Introduction

A special thanks to IdealRaw for allowing us the opportunity to try out and review their products. Today, I discuss my experience with their immune enhancement supplement Defense. Getting sick sucks....or at least it seems most of the time we get ill at the most inconvenient of times. Truth be told, whether it'd be the common cold bug or something more serious, nobody wants to deal with illnesses because of the interference they can cause with daily life. Not to mention, trying to bang out a workout while battling an illnesses isn't the most pleasant of experiences. Practicing a diet rich in all the essential vitamins and antioxidants, along with all the other necessities, is the best way to keep out immune defenses solid and running. Of course, it doesn't hurt to give them a little boost every now and then, so that's when products like Defense come into play.

Ingredient Profile

Defense contains a fully disclosed and extensive profile consisting of ingredients that can strengthen immune response, support natural inflammatory responses, aid with stress management, and improve gut health. The profile begins with 200mg of vitamin C, 25mg of vitamin E, 50mg of zinc, and 200mcg of selenium.

Continuing down the profile, we see 400mg of 4:1 tumeric, 400mg of beta glucan, 200mg of ashwaganda, 100mg of Reishi mushroom, 100mg of Shitake mushroom, 100mg of Maitake mushroom, 100mg of astragalus, 100mg of echinacea, 50mg of 4:1 ginger root extract, 25mg of 10:1 elder berry extract, 10mg of bioperine, and finally a probiotics inclusion of two cultures consisting of Lactobacillus Rihamnosus at 7.5 billion CFU and B-Bifidum at 2.5 billion CFU.

I don't think I need to go into in-depth detail about any of these ingredients since all of us has seen them at one point or another. As we know, a majority of these ingredients are known for their immunity enhancement properties. Tumeric, echinacea, the included vitamins and minerals, elder berry, and the included mushroom extracts are well known for improving immunity response and having health promoting properties associated with improving the function of vital organs such as the heart and liver. Ashwaganda and ginger root are effective adaptogens that help reduce cortisol and help mitigate stress response. The probiotics of course are for gut health, but also these "good" bacteria are important immune factors that help drive immunity processes.

My only complaint is that I believe that some of these ingredients could be dosed a little higher. The vitamin C for example would be better at 500mg and ingredients such as the mushroom extracts and ashwaganda could be up ticked maybe 100-200mg higher.

Dosing

The directions advise 3 capsules preferably with your largest meal. For me, I took 3 caps with my final meal of the day, which was usually dinner. You could spread the caps out, I suppose, but I just found it more convenient to take all 3 at once.

Effectiveness

When talking about the effectiveness about an immunity enhancement supplement, obviously, the one thing you would gauge efficacy on is whether or not you truly "felt" healthier while on it in terms of perhaps how you did not contract any illnesses or how you may have gotten over one quicker.

For me, while on Defense, I never became ill and I truly felt healthier and less stressed. I had more natural energy and focus thanks to the adaptogens and I did not feel ill or sluggish at any point while taking Defense. I sometimes don't get enough sleep so that can make me more susceptible to illness and stress. I felt that Defense helped reduce the "lack of rest" lethargic stress response I would sometimes get and made a difference in helping to keep me from getting sick.

The probiotics did a great job in helping to keep me regular. I was having occasional extra, large bowel movements and I had less gastric disturbances from heavy meals.

Value

IdealRaw offers Defense for 22 dollars a bottle. However, they also offer quantity deals where buying more than one bottle, two or three, will allow for a small discounted bulk price. The deals include two bottles for 40 dollars and three bottles for 60 dollars. Considering each bottle lasts a month and that Defense does a great job supporting your overall health, I think this is a very good deal if you are someone who uses immune enhancement supplements frequently.

Side Effects

none

Conclusion

If you wanna take your immune system to the gym and give it strength to fight off those nasty illness bugs, Defense is a product that can do just that. It can also help with stress and keep your plumbing in good working order. Just be sure the majority of the good stuff you need is coming from your diet.

WARMACHINE OUT!!!

GO RED SOX!!!

Introduction

Before I start my review I would like to thank Dymatize for giving me the opportunity to try out PRE W.O. I've used Dymatize supplements in the past, usually it was their Gourmet and Elite proteins because they were always on sale. I took a few weeks off from using stims so I was excited to have to grab a tub after seeing the ingredient profile. During the duration of this review I was training 5-6 days a week 2x a day - cardio in the morning and weight training in the evening.

Ingredient Profile

The ingredient profile contains 9 main ingredients that are solidly dosed for effectiveness. Another great aspect with this ingredient profile is that everything is transparent... I know exactly what I'm taking. Citrulline Malate leads off with a whopping 8g where as others are usually dosed around 6g. Next you get a full dose of beta-alanine at 3.2g.

Caffeine is dosed at 300mg which is usually my sweet spot with pre-workouts. I even had the thought it might be a little much considering I took time off from using stims. Along with the caffeine is a hefty dose (125mg) of TeaCrine.... one of the highest dosages I have used to date. There is not a lot wrong with this profile, however one thing I noticed in which smashley23 pointed out - taurine and beta-alanine may interfere with each other.

Taste/Mixability/Dosing

Taste - For this review I received the Handspun Cotton Candy flavor which tasted like sour cotton candy. It wasn't the worst tasting nor the best tasting pre-workout I've had. I don't judge a pre-workout much on taste..... more on effectiveness since I can usually chug it down.

Mixability - When I received my tub the powder inside was rock hard like concrete. After a few shakes of the tub some of the powder came loose but throughout the tub it stayed hard. Because of this there was some major clumping - major chunks, however once it was mixed with water it wasn't too bad.

Dosing - I mixed one scoop with about 10 oz of water and taken 20 min before training.

Effectiveness

I used Dymatize PRE W.O. once a day before training sessions. For the first 3 days I took 1/2 a scoop before my morning workout then another 1/2 for my evening workout. To be honest I didn't feel much but I wanted to start off slow, following that I took 1 scoop. I either had it in the morning or the night, really depending on the next days scheduling. Since I knew I was going to be up all night with the baby, having pre-workout in the evening wasn't bad.

Once I used 1 scoop before training it took about 20-30 min to kick in. Once it kicked in I had clean energy throughout my entire workout without a crash. For having 8g of Citrulline Malate I thought I would get some great pumps..... only to get "good" pumps. I was expecting a bit more for that category but there was a slight increase.

Another great aspect was the extra electrolytes I was getting from the Coconut Water Fruit Powder. Training in my garage in 90-100 degree heat really takes a beating on me and usually dehydrated at the end of training. I noticed my slight headaches were gone and I felt generally better during training.

Value

The cheapest value I could find for a 20 serving tub of PRE W.O was for around $39. Although this is a good pre-workout with solid dosages I don't think it warrants a price of $2 a serving. I could see myself paying around $1.50-$1.75 a serving or so but not too much more.

Side Effects

Beta-Alanine tingles

Conclusion

In conclusion Dymatize PRE W.O. is a great overall pre-workout that has just about everything you need. I would recommend this to everyone and its good to see a more complete pre-workout when compared to concentrates or high stims.

Introduction

Back at it again sR to do a review for the natty test booster by RSP called PrimeT. I'm 35 (almost 36) regular lifter so I am a prime candidate for a natty test booster. I have had some endocrine problems (thyroid cancer 3 times), so I don't think I will ever jump into the PH realm. However, at 35 my test levels are surely decreasing some and I look for natty test boosters to break through a current plateau, help with some strength increases, and in this state of my fitness life improve body composition. Natty test boosters aren't world changers, but I have tried a ton of them and you can tell when one is working. Overall, PrimeT worked great, and here's the review.

