What S-allyl cysteine costs per serving, worked out
S-allyl cysteine cost per serving works out around $0.41 a day for a typical aged garlic extract at 2 capsules, and that figure is the only one worth comparing across brands. A 60 capsule pack at 2 a day holds 30 servings, so the price on the shelf tells you half the story until you divide it.
How to work out the s-allyl cysteine figure
Find the serving size on the panel, which is usually 2 capsules for a 600 mg extract. Divide the pack price by the number of servings, not the capsule count. A $25 pack with 60 capsules at 2 a day is $0.83 a serving, which is $0.41 a capsule and $0.83 a day if the label asks for both.
The two divisions answer different questions. Cost per capsule is useful when you halve a serving. Cost per day is the one that lands on your receipt, and that's the one to write down.
Why the cheapest pack rarely wins
A 90 capsule pack at $30 looks better than a 60 at $25 until you read the servings. At 2 a day the big pack is 45 servings at $0.67, and the smaller one is 30 at $0.83. The bigger pack does win here, but only by $0.16 a day, and only if you'll actually finish 90 capsules.
I've bought the larger size twice and finished neither at the pace I planned. The arithmetic assumed a daily habit I didn't have yet, and half a pack in a cupboard is the most expensive way to buy anything.
Standardisation changes the maths
Two extracts at the same capsule weight aren't the same product. One standardised to 1.2 mg of S-allyl cysteine per 600 mg capsule and another at 0.6 mg differ by a factor of 2, and the cheaper per capsule is often the dearer per milligram delivered.
That's the comparison worth doing once: price per day divided by standardised content. It takes 2 minutes with the panel in front of you and it settles arguments the shelf never will.
Subscriptions and the honest discount
A subscription usually trims 10 to 20 percent off the per order price. On a $0.83 a day serving that's $0.08 to $0.17 back, which is real but smaller than the gap between a well standardised extract and a poorly one.
Run the division on the discounted price before you commit, because a subscription to an overpriced pack is still an overpriced pack, just on a schedule.
What I keep on the note
Price, servings, cost per day, standardised amount. Four figures, one line per product, updated when I reorder. My current one sits at $0.41 a day at 2 capsules, and I know that rather than guessing because the note says so.
Before the note I'd have sworn the big pack was the value pick. It was, by less than I thought, and only on paper.
Servings first, standardisation second, price last. The order matters, and it takes less than a minute at the shelf.
The mistake I made with the first pack
My first aged garlic extract came in a 120 capsule pack and I took 1 a day for a month because that felt like the obvious habit. The label asked for 2. I was getting half the standardised amount I thought I was, and my cost per day was double what I'd worked out in the shop.
The pack didn't do anything wrong. I did the arithmetic on the count instead of the serving, and the error ran in the direction that flattered the purchase.
Read the serving line before anything else. It's the one figure that changes all the others.
Frequently asked questions
How do I compare two bottles?Show answerHide answer
Divide price by servings, then check the servings per day the label asks for.
Is buying larger always cheaper?Show answerHide answer
Usually, but check the per-serving dose has not quietly dropped.
Does subscription change the price?Show answerHide answer
It reduces the per-order figure and removes the reorder decision.
These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.
