How to Read a Men's Supplement Label: A HorseFil Walkthrough

What must a Supplement Facts panel show?

A US Supplement Facts panel must show the serving size, the servings per container and the amount of each dietary ingredient per serving. That is the short version of the FDA's labeling rules for supplements, which the agency explains on its dietary supplements page.

The three numbers at the top

Serving size comes first. It tells you how many gummies, capsules or scoops count as one serving. Servings per container comes next. It tells you how many of those servings the package holds.

Below that line, each ingredient gets its own row. Each row shows an amount per serving, most often in milligrams (mg) or grams (g).

How proprietary blends are listed

Some brands group ingredients into a named blend. A blend must still be listed on the panel. The rules ask for the total weight of the blend, then the ingredients in it, in order from most to least by weight.

A blend hides the amount of each single ingredient. So a blend is better than no numbers at all, but it still leaves gaps.

Other details the rules ask for

Beyond the panel, a supplement label should name the product as a dietary supplement. It should show the net contents, such as a count of gummies. It should list other ingredients, like the gummy base and colors. It should give the name and place of business of the maker, packer or distributor. The NIH Office of Dietary Supplements covers these basics in its guide for consumers.

What do HorseFil's supplied images show?

HorseFil's supplied images show the front of the jar and several brand panels, but no Supplement Facts panel. So the images tell you the form, the count and the ingredient names, and they leave out every amount.

What the jar and panels do print

• The wordmark HORSE FIL with a male symbol, on a black jar with a gold and red label.
• A label band showing "30", "DIETARY" and "MEN'S".
• The label line "Support for your energy, vitality & performance*" with three icons: a lightning bolt, a flame and a flexed arm.
• A brand panel that reads "30 GUMMIES | SIX NAMED INGREDIENTS | DIETARY SUPPLEMENT".
• Directions that read "Take as directed: Follow the directions printed on the product label."
• The FDA statement on each brand panel.

What they leave out

• Serving size and servings per container.
• The amount of any of the six named ingredients, and any blend total.
• Other ingredients, such as sugar, gelatin or pectin, colors and flavors.
• The name of the manufacturer or distributor.

The brief we worked from also says the sales page it checked named no ingredient list. So the six names come from the brand's ingredients panel image. You can see the full list, with notes on each one, on our HorseFil ingredients page.

How does HorseFil compare with a full label checklist?

HorseFil matches the checklist on its name, form, count and directions, and it leaves the numbers blank. The table below puts each item a full label should have next to what the supplied images show.

A brand panel is marketing art. It can name ingredients, but it does not replace the Supplement Facts panel. The panel on the physical jar may print everything this table marks as not published. We simply have not seen it. Our Supplement Facts page tracks what is known and what is still missing.

Why do grams matter for citrulline and carnitine?

Grams matter because the studies on these two ingredients used gram amounts, and a gummy is small. Without a printed amount, you cannot tell if a serving comes close to what was tested.

What the research used

L-citrulline exercise studies used about 3 to 6 g a day, or about 8 g of citrulline malate, according to a review by Gonzalez and Trexler, 2020. L-carnitine studies of clinical benefit used 1 to 4 g a day, and exercise results were mixed, according to the NIH Office of Dietary Supplements.

One gram is 1,000 mg, so 3 g of citrulline is 3,000 mg, a large amount for a chewable candy.

What a gummy can hold

A gummy is mostly gummy base. That base is often sugar, syrup and a gelling agent, plus flavor and color. HorseFil's base is not published, so we cannot say what it contains. The active part of any gummy is only a slice of its weight.

So it is very unlikely that one HorseFil gummy carries research-level grams of citrulline or carnitine. We cannot confirm this without the label panel. If the panel on your jar shows gram amounts, that would change the picture. Our gummies vs. capsules post explains why gummies hold less active material than a large capsule or a powder scoop.

How do you read any men's supplement label step by step?

Start with the serving size, then read each amount and compare it with research. These six steps work on HorseFil and on any other jar you pick up in a store.

1. 1

   Find the serving size first

   Every number on the panel is per serving. If a serving is two gummies, the amounts cover two gummies, not one.

2. 2

   Count the servings per container

   Divide the gummies in the jar by the serving size. HorseFil's jar holds 30 gummies, so the count of servings depends on a serving size we have not seen.

3. 3

   Read each amount in grams or milligrams

   Match every ingredient to a number. Write down any ingredient that has no number beside it.

4. 4

   Check for a blend total

   If you see the word blend, look for one total weight and a list in order by weight.

5. 5

   Read the other ingredients line

   This is where sugar, the gummy base, colors and flavors show up.

6. 6

   Compare with research amounts

   Put each amount next to what studies used. Our ingredient pages list those study amounts with links.

For the study amounts behind each HorseFil ingredient, see our research review of the six named ingredients.

What should you do before you take a new gummy?

Read the full label on the jar and take it to your doctor or pharmacist if you use any medicine. Some of HorseFil's named ingredients have known interactions, and a label check is the easy way to catch them.

Ginseng may lower blood sugar and may interact with diabetes medicines and some other drugs. Rhodiola has a reported interaction with losartan. L-carnitine interacts with valproic acid and some other seizure medicines. Grape seed may add to blood thinners, and L-citrulline may add to blood pressure medicines, including nitrates. Our side effects page covers each one.

HorseFil is for healthy adult men 18 and older. Take it as directed on the jar label. The serving size is not published here. Do not take more than the label says unless a clinician tells you to.

Label reading: common questions

Sources for this page

1. U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Dietary Supplements. Source
2. NIH Office of Dietary Supplements. Dietary Supplements: What You Need to Know. Source
3. Gonzalez AM, Trexler ET. Effects of citrulline supplementation on exercise performance in humans: a review of the current literature. J Strength Cond Res, 2020. Source
4. NIH Office of Dietary Supplements. Carnitine: Fact Sheet for Health Professionals. Updated 2023. Source