Ingredient Profile

I am extremely impressed with this profile. First, 100% disclosed which is great. Also, this is absolutely packed with a ton of ingredients at great dosages. All of the ingredients are aimed at boosting natural testosterone production, reducing estrogen levels, and increasing libido. All things at 35 years old are welcomed. Some highlights from the profile are a full dose of DAA, 250 mg of DIM, 3000 IU Vitamin D, Fenugreek, Boron, and Maca. Many of us have used DAA with some success and it's nice to see the full dose in here, most of us are always deficient in Vitamin D as well so this is nice. DIM is one of the best natural AIs I have ever used and 250 mg is a great dosage, and fenugreek and maca are great for libido and a slight natty test bump. The one ingredient I don't know a lot about is the Safed Musil extract which I looked up and there are some studies of some natty test production and increased semen count. Overall, this profile is jam packed with a lot of well known ingredients at good dosages aimed at helping test production, reducing estrogen, and providing a libido boost. A+ profile.

Taste/Mixability/Dosing

No taste or mixing as these are caps. Dosing gets high marks here too as dosing is once a day. A lot of natty test boosters have multiple times a day doses which isn't too bad but the once a day is much preferred. The directions state to take this 30-60 min at night and I did on most days although I did play around with it some. I believe the theory behind the night dosage is to elevate test at night to help with recovery (and libido), but I also took this preworkout some and some with dinner and I don't think it affected it's effectiveness.

Effectiveness

I did not have bloodwork done to truly test to see if there was an increase in testosterone, but I think there are a few sure fire signals that you are experience elevated testosterone. First, I did experience a slight strength increase. For those that have been following my reviews, you know I have been cutting for quite a while and of course it's hard to improve in your lifts while in a caloric deficit. That being said, I did improve in both endurance and strength slightly while on this. Currently I have been a high rep/cardio routine and the reps were easier and I was able to move up in weight in a lot of my lifts. Second, I broke out a little. I have very clear skin and hardly ever have any pimples, but when I take a good natty test booster I will break out some. I did experience some slight acne on my face as well as some on my chest. Nothing horrible and this is definitely not a great benefit but it can be a sign that you're producing some more testosterone. One of the main things I look for when taking a natty test booster though is whether my attitude changes. I am usually a VERY patient dude. I've been a middle school teacher for 12 years now, you kind of have to be to survive. When I take a good test booster though my aggression goes way up, I get a lot more irritated at smaller things (especially road rage), and have more motivation (alpha feeling) at the gym. This was definitely present while taking this. This really began to take effect in the 2nd week and lasted throughout the rest of the bottle. Lastly, libido increase hit right away. Much more frequent erections, desire, and erection quality. All aces there haha. Overall, when using Prime T I felt an increase in all of the areas I look for when taking a natty test booster. I was very happy with the results.

Value

I feel this is another strong component of this product. You get a month supply for $34, and there is a buy one get one 50% off at Bodybuilding.com which I think is nice because I would like to run this for 8 weeks in the future. If you buy a DAA product like D-Pol example with DAA and Vitamin D, it'll run you a little over $20 by itself. This has the DAA and Vitamin D and then includes a lot of other well dosed ingredients to complement it. If you bought those as standalones I think you would go way over with the price, so this is a budget friendly all in one product.

Side Effects

Good: strength, libido Bad: acne, temper

Conclusion

I would definitely recommend this product to someone in my age bracket looking for a natural boost. Don't expect PH like gains but if you're looking to break through a plateau and improve your workouts I think this is a great option that is also budget friendly.

Introduction

Hey SR, here today to review a sleep aid by Utzy Naturals called Fall Asleep. I'm a big fan of sleep aids and I really think they help performance and recovery by allowing our bodies to get into and stay into a deep state of sleep. I feel this is especially important because my guess is, like me, most of you lead very busy, stressful lives. Add to that I pop myself full of stims, caffeine, preworkouts, fat burners, etc. and getting to sleep can be tough so a little help is much appreciated. I have tried a ton of sleep aids so lets see how this stacked up.

Ingredient Profile

Overall, I really like the profile. All natural herbs aimed at relaxation to make it easier for one to fall asleep, as the name of the product suggests. I like that the profile is fully disclosed and simple, and the dosages seem to be in the effective range. The profile includes some TRAACS magnesium, valerian root, lemon balm, passionflower, and skullcap root. I have had all of these ingredients in other sleep aids before with great success except the skullcap root, and I really like when a sleep aid includes valerian root as that ingredient has always worked well for me. All of these natural ingredients are aimed at getting ones body to relax, get a state of calmness, and make it easier to get to sleep. There are some ingredients commonly used in sleep aids missing like GABA, Phenibut, 5-HTP, L-Dopa etc but it looks like this profile is geared towards the more gentle, occasional sleep aid. Good profile overall.

Taste/Mixability/Dosing

No taste, two capsules before bed. Pills are normal and easy to swallow. Easy as can be. The directions do state on the bottle this is for the occasional sleepless night, so you won't be taking this everyday. I think because of this is why they only gave 15 servings in a bottle, as if you used this everyday it would only last two weeks. I think this is where most of us who are stim heavy regular lifters looking for enhanced recovery will be frustrated as most of the sleep aids for us are geared for everyday/5 days a week use to help in that respect which is frustrating. They do offer a 30 day supply online and I don't think taking this everyday would cause any side effects like dependency, but does effect the value. Because of the directions and supply, I would only take this on days where I really needed a good nights sleep and/or on a big lift day.

Effectiveness

This is definitely not the strongest sleep aid I have ever taken, but it did an ok job in helping get to sleep quicker. Once taken I did feel a state of calmness and relaxation and was able to get to sleep I'd say within 45 min of taking. The quality of sleep I had was good, but didn't experience the extra deep REM sleep with crazy vivid dreams that other supplements have produced. I didn't wake up with a sleep hangover which is nice and overall the sleep was good but did wake up a couple times throughout the night to go to the bathroom. I do take other products for recovery that are staples, and my recovery was good throughout the run of this bottle but did not improve more than what it normally is, and I wouldn't expect it to be since using this is not an everyday thing. Overall, I think this is an ok sleep aid, good for beginners who are looking for something that's not too strong but a gentle relaxation to help a couple times a week. For advanced lifters looking for enhanced recovery and performance, this isn't the product for you.

Value

For 15 servings it's $18, for a 30 day supply it's $29. Since you're not supposed to use this every day, it should last over a month or a couple months depending on what you buy so the value should be ok, but I don't think the value is there for me as I can buy a much stronger product that I can use almost every day to help me. Once again, I think the value depends on what kind of user you are.

Side Effects

None.

Conclusion

Overall, a nice, gentle, product that can help you fall asleep a little quicker, but for more advanced lifters you can probably find something better suited for your needs.

Introduction

(About yourself, 1-3 sentences maximum)
Active duty military who is always looking to take his fitness to the next level. I have been working hard on functional fitness over the last year and a half, while still throwing some traditional bodybuilding workouts in the mix. The main goal is to always crush goals, and to be harder to kill, and live everyday to the fullest.

Ingredient Profile

Total Carbohydrate 2g
Magnesium 17mg
Sodium 39mg
Potassium 52mg
Branch Chain Amino Acids:
L-leucine 2500mg
L-isoleucine 1250mg
L-valine 1250mg
Essential Amino Acids:
L-lysine hydrochloride 300mg
L-threoine 225mg
L-phenylalanine 200mg
L-tryptophan 50mg
L-histidine 25mg
L-methionine 20mg
Muscular Energy & Nutrient Delivery:
Highly branched cyclic 2000mg
D-ribose 500mg

This is a fully disclosed product label with nothing to hide and delivers 9 Essential Amino Acids and an electrolyte blend as well.

Taste/Mixability/Dosing

So I have gone through 2 containers of this product which were the Orange sherbet and Cherry Lemonade. the orange taste like an orange creamsicle popsicle so you get a hint of vanilla with it, which is ok but I have noticed that it leaves a bit of an aftertaste that could be unpleasant to some tasters. The Cherry lemonade is spot on with what you would expect a cherry lemonade float drink from Sonic to taste like. There is no after taste with this flavor and it goes down smooth. Mixability is okay but it could be better. However it does not require constant mixing like some amino products. Dosing is my standard 1 scoop (11.8g) per 32oz of water. I would drink a dose during my workout and follow it with another dose later in the day. They recommend that you drink some of it prior to your workout so you can allow the D-Ribose and Cluster Dextrin to be absorbed for ATP and Cell Volumization.

