Digestive Essentials
by Swanson Condition Specific Formulas · tablet or pill · 180 tablets
- Off the market since November 2023 (NIH)
- UPC 0 87614 07110 7
- DSLD label 181800
- Serving 2 tablets
- 90 servings
Digestive Essentials by Swanson Condition Specific Formulas lists 11 ingredients, 10 with an amount per serving of 2 tablets, such as 1 g of ginger, 200 mg of deglycyrrhizinated licorice (DGL) root extract, 100 mg of cayenne pepper and 100 mg of fennel; 1 gives its count of live cultures or enzyme activity instead of a weight. Its current label entered the NIH Dietary Supplement Label Database on January 7, 2019.
What is in Digestive Essentials?
Each row as the label prints it, per serving of 2 tablets. The capsule beside an amount places it among every product in the NIH database that lists the same ingredient: the bar is the middle half of their amounts, the line in it the median, the whiskers the 10th and 90th percentiles; the green tick is the FDA Daily Value and the red dashed tick the adult upper limit (IOM).
| Ingredient | Amount | % DV | Among products listing it |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ginger | 1 g | Higher than 96% of 1,770 products listing ginger (median 60 mg). | |
| Deglycyrrhizinated Licorice (DGL) root extract | 200 mg | Higher than 68% of 888 products listing licorice (median 100 mg). | |
| Cayenne PepperCayenne Pepper PlantPart: fruit Note: 40,000 heating units | 100 mg | Higher than 70% of 874 products listing capsicum (median 44.5 mg). | |
| Fennel | 100 mg | Higher than 53% of 315 products listing fennel (median 72 mg). | |
| Enzyme Blend | 90 mg | ||
| Amylaseas Aspergillus oryzaeAmylase (Form: Aspergillus oryzae Genus: Aspergillus Species: oryzae) Note: 2,825 DU | 56 mg | Higher than 81% of 326 products listing amylase (median 14 mg). | |
| Proteaseas Aspergillus oryzaeProtease (Form: Aspergillus oryzae Genus: Aspergillus Species: oryzae) Note: 2,625 HUT | 26 mg | 53% of 327 products listing proteolytic enzymes (proteases) give more (median 30 mg). | |
| Lipaseas Aspergillus niger | Lipase (Form: Aspergillus niger Genus: Aspergillus Species: niger) Note: 440 FIP | ||
| Aloe ferox | 50 mg | 85% of 48 products listing cape aloe give more (median 200 mg). | |
| odor-controlled Garlic | 50 mg | 71% of 1,075 products listing garlic give more (median 200 mg). | |
| PapainPapain (Form: from Papaya) | 20 mg | 73% of 607 products listing papain give more (median 40 mg). | |
| BromelainBromelain Note: 2,400 GDU/gram | 16 mg | 83% of 1,337 products listing bromelain give more (median 50 mg). |
Source: NIH ODS Dietary Supplement Label Database, label 181800 (entered January 7, 2019), version 9.4.0. See the label on DSLD. Amounts are what the maker printed; DSLD does not test products. Daily Values: the FDA's Daily Value page.
Is that a lot?
The rows in the top or bottom tenth of the products that list the same ingredient, and any above the adult upper limit at the most servings a day the directions give:
- Its 1,000 mg of ginger is higher than 96% of the 1,770 ginger products that print an amount; 38 list more.
- 85% of the 48 products that print an amount of cape aloe list more than its 50 mg of aloe ferox (filed by NIH under cape aloe) (median 200 mg).
The NIH database records one serving a day from the label's directions; its % Daily Values are for adults and children 4 or more years of age. The directions as printed are further down this page.
The Tolerable Upper Intake Level is the most of a nutrient per day, from food, water and supplements together, that is likely to pose no risk for almost all adults (Institute of Medicine, 2011). It does not apply under medical supervision. This page compares labels; it is not medical advice.
Sources: amounts from the DSLD label; Daily Values from 21 CFR 101.9(c)(8)(iv); adult upper limits from the Institute of Medicine's DRI summary tables (2011). How positions are computed.
Which products have the closest formulas?
The products whose ingredient lists overlap most with Digestive Essentials's, rare ingredients counting for more.
- Digestive ComplexMDLogic 9 shared, 45% alike
- Essential DigestionLogos Nutritionals 7 shared, 43% alike
- Natural Chewable Papaya & Pineapple EnzymesWindmill · off the market 5 shared, 42% alike
- Mega-PolyzymeInterPlexus 5 shared, 42% alike
- Enzymes + Enjoy Meals AgainNew Earth Wild Essentials · off the market 8 shared, 42% alike
- Enzymes +New Earth 8 shared, 42% alike
Source: ingredient lists of every product's current label in DSLD (version 9.4.0); similarity weights each shared ingredient by how rare it is.
What does the label say about taking it?
Quoted from the label as DSLD transcribed it: the maker's words, including any claim about what the product does, which the FDA has not evaluated and PlainVitamins does not endorse.
- Directions
- Suggested Use: As a dietary supplement, take two tablets with water immediately before each meal.
- Warnings
- Do not use if seal is broken.
- Keep out of reach of children.
- Storage
- Store in a cool, dry place.
Source: label statements in DSLD label 181800.
What else is on the label?
Other ingredients: Maltodextrin, Stearic Acid, Hydroxypropyl Methylcellulose, Microcrystalline Cellulose, Pharmaceutical Glaze, Magnesium Stearate.
Seals and symbols as the label prints them (the maker's; a certifier's own list confirms a seal): Guaranteed purity & potency.
How many labels does Digestive Essentials have?
2 labels are on file under this name since October 21, 2017: other sizes, label designs and reformulations. The current one leads this page.
- Label 181800 (current) Entered January 7, 2019 · off the market November 29, 2023 · 180 tablets · UPC 0 87614 07110 7
- Label 78190 Entered October 21, 2017 · off the market November 29, 2023 · 180 tablets · UPC 0 87614 07009 4
Source: DSLD label entry and market events, version 9.4.0 (labels entered through September 25, 2025).
Who makes it?
The label names Swanson Health Products (distributor), Fargo, ND. All Swanson Condition Specific Formulas products.