Palmitoylethanolamide

Almost all supplement PEA is made in a lab, not extracted from food. Food sources contain far too little to be practical: you would need an unrealistic amount of egg yolk or peanuts to match one capsule. Manufacturers combine palmitic acid, usually of vegetable origin, with ethanolamine to produce a pure powder. That is also why quality questions focus on purity, particle size and the milligrams per capsule rather than on the plant or animal it came from.

The choice comes down to how finely the powder is milled, since PEA hardly dissolves in water.

We mostly stock micronised and ultra-micronised powder, because that is the form the research used.

Take it daily, with a meal that contains some fat, because PEA is fat-like and mixes better with food than on an empty stomach. Most products come as capsules of 200 mg to 600 mg, and labels typically suggest spreading the day's amount over two moments. Follow the dose on your product rather than a number you read online, since capsule strengths differ. Loose powder makes splitting easier if you want to build up gradually.

Plan for two to three weeks of consistent daily use before you judge it. PEA is not a product you feel within an hour, and skipping days makes it harder to tell whether it does anything for you. A practical approach: pick a fixed moment, such as your evening meal, and keep the same product and dose for a full month. If you see no reason to continue after that, stop rather than adding more.

Yes, PEA is commonly taken alongside other daily supplements, and there is no known reason it clashes with vitamins or minerals. People often pair it with curcumin or with omega-3 from fish or algae oil, both of which are also taken with a meal, which keeps the routine simple. Add one new product at a time. That way you can tell what is doing what, instead of changing four things at once.

The PEA powder itself is normally made from vegetable palmitic acid, so it is usually suitable for vegans. The capsule shell decides the rest: gelatine capsules are not vegan, while HPMC or pullulan shells are. Because the substance is synthesised rather than extracted from peanuts or eggs, allergen risk comes from the factory and the additives, not from the PEA. Always read the ingredient list and the allergen statement on the pack you are buying.

Three reasons. First, milling: ultra-micronised powder takes an extra production step and costs more than standard powder. Second, dose per capsule: 600 mg capsules look pricier than 200 mg ones until you calculate a month's use. Third, testing: brands that document purity and have batches checked by an independent lab carry that cost. Compare on price per month at your intended daily amount, not on the price on the shelf.

Because it legally cannot. In the EU and the UK, a supplement may only state a health effect if that specific claim has been approved, and no claim has been approved for palmitoylethanolamide. So compliant labels describe the ingredient, the form and the amount, and nothing more. We follow the same rule on this page. It is also why we put our effort into explaining form, dose and purity: those are the things we can verify and you can check.