Best ingredients for bone

The form of vitamin D the body makes from sunlight and the most effective supplemental form for raising blood levels.

Typical: 1,000–2,000 IU

A chelated form of magnesium bound to the amino acid glycine.

Typical: 200–350 mg

Enzymatically hydrolyzed collagen from bovine hide or bone, delivering short peptides rich in glycine, proline, and hydroxyproline.

Typical: 2.5–15 g

Magnesium bound to citric acid, one of the best-selling magnesium forms because it is inexpensive, dissolves readily, and has shown good bioavailability in comparison studies.

Typical: 150–350 mg

The most concentrated and least expensive common calcium salt, supplying about 40% elemental calcium by weight.

Typical: 250–600 mg

The most concentrated magnesium source at about 60% elemental magnesium, which is why it dominates in multivitamins and small tablets.

Typical: 200–350 mg

A calcium salt of citric acid that does not rely on stomach acid to dissolve, so it can be taken with or without food and is often chosen for older adults and people on acid-reducing medication.

Typical: 200–500 mg

Menaquinone-7 is the long-chain vitamin K2 originally isolated from natto and now made by Bacillus fermentation or synthesis.

Typical: 90–200 mcg

An essential amino acid that is limiting in grain-based diets and is needed for collagen cross-linking, carnitine synthesis, and calcium handling.

Typical: 1,000–3,000 mg

Chemically identical cholecalciferol extracted from lichen rather than sheep's wool lanolin, which lets a product carry vegan and vegetarian claims while keeping the D3 form that raises and holds serum 25(OH)D better than D2.

Typical: 1,000–2,000 IU

Boron supplied as a blend of citrate, aspartate, and glycinate complexes, the usual form in bone, joint, and men's-hormone formulas.

Typical: 3–10 mg

Cod liver oil is pressed from the livers of Atlantic cod.

Typical: 1,000–2,000 mg

An amino sugar that is a building block of cartilage glycosaminoglycans, sold as the sulfate salt stabilized with potassium or sodium chloride.

Typical: 1,500 mg

Magnesium paired with malic acid, an intermediate of the Krebs cycle.

Typical: 100–350 mg

Potassium bound to citric acid, about 36% elemental potassium as the monohydrate.

Typical: 99–500 mg

A sulfated glycosaminoglycan that is a major structural component of cartilage, where it holds water and resists compression.

Typical: 800–1,200 mg

The hydrochloride salt of glucosamine, which is more concentrated and more stable than the sulfate form and therefore cheaper per milligram of glucosamine.

Typical: 1,500 mg

Phylloquinone is the plant form of vitamin K found in leafy greens and the main dietary form.

Typical: 90–200 mcg

Horny goat weed is the common name for several Epimedium species used in traditional Chinese herbalism.

Typical: 500–1,000 mg

A water-soluble calcium complex formed with both citric and malic acids, originally developed for fortifying juices and later sold as a supplement ingredient.

Typical: 250–500 mg

Red clover is a legume whose flowering tops contain the isoflavones biochanin A, formononetin, genistein, and daidzein.

Typical: 40–80 mg

Ergocalciferol is the plant and fungal form of vitamin D, produced by UV irradiation of ergosterol from yeast or mushrooms.

Typical: 400–2,000 IU

An extract of bamboo stem and leaf standardized to a high silica content, typically about 70%, making it the most concentrated botanical silica source and a staple of hair, skin, and nail formulas.

Typical: 100–500 mg

A whole-bone extract made from bovine bone that keeps the natural hydroxyapatite mineral matrix together with collagen and other bone proteins.

Typical: 250–700 mg

Manganese chelated with glycine, about 15% elemental manganese in commercial grades, used in bone, joint, and antioxidant formulas where manganese serves as a cofactor for enzymes involved in cartilage and bone matrix formation.

Typical: 1–5 mg

Menaquinone-4 is the short-chain vitamin K2 that the body itself makes from phylloquinone and the form present in meat, eggs, and dairy.

Typical: 100–1,500 mcg

An extract of the aerial parts of field horsetail, a plant that accumulates silica in its cell walls and has a long traditional use for hair, nails, and connective tissue.

Typical: 200–500 mg

A water-soluble manganese salt of gluconic acid with about 11–12% elemental manganese, common in multivitamins and bone formulas as an inexpensive, mild-tasting source.

Typical: 1–5 mg

Cissus quadrangularis is a succulent vine used in Ayurveda for bone and joint recovery, where it is known as hadjod, the bone setter.

Typical: 500–1,500 mg