Essential Defense
by Metagenics · tablet or pill · 30 tablets
- On the market (NIH)
- UPC 7 55571 20105 8
- DSLD label 295677
- Serving 2 tablets
- 15 servings
Essential Defense by Metagenics lists 11 ingredients; 11 sit inside a blend without their own amounts. Its current label entered the NIH Dietary Supplement Label Database on August 23, 2023.
What is in Essential Defense?
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| A 5:1 Proprietary ExtractEquivalent to 5 g raw, dried, unprocessed herbs. | 1 g | ||
| Forsythia fruit extract | in the blend, no amount given | ||
| Japanese Honeysuckle flower extract | in the blend, no amount given | ||
| Platycodon Root Extract | in the blend, no amount given | ||
| Burdock fruit extract | in the blend, no amount given | ||
| Chinese Mint leaf extract | in the blend, no amount given | ||
| Chinese Licorice Root Extract | in the blend, no amount given | ||
| Lophatherum leaf extract | in the blend, no amount given | ||
| Soybean Extract, Fermented | in the blend, no amount given | ||
| Schizonepeta herb extract | in the blend, no amount given | ||
| Dyer's Woad root extract | in the blend, no amount given | ||
| Ginger Rhizome Extract | in the blend, no amount given |
Source: NIH ODS Dietary Supplement Label Database, label 295677 (entered August 23, 2023), version 9.4.0. See the label on DSLD or its label image (PDF). Amounts are what the maker printed; DSLD does not test products. Daily Values: the FDA's Daily Value page.
Is that a lot?
Every amount on this label with a position sits within the middle 80% of the products that list the same ingredient; 11 ingredients sit inside a blend, so their amounts cannot be compared.
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 Essential Defense's, rare ingredients counting for more.
- Yin ChiaoPlum Flower · off the market 9 shared, 86% alike
- Yin QiaoRon Teeguarden's Dragon Herbs 9 shared, 77% alike
- Yin Chiao Chieh Tu PienPlum Flower 8 shared, 68% alike
- Sugar Coated Yin ChiaoPlum Flower 8 shared, 68% alike
- Yin Chiao Chieh Tu Pien Extract TabletsPlum Flower 8 shared, 68% alike
- Yin Chiao Classic 450 mgPlanetary Herbals 8 shared, 64% 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
- Directions: Take two tablets as needed or as directed by your healthcare practitioner.
- Warnings
- Caution: Do not take if pregnant or nursing.
- Caution: If taking medication, please consult your healthcare practitioner before use.
- Keep out of the reach of children.
- Practitioner Exclusive
- Contains: Soy.
- Allergens and what it does not contain
- This product is non-GMO, gluten-free, and vegetarian. GFCO.org (Gluten-Free Certification Organization) Non GMO Project Verified nongmoproject.org
- Storage
- Storage: Keep tightly closed in a cool, dry place.
Source: label statements in DSLD label 295677.
What else is on the label?
Other ingredients: Microcrystalline Cellulose, Croscarmellose Sodium, Stearic Acid, Silica, Hypromellose, Medium Chain Triglyceride, Hydroxypropylcellulose.
Seals and symbols as the label prints them (the maker's; a certifier's own list confirms a seal): GFCO.org (Gluten-Free Certification Organization) Non GMO Project Verified nongmoproject.org. Listed with: Certified gluten-free (GFCO) (a seal is the label's claim; the certifier's own list confirms it).
How many labels does Essential Defense have?
5 labels are on file under this name since October 25, 2013: other sizes, label designs and reformulations. The current one leads this page.
- Label 295677 (current) Entered August 23, 2023 · on the market · 30 tablets · UPC 7 55571 20105 8
- Label 267975 Entered June 16, 2022 · off the market February 23, 2024 · 30 tablets
- Label 216358 Entered March 24, 2020 · off the market September 7, 2022 · 30 tablets · UPC 7 55571 20105 8
- Label 211160 Entered January 25, 2020 · off the market December 20, 2019 · 30 tablets
- Label 26803 Entered October 25, 2013 · off the market July 3, 2019 · 30 tablets · UPC 7 55571 20105 8
Source: DSLD label entry and market events, version 9.4.0 (labels entered through September 25, 2025).
Who makes it?
The label names Metagenics (manufacturer), Gig Harbor, WA. All Metagenics products.