpensive, it probably means it just has less of the actual substance in the package to begin with. 

Looking for adaptogens without those nasty additives?

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(Please note: Nomadic does not provide medical advice and readers should consult a medical professional.)