Effectiveness

So effectiveness is generally good, while I still experience some muscle soreness, I do know that the product is keeping it from being a lot worse than it could be. Workouts are generally soul crushing the way it is, and without this product I probably couldn't move. I really like the fact that it does offer an electrolyte blend and I do feel like my muscles as well as my body is better hydrated through grueling workouts.

Value

This is where it can be tricky. The normal price is $39.99 for 30 servings which comes out to $1.33 a scoop which can feel really steep on the wallet. HOWEVER....a simple google search for this product will lead you to sites like A1 supplements who seems to always have a buy 1 get 1 free deal, so now you are looking at $39.99 for 60 servings which is $.66 per serving which makes this product all the better. I am all for the best bang for your buck and will always try to find the best deal out there for anything, after all money doesn't just fall from the sky.

Side Effects

No real side effects found from this, other than reduced muscle soreness, but that is a good thing.

Conclusion

This is a good product period. I find this to be a good EAA replacement to my old favorite which was AminoIV. I was a big fan of AminoIV until they changed the formula and jacked up the price. Primeval labs in my opinion is the king of the EAA market right now, and will sit there until someone takes the crown from them. Again while the price might seem steep, keep your eyes peeled for BOGO deals. This will make it more appealing and allow you to essentially run the product for a long enough period to really see for yourself the benefits that it has to offer. Remember this is a product designed to deliver EAA's which are ESSENTIAL meaning that you need them and your body does not naturally make them. Do yourself a favor and stop holding your yourself and your progress back, and get some EAA's. As I get older my body and muscles break down more and more and products like this are a must so I live. I have also found this to be beneficial in endurance movements that I have done. 2 weeks ago, I went on a 8 mile hike, and was sipping this the entire way and felt great. My body felt like it stayed hydrated and energized regarding the elevation and and temperatures.

When I purchase my tub of Pre-Kaged by Kaged Muscle, I was really excited to try what appeared on the label to be one of the most complete all-in-one pre-workouts on the market. Pre-Kaged is built in the mould of other all-in-one clinically-dosed PWOs such as NutraBio's Pre and my personal all-time favourite Muscle Marinade from Purus Labs. When it comes to full-spectrum PWOs like Pre-Kaged, you expect big things. So let's see how Pre-Kaged fared.

INGREDIENT PROFILE - 9.2/10

On the surface, this ingredient profile looks amazing. The label is so comprehensive they need to put it sideways to fit all the info in. There's sticker after sticker of high-quality, patented ingredients. There's stickers telling you that it was made in the best facilities in the universe, and that no dumbbells are harmed in the production of this product. It's almost too good to be true. But when you dig into it, it's not all what it seems. Don't take that the wrong way, I still give the ingredient profile 9.2/10, which is a great score, but I feel like there are some things that could be improved/changed. I'll break them down below:

Pro-Pump complex - The level of L-Citrullene is great, but that's it. If you don't respond to it, then you're going to be hard pressed to get a pump. In all honesty though, I do respond to L-Citrullene so I don't have an issue with this blend.

Muscle Fuel Matrix - In other words, BCAAs. 3.5g of them. But it's a bit tricky, cos the next complex is 3g L-Leucine. So really, 6.5g of BCAAS, right? If that's true, then this is a good amount.

Endura-Burn Matrix - Beta alanine at half the clinical dose. Even though it's the patented Carnosyn, I still feel you need the clinical dose for maximum effectiveness. The capsicum extract didn't do much for me, apart from giving me a funny aftertaste.

Strength & Power - A bit underwhelming. 2g of BetaPower is nice, I would like 2.5g in my PWOs though. The Creatine HCl is also under-dosed IMO, I feel with creatine you gotta put in 5g of creapure, or none at all.

Hydrate & Defend - As others have said, 500mg coconut water extract is about half what most people want. I didn't feel a hydration benefit from Pre-Kaged, so im going to agree with them. The other 'stuff' is just that, 'stuff'.

Neuro-Focus Matrix - The taurine is good, the caffeine is a little bit below pare for most people. I would have liked to have seen some other focus ingredients in here, as I didn't feel the tunnel-vision focus I was expecting from this sort of product.

There are minimal dyes and flavours, meaning your shaker and insides don't get stained, which is always a plus. I have to give it to Kaged Muscle for being able to pack so much into a PWO and still make it 1 - mix well and 2 - taste bearable.

Taste - 7/10

I had the fruit punch flavour. It tasted good, but was not amazing. I got through the tub without hating it, but without loving it, hence the middle of the road rating.

Mixability - 8/10

Pre-Kaged mixed up well in a shaker cup, although there was some grit down the bottom that could be swirled up, but you could never leave your shaker completely clean. Not that all unexpected with such a comprehensive ingredient profile.

Dosage - As this is a true one-scooper that's how I dosed it. If you need to take more than 1 scoop of a PWO that is 32g then the PWO just isn't effective in my opinion.

Effectiveness - 8.8/10

The effectiveness of Pre-Kaged is broken down into the respective categories that a PWO should have:

Energy - 8/10

With not enough caffeine in my opinion, and not many supporting energy or focus ingredients, it was always going to struggle to blow you away. And so it was. The focus and energy was increased, and there was no jitters or crash, but it just wasn't 'enough' for me and I assume for many other (as I am not a stim junkie).

Pump - 9.5/10

The pump was real, and I attribute a lot of that to me responding well to L-Citrullene. If you didn't respond well to L-Citrulline then you might not see the same results.

Endurance & Hydration - 8/10

With the BCAAs and the coconut extract, I was expecting more from the endurance aspect of Pre-Kaged. I was a little disappointed in this regard. The endurance and hydration was no better than your standard intra BCAA drink, which you can pick up for really cheap.

Strength & Power - 8.5/10

Again, nothing earth-shattering, but competent. I didn't feel like I was hitting extra reps or doing heavier weight because of Pre-Kaged. I think a lot of this component ties in with the energy, if you are in the zone and focused then you tend to lift more weight or lift more reps. If you don't have that tunnel-vision focus, then I don't think you can truly benefit from extra reps/weight.

Recovery - 8/10

I didn't feel an increase, or decrease, in my recovery from normal with Pre-Kaged. I must point out that half way through my tub of Pre-Kaged I added in BioGro into my recovery stack, which I respond really well too, and it was noticeable within a week that my recovery was improving. That's the benchmark for me, and although Pre-Kaged is not touted as a recovery product, the addition of the BCAAs should
improve your recovery. They did, but I wouldn't say any more than your standard intra BCAA product.

Side Effects - 0/10

Nothing to report here, all good as you would expect with high-quality ingredients.

VALUE - 7.5/10

When you're talking a PWO that's going to cost you $1.50 a serving, you're talking top tier. When you're talking top tier pricing, you demand top tier performance. I have no issues paying $1.50 a serving of PWO if the performance warrants it. For the profile of Pre-Kaged you'd go yeah sure, all those quality ingredients cost a lot, I'm happy to shell out for it. BUT it must perform to a level that matches 1 - the quality of the ingredients and 2 - the price. Otherwise you could just get a high stim PWO and some intra product for the same price and get a better result. I felt for the price Pre-Kaged did not perform to a standard I would expect, hence the middle of the road rating. I have not really seen Pre-Kaged on sale, so the $1.50 a serving price tag seems to be the standard. I'd pay that much per serving for my absolute top PWOs, I would not pay that much again for Pre-Kaged.

