Thanks for reviving this thread...I never noticed it before. Of course their study means the "proprietary blend" is no longer secret;
Materials and methods
This study involving human subjects was approved by the Colorado Multiple Institution Review Board (COMIRB 04-0556). The dietary supplement Protandim (Lifeline Therapeutics, Inc., Denver, CO, USA) was provided as a once daily capsule of 675 mg, consisting of the following:
B. monniera (45% bacosides), 150 mg;
S. marianum (70–80% silymarin), 225 mg;
W. somnifera powder, 150 mg;
green tea, 98% polyphenols and 45% ()-epigallocatechin-3-gallate, 75 mg;
turmeric (95% curcumin), 75 mg.
These five standardized plant extracts were supplied by the Chemins Co. (Colorado Springs, CO, USA).
So that basically comes down to this herbal list (translating from the scientific names):
Bacopa (45% bacosides)
Milk Thistle (80% silymarin)
Ashwagandha (150mg)
Green Tea (98% polyphenols, and aprox. 34 mg EgCG)
Turmeric (95% Curcuminoids)
And that translates into this list for those that know better:
$6.98 - AOR, Bacopa Enlighten, 300mg, 50% baccosides [note: this is twice the amount in Protandim.]
$4.66 - Jarrow Silymarin 80%, 150 mg
$3.41 - Jarrow Ashwagandha, 225 mg [note: this is slightly more than the amount in Protandim. More potent as well.]
$2.66 - Jarrow Formulas Green Tea 50 (74 mg EgCG) [note: this is twice the amount of EgCG in Protandim]
$4.72 - Jarrow Curcumin 95
------
22.43 (adjusted monthly cost)
The Protandim will cost you over twice as much as doing it yourself, and with better ingredients (more potent, slightly higher amounts).
I
love how companies patent smushing together ingredients (that people are already taking) into a single pill and call it "new". Uggh. Maybe I'll patent a soft gel with rum and coke in it...but at my "proprietary blend" amounts.
One other interesting bit from their FAQs...
Is there a test I can have to see if Protandim is working?
The scientific results of Protandim’s effectiveness have been shown by a test done in research laboratories that measures the amount of TBARS in the blood. TBARS is an indicator of oxidative stress.
The TBARS test is not currently commercially available. Why not? Before Protandim, there was no way to reduce oxidative stress as measured by TBARS, so there was no need to measure it and no consumer demand for the test.
Now that consumers are interested in measuring TBARS, it is possible that the test will become available to doctors and/or directly to consumers. Lifeline Therapeutics will let Protandim users know as soon as a validated test is available.
I'd like to have this test done, and I assume most here would as well. I also assume that most of us would see some pretty good results on this test given our current stacks.