Product Overview
Swanson Albion Copper gives 2 mg of copper in each tablet, as Albion copper bisglycinate chelate — 222% of the Daily Value — with 300 tablets to the bottle, ten months at one a day. Albion is a well-known maker of chelated minerals, in which the mineral is bound to the amino acid glycine. The bottle is distributed by Swanson Health Products of Fargo, North Dakota, USA.
A Note on This Listing
The seller’s description is for a different product: it names “Solaray Copper 2 mg” in veg capsules made with whole rice concentrate, and calls it vegan. The title and photos are Swanson Albion Copper tablets, with a different ingredient list. This page follows the Swanson label in the photos. If you were looking for the Solaray capsule, message us before ordering.
On the vegan claim: the Swanson label lists pharmaceutical glaze, which is usually shellac, a resin made by the lac insect. We cannot describe these tablets as vegan.
Ingredients / Specifications
Per tablet (from the supplement facts panel in the product photo):
- Copper 2 mg — 222% of the Daily Value — from Albion copper bisglycinate chelate
Other ingredients: calcium carbonate, microcrystalline cellulose (plant fibre), stearic acid, maltodextrin, magnesium stearate, croscarmellose sodium, pharmaceutical glaze.
The bottle in the photo shows a best-by date of 08/27. That is the photographed bottle; check the date on yours when it arrives.
Key Benefits
- Iron and blood — copper is needed to move iron around the body and use it to make red blood cells. A copper shortage can cause anaemia that iron does not fix.
- Energy — copper is part of enzymes that produce energy in cells.
- Connective tissue — copper helps cross-link collagen and elastin in skin, bone and blood vessels.
- Nerves, immunity and pigment — copper contributes to normal nervous system and immune function, and to the pigment in skin and hair.
Adults need about 0.9 mg a day, and nuts, seeds, pulses, wholegrains, shellfish and liver supply it. Copper deficiency is uncommon. It is seen most often in people taking high-dose zinc for a long time (zinc blocks copper absorption), after weight-loss surgery, or with conditions that affect absorption.
What the Listing Claims, and What Is Known
- Osteoporosis, heart disease and blood cholesterol — the description says copper “may contribute to the prevention” of these. That has not been shown for copper supplements in people who already get enough copper.
- Premature greying — copper is involved in hair pigment, but greying is mostly genetic and age-related. A copper tablet will not reverse it in someone who is not deficient.
- “Faster absorption and utilization” — chelated minerals are generally well absorbed. That is a fair point in their favour, not a dramatic difference.
Important — Who Must Not Take Copper
- Wilson’s disease — a genetic condition in which copper builds up in the liver and brain. People with it must not take copper supplements.
- Liver disease — ask your doctor first. The liver clears excess copper.
- The adult upper limit is 10 mg a day. Too much copper causes nausea, vomiting and stomach pain, and over time liver damage. One tablet is well within the limit, but check your multivitamin — many contain copper too.
Key Features
- 2 mg copper per tablet, as Albion copper bisglycinate chelate
- One tablet per serving — 300 tablets, ten months
- Distributed by Swanson Health Products, USA
How to Use
- The label serving is one tablet. Take one a day, preferably with food — copper on an empty stomach can cause nausea — and follow the directions printed on the bottle.
- If you also take zinc, keep the two a few hours apart; they compete for absorption.
- Do not take more than the label dose.
Who Is It Suitable For?
- Adults whose doctor has found or suspects low copper — particularly people on long-term high-dose zinc.
- Not for anyone with Wilson’s disease, and not without advice if you have liver disease.
- Not for children. Pregnant or nursing, taking medication or with a medical condition: consult your doctor first.
- Not suitable for vegans (pharmaceutical glaze).
Why Choose Swanson Albion Copper?
A single-mineral copper in a well-absorbed chelated form at a modest strength, from a long-established US brand, with ten months to the bottle. Most people do not need extra copper — but for someone who does, this is a straightforward way to take it.
This Is a Supplement, Not a Medicine
A dietary supplement is a food product. It is not a medicine, it has not been through the testing a medicine goes through, and it does not diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease.
Supplement labels use health language — “supports”, “helps maintain”, “promotes” — precisely because they are not permitted to claim treatment. Read them that way. If a listing anywhere promises that a capsule will fix a medical condition, that promise is not one the product can keep.
What a supplement can honestly do is fill a gap in your diet. That is worth something, and it is a smaller thing than most packaging implies.
Talk to a Doctor First
Speak to a doctor or pharmacist before you start, particularly if you:
- take any prescribed medicine — supplements interfere with medicines more often than people expect
- are being treated for a heart, liver, kidney, thyroid or blood condition
- have diabetes
- are pregnant, trying to conceive, or breastfeeding
- have surgery or a dental procedure coming up
Never stop or reduce a prescribed medicine in order to take a supplement instead. That is the single most dangerous thing anyone does with a product like this, and it is what the marketing language quietly invites.
About the Imported Pack
This is an imported product. The label, the dose instructions and the ingredient panel are the ones printed for the market it was made for, and the wording may differ from a locally packaged version.
Follow the dose printed on the pack itself — it is the authority on its own contents — and check the expiry date when it arrives. If anything on the label is unclear, message us before you take it and we will read it to you.
Storage
- Keep the container tightly closed, somewhere cool and dry, out of direct sunlight.
- Do not store it in a bathroom. Heat and humidity break supplements down faster than anything else, and a Dhaka bathroom is the worst place in the house for them.
- Leave the desiccant sachet in the bottle. It is there to keep moisture out, not by mistake.
- Softgels and fish oils are best kept in a fridge in hot weather — they go rancid otherwise.
- Keep it out of reach of children.
- Do not use it after the expiry date, and throw it away if the capsules smell strongly off, have stuck together or changed colour.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need copper if I take zinc?
Possibly, if the zinc dose is high and long term — high zinc lowers copper. Ask your doctor; a blood test can check your copper level.
Is it vegan?
We cannot say so. The tablets contain pharmaceutical glaze, which is usually shellac, made from an insect resin.
Is this the Solaray product in the description?
No. The description was written for Solaray copper capsules. What we sell is the Swanson Albion Copper tablet shown in the photos.
Can I take it with my other supplements?
Check the labels for anything that appears in both — doubling a dose by accident is easy. If you are on prescribed medicine as well, ask a pharmacist. They do this check quickly and for free.
How do I check the pack is in date?
The expiry date is printed on the bottle or the base of the box. Check it as soon as your order arrives. If it is unreadable or close to expiry, message us and we will replace it.
Reviews
There are no reviews yet.