CONCLUSION - 8/10

I was really excited to get into Pre-Kaged. I like the comprehensive PWOs that have everything included and use high-quality ingredients. Pre-Kaged worked well for me, but I was a little disappointed with the overall performance for what promised to be the top level of PWOs, among the best I've ever used. I was happy to pay the extra for this product, if the performance warranted it. In the end I have to admit that while I did enjoy my time on Pre-Kaged, I will be looking elsewhere for my next full-spectrum PWO. Would I buy this again with my own money? Probably not unless it was on special. Would I recommend this product to others? To serious experienced gym goers? Probably not. It would be a good PWO for someone who just goes to the gym and wants an everything in one PWO.

Introduction

What up errybody! Its ya boi Red with a new review over Brite- by Evomuse. First off, let me just say thank you to Evomuse for the opportunity to review your products; I certainly look forward to seeing more of them and greatly appreciate your participation in the SR Trooper program!

Ingredient Profile

Ok.. So first, this is a proprietary blend on steroids... I don't even know if the listed ingredients are in descending order (volume) or not.

So I suppose we'll just dive right in..The ingredient profile is composed of different oils and a matrix for optimim delivery/absorption; but a couple ingredients are rather confusing.

The first listed ingredient.
Bitter Melon Seed Oil: this substance needs more research to back its claims, but has had some success in lowering blood sigar in diabetic individuals. Other Flawed studies (with bias research) have tried to claim its a "jack of all trades" and has many benefits. But I disagree for a couple reasons..

Next up is.
Perilla Seed Oil: this oil is mainly touted for its high omega-3 fatty acid (alpha-linoleic acid) and rosemarinic acid content; which has shown to be benificial in the field of antioxidant and anti-inflammatory agents. It has also been referred to as an anti-cancer compound.

Next.
Borage Oil: containing high amounts of the fatty acid gamma-linoleic acid (GLA for short) has shown promise as anti-inflammatory, among other uses such as reducing diabetic nerve pain.

Next.
Pine Nut Oil: this oil has a few known effects, that easily make it a versatile substance to supplement with. Pine nut oil has been used for the following: stomach ulcer pain, appetite suppressant, lowering LDL Cholesterol (bad cholesterol).

Then we have good ole..
Acetyl-L-Carnitine: best known for cardiovascular and brain-boosting benefits, this compound can have man other uses, but is mainly classified as a nootropic (not to be confused with L-Carnitine: which boosts the fat to energy conversion).

Sesathin Advanced (Sesmol): is the next ingredient, but.. Not much information (that's credible anyway..) is available to support this products highlighted effects.. So lets just say it is intended to contribute, somehow... But, I have no idea how..

Next we have..
Pytol: this plant derivative has many uses, but is mainly involved here for its cholesterol and blood glucose lowering effects. This in turn, can cause the release of more ketones (fat fragments) to be utilized as energy.

Then we have Peppermint Oil:
This oil is mainly present for its resolve toward Irritiable Bowel Syndrom (IBS), and its natural soothing flavor (but the liquid still tastes horrid)..

Last is Trans Retinoic Acid:
This is mainly used in the reduction of or treatment of skin issues/impurities and is involved here as a "mop up crew." This does so by metaphorically mopping us some of the free radicals floating around the body (disposing of potentially harmful/unwanted leftovers).

Taste/Mixability/Dosing

The taste I must admit.. is minty, but also very bitter.. And does not settle well in the stomach..

Mixability, NA.

Dosing, NA.. we aren't provided any info on dosing, as this blend is proprietary...

Effectiveness

Initially, the product takes its sweet time.. However once it builds up in your system and has a chance to successfully convert white adipose to the desired "Brite Cells" it begins to create a better thermogenic response to stress placed upon the body.

After about 2-3 weeks I noticed a greater amount of persperation (regardless of intensity or temperature), but no real difference in fat loss.

At the end of the run, "Brite" did seem to have a couple positive effects such as: increased thermogenesis & minor fat loss, but nothing like what is touted on the bottle...

Value

Considering this is about $40 at the least.. you're better off with another, more effective fatburner. But, if you have some extra money... It wouldn't hurt to give this a try, & see how your body responds.

Side Effects

Heartburn and stomach discomfort at about every dose..

Conclusion

I had high hopes for this product, but it fell short. It has potential and a few kinks to work out, but this is only the 1st or 2nd formulation of Brite that Evomuse has introduced.. So lets keep faith and a close eye on the next moves by Evomuse. They're almost guaranteed to be in the right direction!

Introduction

Huge shoutout to GDN Superstore for sending me out their product for review. I am a 26 year old male firefighter from Ohio. My main fitness goals are to maintain a solid shape for my job and to increase muscle/strength. During my usage I also took a protein powder, preworkout, amino powder, creatine, multivitamin and fish oil.

Ingredient Profile

The ingredient profile is half proprietary blend which isn't my favorite thing to see on a label. The non proprietary blend ingredients are L-Arginine at 1 gram and L-Citrulline DL-Malate at 100mg. Both of those ingredients are meant to increase blood flow. The proprietary blend is a total of 1.4 grams. I'll list the ingredients in order as that represents the amount from most to least. Testufen Senugreek Seed Extract, Longjax, Beet Root Extract, Horny Goat Weed, Japanese Knot Weed, Maca Root, Catuaba Bark Powder, Tribulis Terresteris, Muira Puama Bark, Saw Palmetto Berry Powder, Pumpkin Seed Powder, and lastly Nettle Root Extract. All of those ingredients are in some way or another believed to have a positive influence on testerone and sexual health.

Taste/Mixability/Dosing

The supplement is provided in capsule form so it is tasteless. The capsules are small to average size and I had no difficulty swallowing them. There is no mixability issues since it is in capsule form. The dosing is at 3 pills and seems about average for this type of supplement. It never seemed like a hassle or too much to take at once. I always took my 3 capsules with breakfast in the morning. The ingredient doses seem to be at clinical doses for each ingredient. The doses seem similar to other products of the same category type.

Effectiveness

Being a decently young male I feel my current testosterone and sexual health is correct. I currently have no known issues with either. I wanted to try this supplement to see if I could see a noticeable increase in either. First off I will say that my sexual arousal and desire was more easily triggered while on this supplement. I didn't not notice any performance increases. I do not think it vastly increased my testosterone but I do think it positively effected it at some capacity. I noticed pretty muscle and strength gains throughout my usage. Nothing too crazy but nice to see. My workouts all felt great. My sex life was good and slightly better than usual. I noticed a slight increase in aggression at certain things. I did have a bit of acne as well which hasn't shown up in awhile. What I did notice did take about a week maybe a little more of using to start to notice.

Value

What I have noticed is almost every single sexual or testosterone supplement out there is usually on the quite expensive side. This one is no different. I found it for sale on their website at $79.95. Now for me I do not see myself paying this for the results I got but I am a younger guy. If an older male who got better results out of this was looking for a supplement this price might be way more reasonable. There are 30 servings per bottle and it breaks down to about $2.60 per serving. To me that is a lot but like I said it depends on the results you receive and what you value it at.

Side Effects

I noticed no negative side effects during my usage of this supplement.

Conclusion

Well to conclude this review I would like to once again thank GDN Superstore for sending me their product. Overall I enjoyed my usage of this product and wouldn't mind giving it another go in the future if I found it a lot cheaper. It gave me small improvements but improvements that I enjoyed nonetheless. I feel this product would definitely benefit an older male with low testosterone and decreased sexual health or drive way more than it did for myself. But seeing as it showed good signs in a young guy I imagine the results in an older male would be awesome. It is on the pricier side but almost all supplements in this category are. If you value your testosterone and sexual health and don't mind spending the money for it I definitely recommend this. If you don't want to spend as much I suggest looking into other options.

Introduction

What's up SR- Today we're going to be taking a look at Nature Restore's Gotu Kola 500. This is basically one of those ancient Asian remedies, and it's supposed to help with a host of ailments including poor circulation, low energy, and depression/anxiety. How does it stack up when added to the diet of a westerner? Let's see...

