Bromelain and Cordyceps: Listed Where? A Sales-Page Check
Two ingredients appear in the Breathizen marketing copy but not in its Supplement Facts panel. Here is what each one is, what it has been studied for, and why the difference matters for safety more than for results.
Two lists for one product
The Breathizen sales page describes five ingredients: mullein leaf extract 10:1, ginger root extract, bromelain powder, organic lemon extract and organic Cordyceps militaris fruit extract. The Supplement Facts panel in the seller's own label artwork lists three: mullein, ginger and lemon in a 154 mg blend. The legally binding ingredient statement is the panel on the bottle[1]. This article looks at the two missing ingredients, so that you know what to expect if your bottle does list them, and why the gap matters.
Bromelain: the evidence
Bromelain is a mixture of protein-digesting enzymes extracted from pineapple stems. It is marketed for sinus problems, swelling after surgery and joint pain. For sinuses, the human data are small: a 12-patient open-label pilot in chronic rhinosinusitis after surgery, using bromelain tablets at about 3,000 FIP units a day for three months, reported improved symptom and quality-of-life scores[2], and a German observational study in children with acute sinusitis reported a shorter symptom duration on bromelain[3]. NCCIH concludes there is not enough high-quality research to recommend oral bromelain for sinusitis[4].
Safety: usually well tolerated apart from stomach upset or diarrhea. People allergic to pineapple, latex, wheat or papain may react, and bromelain may increase bleeding risk with anticoagulants and alter how some antibiotics are absorbed[5].
Cordyceps militaris: the evidence
Cordyceps militaris is a cultivated fungus sold as an adaptogen and endurance aid. The best-known human study gave 28 young adults 4 g a day of a mushroom blend containing it, or placebo. After three weeks, maximal oxygen uptake and time to exhaustion improved in the mushroom group[6]. That is exercise tolerance in healthy people, not lung function in people with breathing problems.
Safety: Memorial Sloan Kettering notes that cordyceps may increase the effects of anticoagulant, antiplatelet and diabetes medicines, and reports a case of excessive bleeding after a dental extraction[7].
Could they matter in a 154 mg spray?
Even if both were present, the doses in the studies above (3,000 FIP units of bromelain, 4 g of cordyceps blend a day) are far beyond what a 0.60 mL spray carrying a 154 mg blend could hold. Their absence from the panel therefore changes little about effectiveness. It matters more for safety and trust: a buyer with a pineapple allergy or on a blood thinner needs to know exactly what is in the bottle.
Why sales pages and labels drift apart
Mismatches between marketing copy and the label are common in direct-response supplements, and they rarely have a sinister explanation. Sales pages are built from templates and edited quickly; formulas are adjusted for cost or supply; a page written for an early version stays online after the label changes. The Breathizen sales page shows signs of exactly that: alongside the five-ingredient description, it carries a full ingredient section for an unrelated weight-loss product, and images of plants such as California poppy and marshmallow root that appear nowhere in either list.
For a buyer, the explanation matters less than the consequence. If you have an allergy, take a blood thinner or simply want to know what you are spraying into your mouth every morning, the website cannot be your reference. The printed panel can, and the seller should be able to tell you which version of the formula is shipping now.
It also matters for anyone reading reviews: a review describing bromelain's effects may be describing the sales page, not the bottle.
How to check your bottle
- Read the Supplement Facts panel on the bottle you received, not the website.
- If it lists only mullein, ginger and lemon, the sales-page description is simply out of date or copied.
- If it lists bromelain or cordyceps, apply the cautions above and ask your pharmacist.
- Either way, you can email the seller to ask which version is current. Supplement labels are the manufacturer's responsibility, not FDA's, before sale[8].
Records linked from this page
Each link opens the original record. The studies tested single ingredients at their own doses and routes; none tested the Breathizen spray or its 154 mg blend.
- 1Electronic Code of Federal Regulations. 21 CFR 101.36: Nutrition labeling of dietary supplements (proprietary blend rule in paragraph (c)). www.ecfr.gov/current/title-21/chapter-I/subchapter-B/part-101/subpart-C/section-101.36
- 2Büttner L, Achilles N, Böhm M, Shah-Hosseini K, Mösges R. Efficacy and tolerability of bromelain in patients with chronic rhinosinusitis: a pilot study. B-ENT. 2013;9(3):217-225. pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/24273953/
- 3Braun JM, Schneider B, Beuth HJ. Therapeutic use, efficiency and safety of the proteolytic pineapple enzyme Bromelain-POS in children with acute sinusitis in Germany. In Vivo. 2005;19(2):417-421. pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/15796206/
- 4National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health. Bromelain: Usefulness and Safety. www.nccih.nih.gov/health/bromelain
- 5Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, About Herbs. Bromelain. www.mskcc.org/cancer-care/integrative-medicine/herbs/bromelain
- 6Hirsch KR, Smith-Ryan AE, Roelofs EJ, Trexler ET, Mock MG. Cordyceps militaris improves tolerance to high-intensity exercise after acute and chronic supplementation. J Diet Suppl. 2017;14(1):42-53. pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/27408987/
- 7Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, About Herbs. Cordyceps. www.mskcc.org/cancer-care/integrative-medicine/herbs/cordyceps
- 8U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Questions and Answers on Dietary Supplements. www.fda.gov/food/information-consumers-using-dietary-supplements/questions-and-answers-dietary-supplements
Run a fair 60-day Breathizen trial
The seller's checkout takes the order. Before the first morning spray, jot down how your chest, throat and stairs feel on an ordinary day, keep every inhaler and plan exactly as prescribed, save the confirmation email, and if nothing worth paying for has changed by week seven, email the refund request while the window is still open.