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I Cleared Out Dad's Drawer of Kidney Supplements. One Softgel Went Back In
My 76-year-old dad wanted to look after his kidneys, and the drawer by his stove filled up fast. I went through it label by label for one simple thing he would take every day, with a clear dose and a lab test behind it. Then I graded five brands of the one I kept.
By Rachel Bennett
Last Updated September 28, 2026 | 8 min read
Benefits
Clinical Dosing
Top 5
Two Herbs Kept Showing Up in Dad's Drawer
Dad still mows his own lawn and means to keep at it. After a friend at church swore by a kidney flush tea, his drawer of batteries and takeout menus filled with cleanse capsules, herb blends and cranberry gummies. Most listed uva ursi and horsetail. One Sunday I emptied it on his table.
The National Kidney Foundation flags both herbs and says to avoid kidney cleanses.
I read up on kidneys. Each has about a million tiny filters, and together they clean half a cup of blood a minute. That takes energy, and making energy creates oxidative stress.
Your body handles it with antioxidants. The one I settled on is astaxanthin, the red you see on a cooked lobster. The five brands I compared hold 3mg to 12mg per softgel.
3 Label Checks Before Anything Went Back in Dad's Drawer
1.
Dose: The Full 12mg Every Day
On the back of any bottle or bag, find two lines on the Supplement Facts panel: the astaxanthin amount and the serving size. A 2019 review counted 87 human studies of natural astaxanthin, and 35 of them used 12mg a day or more. Plenty used less, so 12mg sits at the top of the usual range. Some labels print 12mg big on the front and split it across four softgels. Others hold 4mg. Dad added his own rule: the whole 12mg in one softgel.
2.
Source: Natural Microalgae, the Form Studies Used
Most astaxanthin made worldwide is synthetic, and it ends up in fish feed. The human studies were done with the natural form, made by a microalga called Haematococcus pluvialis. Look for that name, or the word microalgae, on the Supplement Facts panel. All five brands below pass this check. The better labels also tell you where the algae comes from.
3.
Delivery: In Oil, With a Meal
Astaxanthin dissolves in fat. In one small study, people who took it after a meal absorbed more than twice as much as people who took it on an empty stomach. So the format you want is a softgel filled with oil, taken with food that has some fat in it. All five here are oil-filled softgels. Dad has his with eggs at breakfast.
5 Softgels Graded: One Label Caps You at 8mg
I ran each one through the three label checks above, then through Dad's two rules: one softgel a day, and an easy way to get his money back.
1. ClarityMD Astaxanthin 12mg
by ClarityMD
A+
Overall Grade
Pros
Full 12mg in one softgel: the upper end of what human studies have used
Hawaiian microalgae: natural astaxanthin from Haematococcus pluvialis
Oil-based softgel: one with a meal, since astaxanthin dissolves in fat
Lab report posted: Eurofins measured 13.6mg per softgel against a 12mg label
Short label: no GMOs, gluten or dairy, and no fillers or additives
Made in the USA: a cGMP facility in Utah, per the brand
90-day money-back guarantee: keep the bag
One bag, one month: 30 softgels at one a day
Bundle pricing: about $18 a bag on a 5-bag subscription
Cons
Pack warns it may contain shellfish
Its $29.99 and $18-a-bag prices auto-ship
The Verdict:
ClarityMD is the bag I put back in Dad's drawer. It passed all three label checks and both of Dad's rules: one softgel a day and an easy refund.
Each oil-filled softgel carries 12mg of natural astaxanthin from Hawaiian microalgae, and the brand says to take it with a meal that has some fat.
What won me over was the paperwork: a third-party lab test posted on their site. Besides the astaxanthin, the label lists only oil, gelatin and water.
The brand counts 142,000+ customers. Its FAQ says to skip it with a shellfish allergy, and to ask a doctor first if you have a health condition or take a blood thinner.
The Bottom Line:
Dad needed something he would stick with every day. ClarityMD was the simplest pick I found: the full 12mg in one softgel, with a posted lab report to back up the dose.
A single bag is $29.99 on a monthly subscription you can cancel anytime, or $39.99 one time plus shipping. On that subscription, the 5-bag bundle comes to about $18 a bag, shipped free.
For a 76-year-old who hates pill schedules, one softgel is the whole day's dose. And the 90-day refund on direct orders is simple: if you're not happy, email them for a full refund and keep the bag.
Results are based on users' personal experiences and do not necessarily reflect typical results of using these products. Please see product website for more information.
See ClarityMD's Offer →
2. Rovina Astaxanthin 12mg
by Rovina
A-
Overall Grade
Pros
12mg a Day: Same total as #1
Microalgae Source: Natural astaxanthin
In Coconut Oil: A fat-based softgel
90-Day Refund: Promised on its page
Lab Report Posted: Tests the astaxanthin level
Cons
Pricey: About $2.67 a day
Auto-Ship: All offers refill every 4 weeks
Four a Day: 2 in the morning, 2 later on
Short Bag: 15 days at 4 a day
The Verdict:
Rovina's label adds up to the same 12mg a day as #1, from Haematococcus microalgae in coconut oil, and it gives you 90 days to ask for your money back. The routine kept it out of Dad's drawer. That 12mg is split across four 3mg softgels, two in the morning and two later in the day, so a 60-count bag lasts 15 days.
That drives the cost. At $39.99 a bag, it works out to about $2.67 a day, and every offer on its page is set up as auto-ship every 4 weeks.