Ingredient Profile

Nature Restore is doing things a bit differently than others in the supplement industry. They're mainly focusing on 1 ingredient, natural herbs and powders, delivered in capsules. With that, this is just straight up Gotu Kola with 90, 500mg capsules.

Taste/Mixability/Dosing

No taste- No mixing.

Slight grassy aftertaste.

3 pills daily. I took them in the morning with food.

Effectiveness

I noticed this working most in two areas: circulation and energy. There was nothing profoundly noticeable at any time, but rather it was a slowly building cumulative effect that became apparent more towards the end of the bottle.

The first thing I noticed was the vascularity increase. Instead of this coming in waves when I had just worked out or eaten carbs, I was more vascular at all times. When I did take something to compound the vascularity it became much more effective. Since finishing the bottle I've seen a visible decrease in surface veins while at rest.

The second thing I noticed was the energy. This was most apparent when my alarm would go off. About 20 days in I stopped hitting snooze, ever. I'd wake up at 5am no problem on 5-6 hours sleep most nights. It wasn't as though I didn't have any cobwebs to shake off, but I didn't have trouble lifting my head off the pillow and sitting up (always the hardest part). Throughout the day I wouldn't take notice of it either, but in hindsight I had to take in less caffeine throughout the day, and the afternoons didn't bring on quite as much of a crash after lunch. It would have been nice to have kept this going with a second or third bottle, but I did let myself run out.

I didn't notice any major changes in mood or behavior. But I'm pretty easy going in general and don't have much in the way of anxiety or depressed thoughts normally. However, in the winter I do, so I might pick up another bottle then to see how it combats those.

Value

This stuff is cheap! Right now on Amazon you can buy it for $12.95. That's for 90 pills or 30 servings-- That's less than $0.45/serving! It's not a game changer by any means, but if you're an early riser and struggle with it at times, it's worth the cost of admission.

Side Effects

None at all.

Conclusion

Altogether this isn't the most exciting supplement in the world, but it did seem to work. To clarify what I mean by that... I really needed to stop taking it to notice the effects, as opposed to them being immediately apparent. There's nothing wrong with that, but I do think it's important to understand that this is something that simply builds up over time. At the price point this is selling for, I think it's a great option for someone that wants a little more energy throughout the day without relying on stimulants and the ups and downs that go along with them. Thank you NR for letting me test this stuff out and for being such stalwart contributors to SR. I really like this brand and think big things could be in store for them.

Introduction

One of the great things about the trooper program is the ability to try different and unique supplements. So, when IdealRaw (part of the Hut Group) put up their organic Matcha Tea I had to try it. I had heard about the unique benefits of matcha so I wanted to put it to the test. Here is the review.

Ingredient Profile

Each container of IdealRaw Matcha Tea comes in 30 servings at 2.5g each. In each scoop, there are 5 calories, 0 fat, 1 carbohydrate, 0 protein, and 70mg of caffeine. It is important to note that this product contains a scoop, as most other matcha products do not. In addition, some matchas do not make their caffeine content clear this one does. There are two ingredients and one is organic matcha green tea powder, which is culinary grade and silicone dioxcide. Before I go into the matcha I want to touch on the silicone dioxide. Silicone dioxcide is a natural compound of silicon and oxygen. It is present naturally in many foods we eat and is mostly used as a food additive. The primary purpose is to prevent clumping. I will note that studies on the safety of it show no health risk. I understand why IdealRaw put the silicone dioxide in the product but most other matcha products are pure with only one ingredient. I would have preferred a pure product.

Matcha tea is concentrated powdered green tealeaves rather than the loose green tea leaves in a bag like traditional tea. To my knowledge, there are two types of matcha tea they are ceremonial grade and culinary grade. IdealRaw uses culinary grade matcha tea. The major differences between them is ceremonial is strictly for drinking and has a sweeter mild flavor. Culinary grade can be used for drinking, cooking, and baking and has a less sweet taste. Matcha teas benefits are similar to that of green tea but is supposed to be enhanced since it is a concentrated version. It may help prevent certain cancers such as bladder, breast, and prostate. One example is a 22% lowered chance of breast cancer in women who drank green tea (1). Matcha tea can also aid in fat loss, recovery, energy booster and much more. I liked the ingredient profile especially the matcha tea as someone who regularly drinks regular green tea.

Taste/Mixability/Dosing

In terms of taste, you have to be aware that when you buy matcha it is going to taste slightly different from regular green tea. Matcha has a very earthy taste, as it is ground tealeaves so you get that tea taste along with that grass like taste. It also is a lot richer and thicker than regular tea from teabags. I personally prefer matcha tea. I was able to mix this in cold water but you really have to stir. I mostly would put it in a blender bottle with the whisk ball and it mixed fairly well. There was always some residue on the bottom but I would shake up the bottle and that mixed it back into the liquid. As far as dosing goes, I used this as a coffee alternative. I normally would do a scoop or two throughout the day.

Effectiveness

It is hard to rate the effectiveness of this product since it does not really have a defined purpose as it has more general usage. So, I will rate it as a coffee alternative. Then I will talk about one aspect of the product that I felt over the course of the bottle. As a coffee alternative, I felt like this product was very effective. It gave me energy that lasted for several hours after taking it. The energy was not over the top as sometimes it is with coffee. Sometimes when I have coffee and espresso I will be hit with a caffeine rush and crash quickly. However, with the matcha tea it was a more stable energy that tapered off. I also used this before some cardio and I thought it was on par with coffee for that since my recent cardio has been more HIIT so it is shorter. Overall, matcha is something I would keep around to switch it up when I get bored of coffee on some days.

A major aspect of this I noticed was the energy I got from this was more calming in a sense. I was energized but it was much smoother. I think this had to do with the fact that there is high levels of theanine in matcha tea. You will see that in some energy supplements and nootropics they include theanine along with their caffeine. I find this to be preferred because it blunts the harshness of the caffeine and gives it a smooth feel.

Value

IdealRaw Organic Matcha retails for $22.99 making it $.76 per scoop. However, you can buy three tubs for $59.99 making it $.66 per scoop. Comparing this to other Matcha Teas, Jade Leaf on Amazon goes for $18.95 and at a similar dosage to IdealRaw you are looking at $.37 per serving. I will note this comes in 100 1/2 tsp servings with each serving coming to $.18 but you need two servings to equal the amount in IdealRaw hence the $.37. Zen Spirit Matcha goes for $22.79 making it $.69 per serving. Ujido Matcha is $24.00 making it $.47 per serving. IdealRaw Matcha is more expensive than other Matcha Teas on the market. However, it does come with a scoop and most do not. I also noticed most other Matcha Teas do not have the food additive silicone dioxide while IdealRaw does. Overall, I think there are cheaper options and the scoop is not worth the extra price.

Quick comparison to coffee, I currently pay $.43 for coffee pods, which is cheaper than IdealRaw matcha. My Espresso pods are actually more expensive and they are $.80 per pod.

Side Effects

I had no side effects while taking this product.

Conclusion

Overall, I enjoyed idealRaw Matcha. I felt like it was an effective coffee alternative and gave me a smooth energy. This does contain a filler of silicone dioxide that I wish was not in the product, as other matcha teas do not include this. In addition, it is more expensive than other products but does include a scoop. The only reason I could see purchasing this over other matcha products is if you are invested in the IdealRaw brand and prefer a scoop. I would like to thank IdealRaw for sending the product and the Trooper Program for coordinating it.

(1) https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16311246

-Xcmiler

Introduction

Once again I would like to thank EvoMuse for giving me this opportunity. This is my second review of their products with the first being SlinTensity - you can find it here: https://supplementreviews.com/evomuse/slintensity-1/review/feel-better-diet-evomuse-53984 I used both of these supplements as part of a lean build stack. During this review I was training 5 days a week twice a day. In the mornings I did fasted cardio and in the evening I did weight training. My diet was based on high protein/fat content with low carbs..... One cheat meal per week.

