Thorne Veterinary

Why Is Thorne Vet So
Committed to
Product Purity?

The Purity-Healing Relationship

At Thorne we deeply value the importance of the Purity–Healing Relationship. We believe that once you comprehend this Purity-Healing link, you will significantly alter the criteria by which you choose products that support your ability to heal animals.

The Problem

To reduce costs and accelerate the speed at which manufacturers can run their pill and tablet making machines, 98% of all manufacturers use binders, lubricants, coatings, additives and other excipients that can compromise the effectiveness of ingredient delivery. Most companies do this because they fail to understand the Purity-Healing Relationship.

The Solution

It is the deep understanding of how a product’s purity level affects its efficacy that has, for over 25 years, driven Thorne on its quest to develop manufacturing methods and healthful ingredients that produce the highest quality, most effective, bioavailable and hypoallergenic dietary supplements in the world.

Our goal at Thorne Vet is to not only develop a production process that allows you to receive the purest products in the market, but also to give you the knowledge to understand why purity makes such an important impact on your ability to heal animals.

The Short Course
Purity-Healing Relationship

We know you are time-challenged. Therefore, the fastest way we can help you get a quick understanding of the Purity-Healing Relationship is to simply look at a short list of what we at Thorne Vet consider to be ingredients that can negatively impact purity and thus the efficacy of a product.

If you go to your own animal health product shelf right now, you will be surprised to find that 98 percent of the products you are currently giving your animals contain the compromising ingredients listed below.

Extensive research and Thorne’s expertise and experience have led us to conclude that these components can negatively affect purity and efficacy. (You will find these same compromising ingredients in the human supplements you are taking.) Because we believe these lubricants, binders, and additives compromise purity, these are ingredients you will never ever see in a Thorne Vet product.

Common Ingredients That Can Compromise the Healing-Purity Relationship

As you read the list below, ask yourself, “Will these lubricants and additives help my animals heal?”

Magnesium Stearate

What is it? An excipient made from hydrogenating cottonseed or palm oil which are both commonly treated with hazardous pesticides. Also used in pharmaceuticals, foods, talcum powder, ammunition and as a drying agent in paints.
Why is it used? Used to lubricate nutrients and make them smooth to accelerate the speed at which they can be pushed though production machinery.
Side effects: A study published in the Ii>Journal of Pharmaceutical Technology showed that stearates reduce the rate that capsules are dissolved by 65 percent. This can compromise the absorption of nutrients. Animals with impaired digestion may have particular difficulty absorbing ingredients coated with stearates.

Shellac

What is it? Made from a resin secretion of the insect Lacciferlacca. The twigs of trees in which the insects live become coated with lac. Workers harvest the twigs and refine the lac.
Why is it used? To cover tablets to make them easier to swallow. Used for its clear coating properties. Also used as a glue. In addition, used in floor polish, insulating varnish, binder for matches and ammunition, laminated paper, dental plates, leather dressing, sealing wax and wood finishing.

Maltodextrin

What is it? A sugar obtained from cereals like wheat or corn. The process typically produces a white colored powder.
Why is it used? Used as a flowing agent allowing manufacturers to make more product and to make it faster. Also used as a product filler and thickener.
Side effects: Animals with allergies to wheat, corn, potatoes or any base starch from which maltodextrin is processed would be wise to stay away from maltodextrin-containing products.

Stearic Acid

What is it? Stearic acid is a saturated fatty acid found in animal fats.
Why is it used? Used as a lubricant/oil in over 90 percent of over-the-counter vitamins. It coats the ingredient making it slippery and is used by manufacturers to run their machines more efficiently.
Side effects: Same as magnesium stearate

Benzoic Acid

What is it? A colorless crystalline solid commonly used for the treatment of fungal skin diseases such as ringworm and athlete's foot.
Why is it used? Used as a preservative and lubricant in vitamins.
Side effects: According the Material Safety Data Sheet (MSDS) it causes respiratory tract irritation, severe eye irritation and moderate skin irritation.

Talcum Powder

What is it? Produced from talc, a magnesium trisilicate mineral, which in its natural form may contain asbestos. Used in many industries such as paper making, plastic, paint and coatings, rubber, electric cable and cosmetics.
Why is it used? Used as a filler to take up volume. Manufacturers have standard size molds for their pills. They will use fillers like talcum powder to take up the remaining space in these molds.
Side effects: Inhaling or swallowing talcum powder can irritate the lungs and intestinal tract.