The Bottom Line:
Rovina earns its A- on the formula and the 90-day guarantee, and it's a close second. It trails on routine and cost: four softgels a day, auto-ship only, for the 12mg ClarityMD fits in one.
Results are based on the Smarter Reviews Ranking System and do not necessarily reflect typical results from the use of these products.
3. Double Wood Astaxanthin
by Double Wood Supplements
B+
Overall Grade
Pros
12mg in One Softgel: AstaReal, from microalgae
Heavy Metals Tested: Results on its page
Low Daily Cost: $25.95 for a 60-day bottle
Gluten-Free: A five-item ingredient list
Cons
30-Day Guarantee: First bottle only, direct orders
Multipacks: You pay postage to return extras
Gelatin Softgel: Not vegetarian, like most here
Mixed Study Counts: 70+ on the label, 85+ online
Mixed Origin Lines: US-sourced on the front, global elsewhere
The Verdict:
Double Wood costs about 43 cents a day, one of the lowest here. Each softgel holds 12mg of AstaReal astaxanthin in extra-virgin olive oil, so it passes all three label checks.
It posts heavy-metal test results and comes out of a cGMP facility in the US. The guarantee held it to a B+: it runs 30 days and covers the first bottle only. The brand's own page also disagrees with itself, listing 70+ human studies in one place and 85+ in another.
The Bottom Line:
On price alone, few picks here beat Double Wood. I wanted Dad to have 90 days to change his mind, and both picks above it give him that.
Results are based on the Smarter Reviews Ranking System and do not necessarily reflect typical results from the use of these products.
4. Sports Research Astaxanthin
by Sports Research
B
Overall Grade
Pros
12mg per Softgel · One a day with food
Plant-Based Softgel · Certified vegan
Named Source · Icelandic Astalif algae
Cons
The label lists coconut as a tree-nut allergen, worth knowing if you avoid tree nuts
The veggie softgel shell contains carrageenan
Site and label show different non-GMO seals
Price swings by store: $26.95 on the brand's site, $30.95 at Target
Two Versions · Easy to grab the gelatin one
The Verdict:
Sports Research makes the only plant-based softgel of the five: certified vegan, with 12mg of Icelandic Astalif astaxanthin in organic coconut oil. You take one a day with food.
The Bottom Line:
If you avoid gelatin, this is your pick. The label also says it's third-party tested. It sits at B for small things that add up: it costs a couple of cents more per day than Double Wood, coconut is labeled as a tree-nut allergen, and the shell contains carrageenan. Dad is fine with gelatin, so the vegan shell mattered less for him.
Results are based on the Smarter Reviews Ranking System and do not necessarily reflect typical results from the use of these products.
5. Life Extension Astaxanthin
by Life Extension
C
Overall Grade
Pros
Since 1980: A long-running brand, GMP registered with NSF
Phospholipid Delivery: 80mg of sunflower phospholipids added for absorption, per the brand
Low Sticker Price: $12 for 30 softgels, with one-year returns when bought direct
Cons
Low Dose: 4mg per softgel, a third of what ClarityMD fits in one
Tops Out at 8mg: The label says one or two a day and warns you to stay within that
Proprietary Blend: Four sunflower phospholipids share one line, with no individual amounts
Small Bottle: 30 softgels, so 15 days at the label's top dose
Unnamed Source: Algae-sourced, but the label names no branded ingredient or growing region
Pricier Than It Looks: About 80 cents a day at two softgels, for 8mg
Mixed Messages: Its page calls it ocean-sourced in one line and freshwater algae in another
The Verdict:
Life Extension has made supplements since 1980, and the brand pairs the astaxanthin with 80mg of sunflower phospholipids, which it says help absorption. Each softgel holds 4mg, and the label says one or two a day and warns you to stay there. Even at the top of the label you get 8mg, two-thirds of one ClarityMD softgel. For Dad's one-a-day routine, that ruled it out.
The Bottom Line:
Life Extension's $12 bottle and one-year returns on direct orders are easy to like. It still can't reach 12mg a day inside its own label, and at the top dose of two a day the bottle runs out in 15 days, at about 80 cents a day. That's why it lands at a C.
Results are based on the product's published label and marketing and do not necessarily reflect typical results from use.
The Bag I Put Back in Dad's Drawer: ClarityMD Astaxanthin 12mg
I read every label in Dad's drawer and compared five astaxanthin brands side by side. If you want one daily antioxidant, this is where I'd start:
12mg in one softgel (the upper end of the study range)
Natural astaxanthin from Hawaiian microalgae
Oil-filled softgel, taken with a meal (fat helps it absorb)
Lab report on their site (13.6mg measured per 12mg softgel)
No GMOs, gluten, dairy or fillers on the label
90-day full refund, and you keep the bag
About $18 a bag on the 5-bag subscription
The bag is ClarityMD.
Why It Made Dad's Routine
Your two fist-sized kidneys get about a fifth of the blood your heart pumps at rest.
Pound for pound, few organs use as much energy, which makes oxidative stress.
Your body leans on antioxidants for that. Of the five, only ClarityMD paired 12mg in one softgel with a 90-day refund.
Check ClarityMD's Price →
The Drawer Now
One bag of ClarityMD, next to his batteries and takeout menus.
He takes one softgel with breakfast, and a bag lasts him a month.
On the 5-bag subscription, it comes to about 60 cents a day.
Try It With a 90-Day Refund →
© 2026 Daily Health Report. All rights reserved.
#1 CLARITYMD Astaxanthin 12mg