Claim: BRITE cranks up your body's thermogenic capacity, causing your fat cells to constantly use fatty acids to generate heat, increasing metabolic rate and using pure fat as fuel.

Ingredient Profile

The ingredient profile contains 9 different ingredients however there is no single or blend dosages. I'm not sure if it was supposed to be like that or if it was a mishap on their part. Anyways this was kind of concerning since I like to know what exactly I'm putting in my body.

Here are four ingredients that are in BRITE that people may not know much about.

Bitter Melon Seed Oil - A climbing shrub cultivated mainly in Bangladesh, India, China, and Korea, mostly in Asian countries. The most common traditional use is to help fight diabetes in different countries - Recent studies have shown to be beneficial with lowering body weight and composition. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4306384/

Perilla Seed Oil - A good source of polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) and the seed contains omega 3 fatty acid alpha-linolenic acid (ALA) 54-64%.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3167467/

Borage Oil - Has been used as a treatment for various degenerative diseases: attributed to its high gamma linolenic acid content (GLA, 18:3 -6). Has shown to decrease body fat mass accumulation especially with high-fat diets. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11079375

Korean Pine Nut Oil - Contains approximately 15% of pinolenic acid (C18:3)- capable of releasing satiety hormones in humans and thereby having an effect on appetite sensations. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2322999/

Taste/Mixability/Dosing

Taste - Absolutely one of the worst tasting supplements I have tried in a long long time. Yes it does have a mint flavor, however if you like chemically tasting mint that stays in your throat for minutes at a time then this is for you. Be sure not to eat or especially drink anything right after.... I made that mistake.

Mixability - None already in liquid form.

Dosing - Squirt 2 pumps into your mouth 3 times a day and swallow. Another thing that bugged me was the wording and usage of a pump bottle. The wording suggests using "approximately" 2 pumps... Not knowing exactly the dosage each time makes you wonder how many servings your actually using.

Effectiveness

In terms of effectiveness I did notice a feel different things using BRITE that were different from SlinTensity (stacked the 2)

Appetite Suppression - This was the most effective part of using BRITE.... I didn't have those hated cravings between meals or in the evening. Especially helpful when you are following macros.

Thermogenic - There was a feeling of thermogenisis especially during my fasted cardio sessions. I noticed I was sweating more and had that warm feeling thoughout the day.

Bloating/Water Weight - With the amount of water I drank there really was no issue with bloating or having a feeling of carrying around extra water weight.

Value

The cheapest value I could find for a bottle of EvoMuse BRITE was for around $39 on the EvoMuse website. There were other online retailers that were selling them for around $32 but they were out of stock. With a total of 30 day supply if following the dosage protocol then each day will cost you around $1.30. I feel like this is really expensive when compared to other stim free weight-loss products.

Side Effects

None

Conclusion

In conclusion EvoMuse BRITE is a good stim-free weight loss product..... however I believe there needs to be some changes to bring BRITE to the next level. First off was the label, yes ingredients are listed but there were no dosages given even a total blend dosage wasn't given. Next there needs to a a change with the flavor, I don't mind mint but chemically tasting mint is a different story. Finally the price is a little high, maybe if I knew some kind of dosage I could have a better knowledge of price.

Introduction

Before I start I want to thank EvoMuse for giving me the opportunity to review two of their supplements. I decided to try a stack of Slintensity and BRITE as part of a lean build. Before using these two supplements I have used a couple EvoMuse products in the past but its been a long long time. Since my daily schedule has drastically changed since having my first child, my workouts are a bit different. In the morning I get 30 min or so to do fasted cardio and another hour or 1:30 in the evening to weight train. My diet while using this stack was high protein/fat and lower carbs depending on the day.

Claim: Designed to help drive more nutrients into the muscle cells and away from fat, the idea behind SlinTensity is to make every meal more anabolic.

Ingredient Profile

The ingredient profile is a mixture of 6 different ingredients with many you may have never heard of. I could go on and on about the ingredients and fill up this review with 500 more words. However NutraPlanet actually goes in depth about each ingredient and giving you the differences this product gives you when your on a specific kind of diet. Check it out here: https://nutraplanet.com/products/evomuse-slintensity-60-cap/

Taste/Mixability/Dosing

Taste - There really isn't a taste to judge since these are in capsule form.

Mixability - No mixability to judge on either..... however the capsules are really easy to swallow.

Dosing - Slintensity works well even if your on a low or high carb diet. During this review I was on a low carb diet, usually having most of my carbs before my second workout in the evening. I took a single capsule 20-30 minutes before your targeted meal (dinner). A second capsule can be added if the carbohydrate content of the meal exceeds 60g (usually the case for that meal).

Effectiveness

In terms of effectiveness I noticed a few different things.....
-Leaner body composition
-Had more energy throughout the day
-Better bathroom trips ( no need to explain unless you really want to know)
-Felt better mentally

As I said in the introduction I was using Slintensity as part of an EvoMuse stack with BRITE. It took about two weeks for me to feel and notice any kind of results. I started noticing a leaner body composition especially around my mid-section losing 6lbs in total after 30 days. In the effectiveness column I said I felt better mentally which was very true. I didn't feel bad after a high carb session or having a cheat meal once a week. Because of this thought I had a better mood throughout the day and with carbs a burnin I had extra energy which is nice when you watch a new born through out the day.

Value

The cheapest value I could find was for around $25 on a variety of different online retailers. Each bottle contains 60 capsules (.42 cents per capsule) - the value really depends on how you use Slintensity. I used 2 capsules a day (.84 cents) which lasted me 30 days. For other users SlinTensity may last as long as 60 days. When compared to other nutrient partitioners the price seems to be in the same boat.

Side Effects

None

Conclusion

In conclusion I thought SlinTensity was a "good" nutrient partitioner. f your diet is one point and you have a sound training program then you'll notice good things from this supplement. For the price I'd recommend giving SlinTensity a try if your looking to lean out or feel better about your diet situation. Thanks again to EvoMuse!

Introduction

For the second time in a row, ArumRX has put together a supplement that I thought would be OK then totally went above and beyond my expectations-- especially in the flavor department. They're a relative newcomer out of Staten Island and I've really enjoyed both products I've tested by them. While taking this, I used 95%(ish) as a PWO for my morning lifts, then brought it to the office with me to finish as a replacement for coffee. It really shined in both settings and the thermogenic effects were off the charts when truly isolated.

Ingredient Profile

Each scoop contains 175mg of caffeine, 1g Beta Alanine, 1500mg Carnitine (50% Tartrate), and a proprietary blend with Tyrosine, Green Tea, and Yohimbe.

One thing I think would actually be nice is if they scaled BACK the caffeine and carnitine per scoop. If you had 150mg caffeine and 500mg Carnitine in each scoop, you could actually do a 3 scoop serving like the old NOXplode and max out at 450mg of caffeine and stay at 1500mg of Carnitine, but with an effective 3g Beta Alanine serving. Just a thought though. It would be nice to have closer to 3g of the BA there.

Taste/Mixability/Dosing

Dosing: 1 scoop standalone, or 2 scoops 20 minutes before a workout
Mixability was great. Never any settling after a few shakes.
Taste was incredible. In my opinion, lemonade flavored supplement powders usually suck. But this one was delicious. I believe the raspberry lemonade is their only flavor and that's fine by me. I'd order it again. I actually gave a buddy a scoop one day too and he said it might be the best tasting thing he's ever had-- period. It's that pineapple fruit powder man, I'm telling you. Everyone else needs to get on that wagon!!

Effectiveness

In all honesty, I was not looking forward to starting this. I was just coming off of Fulcrum by Vaxxen labs which just had a laundry list of pump stuff, stim stuff, brain stuff, you name it. I just didn't think it could compare-- it was a tough act to follow to say the least. But it killed it! It was the most clean unadulterated PWO experience I've had in a long time. The thermogenic was very effective and I had a great sweat going every session. The caffeine was just straight anhydrous and hits you straight away, and with just 2g at 2 scoops I was definitely able to feel the tingles from the beta alanine. I wouldn't say I had the crazy pumps that come along with a citrulline laden PWO, nor the recovery time, but despite those ingredients not being included I still got great workouts in. I think the yohimbe and beta alanine really were able to standout without competition from a host of other ingredients.

