Walk down the "brain health" aisle of any supplement retailer and you'll see the same pattern: five or six ingredients, one undisclosed combined dose, and a label that says "proprietary blend." That phrase is doing a lot of work — it means the brand doesn't have to tell you how much of each ingredient is actually in the capsule, which means you have no way of knowing whether any of them are dosed at a level that's ever shown an effect in a human trial. We built Proco specifically to not do that.
The standard
A product only earns a place in our range if there are multiple independent, peer-reviewed randomized controlled trials in humans showing the claimed benefit, at a specific, disclosed dose, with reasonably consistent results across studies. Animal studies, single trials, industry-funded-only research, and traditional-use history don't clear that bar on their own. If the evidence isn't strong and replicated, the answer is no — no exceptions, and no "promising early research" hedge.
What doesn't clear it — and why
- NMN / NR — promising mechanistically, but human RCT depth is still thin.
- Shilajit — mostly traditional-medicine use; limited, low-quality human evidence.
- Lion's Mane — small human trials only; mechanistically interesting, not RCT-proven at typical supplement doses.
- Reishi, Chaga and other mushroom blends — immune and cognitive claims aren't established in human RCTs at the doses sold.
- Adaptogen blends generally — "adaptogen" isn't a recognised clinical category. It's a marketing term for a group, and each ingredient inside one has to be evaluated on its own. The blend label itself is a red flag, independent of what's in it.
- CoQ10 — some evidence in specific populations (statin users, older adults), not the general population.
What does clear it
Creatine, magnesium (specifically glycinate or malate — form matters, generic magnesium oxide doesn't perform the same in absorption studies), and omega-3/EPA+DHA all have deep, repeated, independent human RCT support, which is why they're the current range. We also track ingredients that clear the evidence bar but aren't in the range yet for sourcing reasons — L-theanine is the clearest current example, covered in a separate article.
The point of publishing this
We'd rather you could check our homework than just trust our marketing. Every ingredient decision follows the same rule as every dose on our labels: if a peer-reviewed human trial doesn't support it, we don't put our name on it.
This article is for general information and is not medical advice. Supplements are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease.