The Bloom Range Explained: Cycle, Mind and Meno

If you have looked at supplements aimed at women's health recently, you will have noticed that most of them promise a great deal. We want to do something different here: explain what these three products actually contain, and which of those promises are legally permitted in the UK. The two are not the same thing.

The rule most shops quietly ignore

In Great Britain a supplement may only make a health claim if that exact claim appears on the authorised register. Vitamins and minerals have dozens between them. Most botanicals — sage, ashwagandha, shatavari — have none at all, however much research exists behind them.

That does not make a botanical useless. It means nobody is permitted to tell you what it does. When a shop tells you anyway, they are breaking a rule, not giving you better information.

So here is the honest version of all three.

Cycle Bloom — the one with real, authorised claims

Built on vitamin B6, magnesium bisglycinate and an active B-complex, with ginger, chamomile and chasteberry alongside.

Because it is a vitamin and mineral formula, it carries claims that genuinely sit on the register:

• Vitamin B6 contributes to the regulation of hormonal activity
• Magnesium contributes to normal psychological function
• Magnesium, vitamin B6, B12 and riboflavin contribute to the reduction of tiredness and fatigue
• Magnesium contributes to normal muscle function
• Magnesium, B6, B12, riboflavin and thiamine contribute to normal functioning of the nervous system

That first one is worth pausing on. Vitamin B6 contributes to the regulation of hormonal activity is the only authorised hormonal claim available to any food supplement sold in this country. If a product is going to say anything lawful about hormones at all, that is the sentence. Cycle Bloom is built around it.

The forms matter too. Magnesium is supplied as bisglycinate rather than the cheaper oxide, and the B vitamins are in their active forms.

Mind Bloom — two branded extracts, named and dosed

Cognivia sage extract and KSM-66 ashwagandha. Two capsules daily.

Neither ingredient has an authorised claim, so we are not going to tell you what it does. What we can tell you is exactly what is in it, which is more than most products in this category manage.

Cognivia is a patented preparation combining garden sage leaf extract with Spanish sage essential oil. KSM-66 is a root-only ashwagandha extract, produced without alcohol or chemical solvents, and the most extensively researched branded version on the market. Both are named on the label with their quantities stated — there is no proprietary blend hiding the doses.

Meno Bloom — one ingredient, one dose

300mg of SRI-81 shatavari root extract per capsule. Nothing else in the capsule at all.

Shatavari has no authorised claim in the UK either. What is unusual here is the format. Most shatavari supplements use whole-plant powder at whatever dose happens to fit the capsule. SRI-81 is root-only, standardised batch to batch, and supplied at 300mg — the quantity used in the human trials conducted on this extract.

There is a practical argument for single-ingredient products. If you take a nine-botanical blend and it suits you, you have no way of knowing which part is responsible, or of stopping one without stopping all of them. If you take one thing, you know what you are judging.

The three side by side

• Cycle Bloom — vitamin and mineral formula with botanicals. Two capsules daily, one month per pack. £31.99
• Mind Bloom — two branded plant extracts. Two capsules daily, one month per pack. £34.99
• Meno Bloom — single-ingredient shatavari. One capsule daily, two months per pack. £39.99

All three are caffeine-free, non-stimulant, vegan capsules, made in the UK, and formulated to be taken alongside one another.

How to read any women's supplement label

Three questions worth asking, whoever you buy from:

1. Is the ingredient named, or is it hidden in a blend? A label saying "proprietary blend 850mg" tells you nothing about how much of anything you are getting.
2. Is it a branded, standardised extract or generic powder? Branded extracts are defined materials you can look up. Generic ones vary batch to batch.
3. Which claims are actually authorised? If a product's entire pitch rests on a botanical, no part of that pitch is a permitted claim — buy it on the quality of the ingredient instead.

Come and ask us

We have been selling supplements for fourteen years and we have a shop counter in Hounslow you can walk up to. If you want to ask something about any of these before spending your money, come in or give us a ring on 020 8616 4040.

Browse the full Women's Wellness range

Food supplements should not be used as a substitute for a varied, balanced diet and a healthy lifestyle. Not suitable during pregnancy or breastfeeding. If you are taking prescribed medication or are under medical supervision, speak to a healthcare professional before starting any supplement.