Since the ingredient panel is so simple, I also used this as a replacement for coffee on a few occasions and loved it. I immediately felt the thermogenics kick in within 5 minutes, and energy spiked quickly. It stuck around most of the day, and while it did have a slight crash, it wasn't overwhelming like it can be with DMAA/DMHA.

Value

Right now this is for sale on Amazon for 29.99. You're really going to want to do 2 scoops in most settings, so it breaks down to about $1/serving. I think that's actually a *little* high for such a simple ingredient panel, but it honestly tastes so good and was effective enough that I'm hesitant to complain at all. I think it's worthwhile. If you're able to do just 1 scoop, it's a steal. $.50/serving. Boom.

Side Effects

Nada. Nice thing about the simple ingredient panel-- nothing to send you running back to the locker room.

Conclusion

In conclusion, I'm really enjoying this new brand label and can't wait to see what else they come out with. This flagship PWO would be a great option for anyone, especially cardio-focused athletes looking for something that won't cause cramping. I highly recommend you give it a shot!

Introduction

Sorry to the folks at BELDT for taking so long to get this review out. Sometimes life gets in the way, and it's tough to get in front of the keyboard. While taking SKALD I did a good amount of experimenting with the way I took it, and I'll dive into how that seemed to impact it's effectiveness. I didn't lose much weight while running it, but I also didn't pair it with a diet of any kind but wasn't hoping to lose much either. Here's the rundown:

Ingredient Profile

This is a proprietary blend. The total blend is 336mg, and caffeine is the leading ingredient. According to older reviews, some users did find out the actual amount of caffeine and stated it to be 110mg per pill. The remainder consists of NALT, Green tea extract, bitter orange fruit extract, white willow bark, mullein leaves, theobromine, evodiae rutaecarpa, inula helenium, yohimbe, and bioperine. However, it does seem like the ingredient profile has changed as well. Reviews from a year ago cite a 394mg prop blend and the inclusion of lobelia herb. That seems to no longer be included.

As for the dosing, caffeine is fine at 110mg/pill or 220mg/serving. NALT might be in the effective range with 2 servings daily, but from there, I have my doubts. There just isn't enough stuff in the pill for all these ingredients to be effective.

NALT (N-Acetyl L-Tyrosine) is a nootropic that's gaining popularity and great for mood enhancement and cognitive improvement. Typical doses are 350mg, sometimes split up in smaller doses and taken throughout the day. There must be less than 110mg in each pill if we trust the past review and go in order of the ingredients. Let's say there's 100mg. That would mean that 4 pills per day would be necessary for an effective dose here.

Theobromine... that needs to be up around 350mg as well. No way you can have that much in here, probably not even with 4 pills.

Yohimbe is a well known ingredient too and great for energy and weightloss, all without needing much. As little as 15mg can be plenty. This little pill might support that here.

Taste/Mixability/Dosing

I played around with this quite a bit. The bottle calls for 1-2 capsules in the morning before eating, followed by another optional (1) pill in the afternoon-- all on an empty stomach. This is what I tried first. I didn't notice much of anything... except heartburn. Later I tried 1 before breakfast, 1 after I ate, and 1 in the afternoon. No dice; it didn't seem to have an effect. I then tried 2 pills after breakfast and had a nice thermogenic effect that lasted me a few hours in the office, but no energy increase whatsoever. Then I tried just 2 in the afternoon on an empty stomach a few hours after eating. Heartburn was the only effect again. I decided to stick with 2 pills after breakfast from then on.

No taste - no mixing *but they do have a powder version (FYI)

Effectiveness

Besides the thermogenic effects I noticed when taking this after a meal, it really didn't do much else for me. I enjoyed that thermogenic effect, but did get frustrated when I'd take it and still be yawning at the office 30 minutes later. It was really kind of shocking actually. I do have a high tolerance for caffeine, but all the same, I can drink a 6oz coffee and wake up for at least a little while. This just seemed to do nothing in that department.

In terms of weight loss, I didn't see any, but I wasn't working for it either. On the same token, if I'm taking a supplement for it, shouldn't I have a little cushion as far as whether I need to work for it or not? Regardless, there was no change in the scale.

As for better breathing, they've changed the label at least once it seems, but the active ingredient in that department is the inula helenium and can be found right towards the end. I think they need to prioritize it a bit more. I wasn't able to find much information to verify the effective dose here, but I didn't notice a significant difference in my breathing at any time while using this product.

Value

No complaints here. On PricePlow I see this listed at $25.99 and for other reviewers this stuff seems to have been more effective than it was for me. If that's the case, then this is a fair price right in line with competitors, minus those who simply market heavy and gouge the consumer. (Lots of those in the weight-loss category)

Side Effects

Heartburn. Bad, bad heartburn. It wasn't as bad when taken with food. That seemed to help provide a more full-body thermogenic effect.

Conclusion

Overall I think I'm the outlier when it comes to SKALD. It was nice as a mild thermogenic, but I just didn't notice the effects everyone else has raved about. I'm going to assume this is just a me thing, and if asked I'd recommend it according to the numbers. The positive reviews far outweigh the others. Go with that, I suppose.

Introduction

If you have been taking supplements for several years there is a good possibility you have taken AstraGin. I know I have. It is in numerous products inlcuding BCAA, preworkouts, sleep formulas, growth formulas, and many more. I always wondered if it actually worked and if I would be able to see a difference if I took it in a pure form. So, when Nature Restore put up their Astragin product I wanted to try it. Here is the review.

Ingredient Profile

Nature Restore Astragin comes in a 90 capsule bottle. I will note that at the time of this writing if you were to purchase this from Nature Restore you would get three 30 serving bottles. They stated there was a manufacturing error in production when they filled the bottles. Regardless, it is the same amount. Each 100% plant based capsule contains 200mg of AstraGin. Before I get into AstraGin and the benefits it has I want to touch on the plant-based capsule.

If you ever looked at different pill supplements you will notice a vast majority of them come from gelatin capsules. Gelatin capsules are boiled down animal parts from pigs and cows. After it is boiled, you are left with a gel substance that can be formed into a pill shape. One of the drawbacks to gelatin capsules is they aren't very heat tolerant. Plant based capsules are all-natural and are made using cellulose. I much prefer my supplements to be capped in plant-based capsules as opposed to gelatin. I am glad that Nature Restore uses plant based capsules over gelatin capsules for their AstraGin product.

As previously mentioned, this AstraGin comes in a 200mg dosage (per pill). One thing you may notice is that the dosage seems high and it is. Most times when you see AstraGin it is in a 50mg dosage so with this you are getting four times the clinical dosage. Astragin is a blend of astagalus membraneceus and panax notoginseng. The major claimed benefit is that it can increase the absorption of several amino acids, vitamins, and supplements. The claimed percentages are a 6.7% increase in absorption rate of arginine, 18% increase in ATP production, and 50% increase in vitamin absorption. This all sounds great but many of the studies are "in vitro," which means outside the body. In addition, the patent holders NuLivScience used to have a sales sheet but it is no longer accessible. The sheet claimed a 41% increased in absorption of peptides and amino acids. NuLivScience also claims that the results of AstraGin could be seen instantaneous and measurable over a month when using it in a sports supplement. Overall, it is definitely a unique supplement.

Taste/Mixability/Dosing

Taste and mixability do not apply to this supplement but as mentioned before the active ingredient is in a 100% plant-based capsule. The standard dosage for Astragin from what I have seen is 50mg. This product contains 200mg in each capsule and they recommend one per day with a meal. My personal dosage was usually one per day with my multivitamins, creatine, or pre workout. I did try two, three, and four pills but I did not notice a difference over the one pill per day. So, if I were to take this again I would stick to just one pill a day.

