Reference · Dosing
Same ingredient. Four very different dose decisions. Many supplements have a whole lot of everything and not enough of anything — we make the difference between "doing nothing," "supporting basic function," "doing what the research describes," and "high-end supervised use" visible, not buried in a label.
Worked example — oral dose
Magnesium (as Albion® Magnesium Bisglycinate Chelate Buffered)as Albion® Magnesium Bisglycinate Chelate Buffered
Live values from ingredients_master
Zone 1
Sub-active — below biological threshold
Below the dose where the supplement is biologically active. Won't measurably move the needle. Many "multivitamin" labels live here — a whole lot of everything, and not enough of anything.
When it makes sense
Almost never as a standalone choice. Useful only when the same nutrient appears elsewhere in your stack.
Zone 2
Above the Minimum Viable threshold — biologically active
Above this dose the supplement is doing something at the molecular level. Supports basic biological function — but it's not yet at the doses research used to achieve the specific outcomes you're reading about. What was traditionally called the RDA or maintenance range.
When it makes sense
Holding the floor on a nutrient where you're not chasing a specific outcome.
Zone 3
Above the Min Functional threshold — research-effective
The dose ranges scientific studies actually used to achieve the effects researchers describe. Where most customers should land — and our default preset in the Formula Builder.
When it makes sense
The default. Where you go to actually feel the effects of an ingredient as the research describes them.
Zone 4
High-end / supervised
Hyper-dosing — what therapeutic clinics use to correct documented deficiency or run protocol-driven oral dosing. We make these ranges available so you don't need to leave the platform to access them, but you'll see a safety acknowledgment before you can save.
When it makes sense
With provider oversight. We never recommend skipping that conversation for this zone.
Our manufacturing supplier offers some ingredients well above the doses we'll let you save in the Formula Builder. That's intentional. We cap purchasing at our safety ceiling — the dose above which we won't allow a save even with the Clinical-zone acknowledgment.For Magnesium Bisglycinate, supplier offers up to 2,000 mg. We cap at 800 mg. For Vitamin D3, supplier offers up to 50,000 IU. We cap at 10,000 IU.
For Vitamin D3, the curated Supportive zone (above the Minimum Viable threshold) sits at the same number as Min Functional — the curators have decided the supportive range and the research-effective range coincide for this ingredient.
Worked example — oral dose
Vitamin D3 (as Cholecalciferol)Cholecalciferol
Live values from ingredients_master
Botanical and specialty extracts often don't have a defined Low or Clinical zone — the research literature only supports a Functional range. When that's the case, we show only the zones we have data for, and we never invent values to fill in the gaps.
Every ingredient card in the Formula Builder shows three preset buttons — Supportive, Functional, and Clinical — corresponding to the green, purple, and amber zones above. The Functional preset is highlighted by default. Tap any preset to apply that dose; the Clinical preset triggers a safety acknowledgment before you can save.
Now that you know what the colors mean, the Formula Builder is a lot easier to read. Most customers should land in Functional — it's where the research-backed effects you came for actually live.
Open the Formula Builder