Products · Performance & longevity · Thorne
Thorne Amino Complex (Berry)
Reader ratings
A free-form essential amino acid powder with every amount on the label and an NSF listing. It is the plain-label option, but whole protein is the cheaper route for most people.
Best for People who specifically want an essential amino acid powder with every amount stated and an outside tester, and who understand it does not replace protein.
- Our quality rating
- Fair (3 of 5)
- Price range
- Premium
- Verified marks
- NSF Certified for Sport (berry powder, 228 g)
- Size
- Powder, 30 scoops of 7.6 g (228 g); also sold in lemon and as stick packs
approx. $52 for 30 servings
See it on Thorne’s site →We are not affiliated with Thorne. This link goes to the maker’s own page, with no tracking code. How we're funded.
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Your review
Reviews are personal experiences, not research, and they never change our quality ratings. Every review is read by our team before it appears.
How we evaluated it
Why we chose it What put it on our list
- NSF lists the powder in its Certified for Sport database. The berry listing covers the 228 g tub (one scoop is 7.6 g) and shows 17 lots; the lemon powder and the stick packs have their own listings.
- Every amino acid is on the label with its amount. Per scoop: leucine 1.25 g, isoleucine 625 mg, valine 625 mg, lysine 650 mg, threonine 350 mg, histidine 150 mg, phenylalanine 100 mg, methionine 50 mg and tryptophan 20 mg, which add up to 3.82 g of essential amino acids. It also has cystine 150 mg and tyrosine 30 mg.
- There is no proprietary blend and no sugar. Other ingredients are citric acid, flavor, a juice color and stevia (rebaudioside A). NSF’s listings show about 20 to 25 calories a scoop.
- Thorne explains the NSF mark as testing every batch for compliance with the label and for nearly 300 substances banned by major athletic organizations.
Trade-offs What to weigh before you buy
- Whole protein is cheaper. A scoop of Thorne’s own NSF-listed whey isolate costs about $2.17 ($65 for 30) and gives 21 g of protein with 2.2 g of leucine (Thorne’s figure). A scoop of Amino Complex costs about $1.73 and gives 3.82 g of essential amino acids with 1.25 g of leucine. That is roughly $0.99 against $1.39 per gram of leucine, before counting the protein.
- At the suggested one to two scoops a day it costs about $1.73 to $3.47 a day, roughly $52 to $104 a month.
- Our site has no guide to essential amino acid mixes, and we did not review the trials. Our BCAA guide says BCAAs alone have not been shown to build muscle and that complete protein works better. Our protein guide covers how much you need.
- Thorne’s page lists benefits including lean muscle, soreness, blood sugar and heart health, and calls it a “clinically validated” formula. We did not check those claims. Its page also carries a California Prop 65 warning for lead and says not to use it if pregnant or nursing.
What to know Details worth knowing first
Essential amino acids are the nine amino acids your body cannot make. Thorne Amino Complex is a powder of them in free form, plus a little cystine and tyrosine, with each amount printed on the label. NSF lists it in its Certified for Sport database, so an outside tester checks the label and screens for banned substances.
That makes it the plain-label, certified example of an amino acid powder, and the reason it is listed. It is not a first choice. A scoop has 3.82 g of essential amino acids, while a scoop of Thorne’s whey isolate costs a little more and gives 21 g of protein. Our BCAA guide says complete protein works better than BCAAs alone.
The score is a 3 because we could not verify the research or the claims on Thorne’s page, and because the cost is high for what it adds. If you have a reason to use an amino acid powder, this is a well-checked one; if you are weighing it against protein, start with our protein guide.
Quality & testing How it measures up against our checklist
- Third-party tested
- Yes
- Tested by
- NSF (Certified for Sport)
| What we checked | What we found |
|---|---|
| Research behind the ingredient Not verified | Not verified. Our site has no guide to essential amino acid mixes and we did not review the trials. Our BCAA guide says complete protein works better than BCAAs alone. The label gives 3.82 g of essential amino acids a scoop and 7.64 g at two scoops. |
| Third-party tested Verified | Listed in NSF’s Certified for Sport database as “Thorne Amino Complex (Berry Flavored Amino Acids)”: powder, 228 g, one scoop (7.6 g), 17 lots shown (listing 1534512). The lemon powder is listing 1534511, and stick packs are 1662817 and 1662816. |
| A plain label Maker’s claim | Each amino acid is listed with its amount (see above). Other ingredients: citric acid, flavor, fruit and vegetable juice color, rebaudioside A. No proprietary blend. |
| Claims that match the evidence Not verified | Not verified. The page calls it a “clinically validated EAA and BCAA formula” and lists benefits for muscle, soreness, blood sugar and heart health. We did not find trials of this product. |
| Honest cost Maker’s claim | $52.00 for 30 servings on Thorne’s page, about $1.73 a scoop. Thorne’s whey isolate is $65.00 for 30 scoops, about $2.17. |
What the labels mean
- Verified We opened an independent record that confirms it: a certifier’s listing, a regulator’s list or a lab report. It is linked under Sources.
- Maker’s claim The maker says so on its own page or label. We read it but found no independent record.
- Not verified We looked and could not confirm it, or the maker does not say. Treat it as unknown.
Sources Where our facts come from
- Thorne Amino Complex (Berry) product page: label, price and claims. Maker’s page. Open ↗
- NSF Certified for Sport listing: Thorne Amino Complex (Berry Flavored Amino Acids). Certifier or regulator listing. The lemon powder and the stick packs have separate listings. Check the one you are buying. Open ↗
- NSF Certified for Sport listing: Thorne Whey Protein Isolate Vanilla. Certifier or regulator listing. Serving 1 scoop (27.9 g), 21 g of protein. Open ↗
- Thorne Whey Protein Isolate (Vanilla) product page: price and leucine. Maker’s page. Open ↗
Alternatives Other options to compare
- Protein from food, or a whey or plant protein Complete protein supplies every essential amino acid in far larger amounts. Our protein guide covers how much to aim for.
- Thorne Whey Protein Isolate NSF-listed (the vanilla listing is id 1513728). A scoop gives 21 g of protein for about $2.17. Its page shows a California Prop 65 lead warning, so we do not list it.