Effectiveness

I was on this product for about two months and it is hard to rate the effectiveness. I have been off it for several days and feel the same. However, there were three things that I noticed over the course of the bottle and they were some supplements felt stronger, increased vitamin-b absorption (presumed), and some improved recovery. Towards the start of taking this, I had just finished taking a pre workout and I moved to RTD energy/recovery supplements. The main one was FitAid, which was just okay. FitAid without Astragin I struggled getting through my workouts because it did not give me enough energy or really help at all with recovery. However, with the added Astragin I noticed I would be sustained through the workout (they were shorter then) and had slightly more endurance. Another supplement that Astragin aided was VMI Agmatine. I noticed that when I took the agmatine with the Astragin my pumps were slightly better than without it. It was nothing huge but definitely worth noting.

The next area I noticed was a perceived increase in vitamin B absorption. When I have taken multivitamins in the past, I notice that I sometimes will have bright yellow urine. This is due to excess riboflavin or vitamin b2 being excreted by the body. What I noticed when stacking this with my multivitamin I did not have that bright yellow urine all the time. So, this leads me to believe that perhaps the AstraGin was helping my body better absorb the vitamin b2 thus leading to less being excreted in my urine. This could have translated to other vitamins as well but this was the only one I could somewhat measure.

The last area I noticed was some slight increase in recovery. I was taking some recovery supplements while taking the Astragin and I think it enhanced them. I felt better recovery with the recovery supplements and Astragin over just the recovery supplements. This was most notable with Xtend BCAA. I noticed a slight recovery improvement over when I just took Xtend on its own. Overall, Astragin is a supplement that will benefit your other supplements. I do not think it will do much if you are not stacking it with different supplements. When stacked I found it to be effective and a welcome addition.

Value

I actually could only find this product in one place and that was on Nature Restore website. It retails for $32.95, which makes it $0.36 per serving. I did not see a need to go over one pill per day since 200mg is four times the clinical dosage you are looking $0.36 per day. I think this price is fair if you believe in the benefits of Astragin. Just to note Nature Restore was the only place I could find to buy any pure Astragin product that looked legitimate (other had old labels and products I have not seen on the market in years). I am glad I was able to try it and if it did not come up on the Trooper program, I probably would have ended up purchasing to try it. Overall, I think it is worth a try and if you have the budget, it could potentially become a staple.

Side Effects

I had no side effects while taking this product.

Conclusion

Nature Restore Astragin is an effective product that is worth a try. It helped me enhance the effects of other supplements, improve my recovery, and perceived absorption of vitamin B2. It is priced fairly and comes in at four times the usual dosage so you are getting your money's worth. I would recommend giving it a try to stack with your current supplements. Thank you to Nature Restore for sending this out and the Trooper Program for coordinating it.

-Xcmiler

Introduction

37 years old, 18 years in the Army, and hit the gym 5-6 days week. About 6 months ago I was against taking any supplements INTRA workout, I thought I am not big enough to be drinking a supplement in the gym. Then came Intra Blast, and boy was I ever so wrong. Drinking BCAA intra workout has become one of my favorite things to do!! As usual with a NutraBio product this did not disappoint.

Ingredient Profile

If only there was not prop blends in this......oh wait this is NutraBio of course there are no prop blends!! There are 4 main blends here to talk about, which are all fully disclosed of course. I will not go into detail about all of them, rather I will hit the highlights and what I felt were the best for me. There are a ton of reviews on this product that go into detail.

Muscle Growth EAA/BCAA (10g): What I like here is the 7.4g at a 2:1:1 ratio of BCAAs all of which are naturally fermented. For me, having a high dose of BCAA is important, since my body requires more than your standard 5g daily, and starting off with 7.4g is excellent. This blend also includes a mixture of 6 other EAAs for the remaining 2.6g.

Muscle Recovery Accelerator: 5g of Glutamine (Kyowa Quality); The kyowa is an ultra pure, vegetarian ingredient of the highest manufacturing standards. Nice to always get high quality ingredients. The glutamine transferes nitrogen into muscle cells which helps out to optimize workout performance.

Strength & Performance Matrix (3g): 2g of Betaine Anhydrous and 1g of OKG. Not enough evidence to say betaine works to improve workout performance, but it is FDA approved for treatment of high homocysteine levels (just a fun fact). OKG is also unknown if it does improve performance, but hey you never know, so i will take it.

Electrolyte & Hydration Optimizer (2.8g): Combination of Taurine, Calci K, Sodium Phosphate, and Di-Magnesium Malate. This is the second best feature to me, as we will discuss below I felt very hydrated during my workouts, so a nice inclusion for an intra.

All in all a profile of high quality ingredients, no surprises or fillers. Everything involved here has its purpose making this my ultimate intra drink!!

Taste/Mixability/Dosing

Taste: I had passion fruit which I found refreshing and delicious. So easy to drink and i looked forward to sipping it each gym day. Funny thing is I bought BCAA 5,000 of same flavor and the BCAA 5k does not taste half as good, go figure.

Mixability: No issues here, one scoop with 10oz of water worked for me. A few shakes and was ready to go, I tend to shake every time I am about to drink it, but was likely unnecessary. Label recommends 12-16oz of water, but 10oz worked just fine for me.

Dosing: Easy, one scoop when you workout! Done!! Label states to take pre, during, or after, its really up to you, I just took this intra and was happy!

Effectiveness

Most times when I took this I mixed in unflavored Super Carb as well. I have taken this as a stand alone as well and the results were pretty much the same. For me, I would drink this halfway after my first few sets and sip until I got to my last exercise of the day. I always felt hydrated and even felt it gave me a slight energy boost, though it was likely a placebo effect. The hydration part was where this product shined. I always walk to the water fountain between sets, the whole body in motion stays in motion theory, but when I sipped this I could not drink water for a few sets. It got the point where I would have to take a pee break halfway through my workout, which is not a bad thing. Thats how it worked for me, now lets look at the label claims.

Speed Recovery: As I said, i felt that slight energy boost which would keep me motivated, hard to say if this was doing the recovery or the PWO was. Placebo effect or not, I always felt ready to crush more sets, so I would say this claim is justified.

Boost Power & Strength: Not sure about this one. Keeping your muscles hydrated can be an indirect effect for this, so not an outrageous claim by any sense.

Support Hydration: The true moneymaker here. Yes 100% on this.

As far as DOMS recovery goes, I usually would take 2x 5g servings of BCAAs daily (one post, and one middle of day) to not wake up sore the next day.
With IB, as long as I took a casein shake before bed, I would be good to go. As a stand alone for DOMS recovery, it does okay, but i still need just a little more. This is my favorite supplement to take (so far) and my highest rated one on SR (so far). I am going to try out some other intra BCAA i bought, and will miss intra blast! If the other ones are not to par, i of course will be back, because having that hydrated feeling during a workout is priceless.

Value

Well, we know NutraBio products are a bit pricey. I bought this off Amazon for $36.99 for 30 servings, coming out at $1.23 per workout. That seems to be the common price. I combine value with what you get as well, high quality ingredients, you know exactly whats in there, so its worth the money in my opinion. This is affordable for me, but likely not for everyone, which is a shame because I think this is a product everyone should try at least once.

On a different note, if you are in the Military, send NutraBio an email from your military email and they will apply 15% off to your account. I recently learned this, so this helps out if it is applicable to you. Just another great selling point to me from a great company.

Side Effects

You may have to take a bathroom break during workout simply because you are hydrated!! Nothing else.

Conclusion

This is the best supplement I have taken to date, and really got me into the whole intra workout supplement style. Every product I have tried from NutraBio has not disappointed, and this to me is their best one. If you are looking for an intra workout supplement that will keep you motivated, and feeling hydrated to keep on pushing then this is for you. I recommend the passion fruit flavor as it is Delicious, refreshing and not too sweet. Thank you NutraBio for another amazing product!!