Digestion Supplements: Which One Do You Need?

Digestion runs in a set order. Step one happens in the stomach, whose lining releases hydrochloric acid (stomach acid). That acidity switches on pepsin, the stomach’s own protein-digesting enzyme, which starts cutting protein into smaller pieces. The end of that sequence, in the bowel, is where the question of which magnesium helps with constipation usually comes in.

Step two happens in the first part of the small intestine, where the pancreas releases protease for protein, amylase for starch and lipase for fat. Step three runs alongside it: bile, a fluid made by the liver and stored in the gallbladder, breaks fat into tiny droplets so lipase can reach it. Step four is the large intestine, where water is drawn back out of what remains and the bowel moves it along.

When one step lags, you tend to feel it at a predictable time, and that timing is the most practical clue to which formula fits.

The DigestPro stomach formula is built around step one. Each one-capsule serving contains 350 mg of L-glutamic acid, 300 mg of betaine HCl, 100 mg of pepsin 1:10,000 (from porcine) and 20 mg of gentian (Gentiana scabra) root. The 1:10,000 figure is pepsin’s strength rating from a standard laboratory test. L-glutamic acid, an amino acid (a building block of protein), is the largest ingredient by weight, and Focal Evolve describes it as supporting stomach acidity from a different angle than betaine HCl.

In a small study of betaine HCl in six healthy volunteers¹ whose stomach acid had first been lowered with an acid-reducing drug, a single dose brought stomach acidity back within minutes, and the effect lasted a little over an hour. The researchers measured acidity rather than comfort after meals.

The EnzymePro enzyme formula covers more ground than its name suggests. Each one-capsule serving contains 300 mg of betaine HCl, 150 mg of ox bile (45% cholic acid), 100 mg of pancreatin 10x (from porcine) and 20 mg of gentian 4:1 extract (Gentiana lutea root).

The pancreatin is labeled by activity as well as weight: 25,000 USP units each of protease, amylase and trypsin, 7,500 USP units of chymotrypsin and 2,000 USP units of lipase. Trypsin and chymotrypsin are two of the protein-digesting enzymes that the umbrella term protease covers.

It contains the same 300 mg of betaine HCl per capsule as DigestPro, so EnzymePro supports the stomach step too, and its ox bile works on the fat side of the meal alongside the lipase. Focal Evolve describes DigestPro as focused on getting digestion started, and EnzymePro as built to see the whole process through.

In a double-blind crossover trial in 18 healthy volunteers², pancreatic enzyme capsules given with a very high-fat meal were associated with less bloating, gas and fullness than placebo over the rest of the day. It tested a different product, but the same class of ingredient that EnzymePro supplies as pancreatin.

Aduco carries two liquid bitters from Quicksilver Scientific. Bitters No. 9 contains 35 mg of phosphatidylcholine (a fat-like nutrient, here from sunflower lecithin) and a 271 mg proprietary blend in each 1 mL (2 pumps) serving. The blend combines liquid extracts of dandelion, milk thistle, solidago (goldenrod), gentian root and burdock root with essential oils of sweet orange, myrrh, juniper and clove. Bitter X carries the larger blend: 410 mg per 1 mL (2 pumps) serving of liquid extracts of dandelion root, gentian root, Solidago gigantea and myrrh, with sweet orange essential oil. Bitters No. 9 is the gentler of the two, and both support healthy bile flow.

Bitter taste receptors are not only on the tongue. A 2025 review of bitter taste receptors in the gut⁴ describes them in the lining of the digestive tract, where hormone-releasing cells respond to bitter compounds and send signals involved in digestion and nutrient absorption. That is why gentian appears in both liquid bitters and in the DigestPro and EnzymePro capsules: its bitter compounds meet receptors in the mouth and along the gut.

The #2 regularity formula is part of the Focal Evolve formula line. Each two-capsule serving contains 200 mg of magnesium (as magnesium citrate) and a 300 mg botanical proprietary blend of Triphala extract (Emblica officinalis, Terminalia chebula and Terminalia belerica fruit, 45% tannins) and Cape aloe (Aloe ferox) leaf.

The two parts work in different ways. Magnesium citrate is osmotic: it draws water into the bowel, which softens stool. Cape aloe is a stimulant-type botanical that prompts the bowel wall to move contents along, and Triphala has long been used for regularity in Ayurveda. A systematic review of laxative trials⁵ found that both nonstimulant and stimulant types relieved constipation symptoms better than placebo, with minor side effects. For Triphala on its own, a four-week safety study of Triphala extract⁶ in 20 healthy adults reported no serious side effects.

Start from the table, then check the label against the points below. Every formula in this guide meets them, and you can browse the full range of gut health formulas Aduco carries.

For how much and how often, follow the directions on the label or your practitioner’s advice.