Nerve support supplements: what to look for.

Search for a nerve support supplement and you will find dozens of formulas. This guide covers what a supplement label can and cannot tell you, the questions worth asking before you buy, and how our own formula, Nervgen, answers them.

Start with your doctor

Tingling, burning, and numbness in the feet have many possible causes, and some need a blood test to find. The National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS) lists vitamin B12 deficiency among the best-known vitamin-related causes of nerve problems, for example. A supplement is not a substitute for finding out what is going on. Our article Tingling in your feet covers the common causes and when to get checked.

What FDA rules do and do not cover

Supplements are regulated differently from drugs. The FDA states that it “is not authorized to approve dietary supplements for safety and effectiveness before they are marketed.” MedlinePlus puts it simply: “Supplements do not have to go through the testing that drugs do.”

That is why every supplement that describes how it supports the body carries the same FDA statement. Ours is at the end of this article. Be wary of any product that promises more than a supplement can.

How to read the label

Supplement Facts

The Supplement Facts panel lists the serving size, the directions, and what is in each serving. Check the serving size against the directions, so you know how much you take in a day.

Proprietary blends

Many supplements, ours included, list some ingredients as a proprietary blend. Under the FDA labeling rule, a blend lists its ingredients in order of weight, from most to least, and gives the total weight of the blend rather than the amount of each ingredient. We list Nervgen this way so the formula cannot be copied.

Vitamin B6

Vitamin B6 shows up in many nerve formulas. More is not better here. NINDS notes that “Vitamin B12 deficiency and excess vitamin B6 are the best-known vitamin-related causes” of nerve problems. If you take more than one supplement, add up the B6 across all of them and review the total with your provider.

Questions worth asking

• What is in each serving, and how often do I take it?
• Where is it made, and how is each batch checked?
• Does it overlap with anything else I already take?
• Is it safe with my medications and my medical history?

The last two are questions for your health care provider. MedlinePlus advises telling your provider about any supplements you use, not taking a bigger dose than the label recommends, and checking with your provider about your supplements if you are going to have any type of surgery. The FDA likewise advises talking to your doctor, pharmacist, or other health care professional before you buy or use a supplement.

How Nervgen answers these questions

• What it is: a daily dietary supplement that supports healthy nerve function and peripheral nerve health.*
• What is in it: a 450 mg blend per capsule of organic lion’s mane extract, polygala tenuifolia extract (20:1), organic cordyceps extract (10:1), uridine monophosphate, and vitamin B6.
• How to take it: one capsule, up to two times per day, as the label directs.
• Where it is made: in our facility in Auburn, California. Every ingredient arrives with its supplier’s certificate of analysis.

Sources

• U.S. Food and Drug Administration, “Information for Consumers on Using Dietary Supplements”
• MedlinePlus, “Dietary Supplements”
• 21 CFR 101.36, “Nutrition labeling of dietary supplements”
• National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, “Peripheral Neuropathy”