Zein

What is it? A class of prolamine protein found in maize. It is usually manufactured as a powder from corn gluten meal.
Why is it used? Used as a protective coating on vitamins. Also used as a coating on paper cups, soda bottle cap linings, clothing fabric, adhesives and binders.
Side effects: It is always recommended to avoid any excipients that can prompt allergic reactions. An excipient is an inactive substance such as a carrier, filler, binder, coloring agent, flowing agent or coating. The exact number of animals determined to be allergic to corn has not been established.

Lactose

What is it? It is a sugar that is found most notably in milk and is formed from galactose and glucose. It is extracted from sweet or sour whey.
Why is it used? Used in vitamins as a filler to provide the tablet more volume, making it easier for humans to handle.
Side effects: If an animal has food allergies or sensitivities, you may be vigilant about diet yet not realize that vitamin pills could be filled with common food allergens. Lactose, corn starch, various sugars, whey, soy and yeast have all been used as fillers in some vitamins, and all of these can be allergens. According to Chet Day's Health & Beyond website, as many as 7 percent of the U.S. population shows allergic reactions to one or more of these fillers. The total number of animals allergic to these fillers has not been established.

Palmitic Acid

What is it? A saturated fatty acid found in animals and plants. It is a major component of the oil from palm trees.
Why is it used? Used by manufacturers as a flowing agent to increase production.
Side effects: The World Health Organization claims there is convincing evidence that dietary intake of palmitic acid increases risk of developing cardiovascular diseases. A study by East Carolina University School of Medicine showed that cells exposed to palmitic acid dramatically lose cell viability after 24 hours.

A Word from Thorne’s Director of
Quality Control: Alan Butcher

“I have dedicated my life to helping the medical communities recognize that to create the highest level of healing possible, products must be consumed in their purest form. In fact, I wrote my Doctorate Thesis on this very topic.

It is my opinion that the majority of manufacturers on the market are completely ignorant of this Purity-Healing Relationship or if they are aware of this link, they continue to sell products with harmful lubricants, fillers and other ingredients because they put their financial gain over your animals’ health. You have our assurance this will never happen at Thorne Vet. We will never compromise our commitment to purity.”

More Purity-Compromising Ingredients

Below is a longer list of binders, fillers, and additives commonly found in supplements made by other manufacturers. Thorne believes these constituents compromise purity and we make the commitment to you that you will never ever find these ingredients in a Thorne Vet product.

Corn Starch
Carbopol (acrylic resin)
Dicalcium Phosphate
Gum Arabic
Methyl Paraben

Monosodium Glutamate (MSG)
Polyethylene Glycol
Potassium Sorbate
Povidone (PVP)

Red/Yellow Iron Oxide
Resin
Sodium Benzoate
Sorbic Acid
Titanium Dioxide
Triacetin

Learn More about Why Purity Matters

When you have more time, please take a minute to read these web pages which will support you in gaining a deeper understanding of the Purity-Healing Relationship.

You will find this information fascinating. It will help you learn specifically what to look for when reading product labels, so you can make more informed decisions about which products are the most pure.
Learn more…..

Quality Ingredients: A Higher Standard

To produce our pure, hypoallergenic encapsulated products, Thorne uses only the purest and finest ingredients available. In some cases, we’ve developed methods to create our own sources of certain ingredients to ensure their quality.
Learn more….

Why Capsules?

As the pioneering force behind the vitamin industry’s move from tablets to capsules, Thorne discovered early on just how perfectly a capsule provides for the rapid dissolution and unimpeded absorption of our formulas in the animal’s body.
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Thorne’s Commitment to Purity

Thorne has become a benchmark by which other manufacturers are judged for product purity. That’s why practitioners rely on Thorne as the company they can trust for the highest purity in the world.
Find out more….

Current Good Manufacturing Practices

By standardizing our comprehensive procedures for laboratory analysis, mixing, encapsulation, bottling, labeling, packaging and shipping, Thorne ensures the highest levels of product purity.
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Highest Level of Certification

Thorne has chosen to seek a higher standard of regulation by being
certified by Australia’s Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) - one of the strictest and most exacting regulatory agencies in the world.
Find out more….

In-House Laboratory Testing

The key to producing the purest products on the market is implementing the highest level of quality control. To make certain Thorne Vet products are of the highest quality possible, a state-of-the-art in-house laboratory is a requirement. Our in-house laboratory allows for timely, accurate, cost-effective testing that ensures every product, from raw material to finished goods, meets our strict quality and purity requirements. Thus you can be sure the animal health products from Thorne Vet that you use to help treat your animals are of the highest purity available. Find out more….