A certificate of analysis (COA) is only as useful as the details it contains. The four things worth checking:
1. Batch identity. The report should reference a lot number that matches the pack in your hand. A COA without traceable batch identity is a brochure.
2. Potency, not just purity. Heavy metals and microbials matter, but for a botanical product the interesting number is the active content, with a stated method.
3. Date. A two-year-old report describes a batch nobody is shipping.
4. Who ran it. An accredited third-party lab, not the seller’s own operations.
Ask before you buy. A retailer that cannot send the report for the batch currently on the shelf is telling you something.
Mentioned in this article
- Amanita Pantherina PowderFinely milled Amanita pantherina cap powder in a resealable pouch.
- Blue Lotus CapsulesNymphaea caerulea, extracted 10:1 and encapsulated.