Answer
Amazon’s supplement policy bars disease claims and implied disease claims, but its policy page gives no list of words. In the 2,243 best-selling supplement listings we have ruled, 832 carry wording our standards read as a disease claim or a drug-like claim. The most common are “boosts immunity / immune booster” (229 listings), “normalizes / restores” (218) and “balances hormones” (214).
Amazon’s dietary supplements policy says a listing must not “Make disease claims or implied disease claims, unless the FDA approved the statement. Disease claims include claims to diagnose, cure, reduce, treat, or prevent a disease in humans” (Amazon Seller Central, as stored 30 September 2026). FDA draws the line between a disease claim and a structure/function claim in 21 CFR 101.93(g).
The table counts three families of our published standards: verbs that act on a disease (“treats”, “prevents”), a named condition (“for anxiety”), and wording that describes a drug-like effect without naming a disease (“boosts immunity”, “anti-inflammatory”). It adds the standards that catch a disease claim made another way: a disease word in the title or bullets, a drug name, a product name, a testimonial or a study.
Of the 50 standards in those families, 45 turned up at least once in the 2,243 listings. 832 listings carry at least one, each listing counted from its most severe scan. The wording in the first column is the standard’s own name, not any listing’s words, and no brand or listing is named.
| Wording (our standard) | Severity | Listings | Brands | Safer wording, from the standards file |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| boosts immunity / immune booster Plain-English ruling | High | 229 | 176 | 'Supports healthy immune function' |
| normalizes / restores Plain-English ruling | High | 218 | 156 | 'Helps maintain [X] already within the normal range' |
| balances hormones Plain-English ruling | High | 214 | 167 | 'Supports healthy hormone levels' |
| blocks / inhibits [biological process] | High | 104 | 83 | 'Supports healthy [process]' |
| detox / detoxifies / cleanses toxins Plain-English ruling | High | 95 | 79 | 'Supports the body's natural detoxification pathways' |
| Disease keyword in Amazon title/bullets Plain-English ruling | Critical | 91 | 70 | Remove disease terms from title, bullets, A+ content, and backend keywords. |
| relieves symptoms of | Critical | 77 | 63 | Remove. If the condition is named, no rewrite saves it. |
| analgesic / pain reliever / relieves pain Plain-English ruling | Critical | 65 | 57 | 'Supports joint and muscle comfort' |
| Prescription drug name or drug-equivalence claim | Critical | 57 | 40 | Remove the drug reference. Naming an endogenous hormone the product is said to support is a different claim and needs its own substantiation, not a rename. |
| prevents Plain-English ruling | Critical | 55 | 49 | 'Supports [normal function]'. Never prevention of a named condition. |
| regulates blood sugar | High | 54 | 47 | 'Supports healthy glucose metabolism' |
| Product name implying treatment Plain-English ruling | Critical | 51 | 39 | Rename. |
| anti-inflammatory Plain-English ruling | High | 42 | 36 | 'Supports a healthy inflammatory response' |
| prescription strength / pharmaceutical grade Plain-English ruling | High | 41 | 23 | Remove. Use a verifiable standard instead (e.g. 'third-party tested'). |
| heals | Critical | 34 | 33 | 'Supports the body's natural [X] processes' |
| treats anxiety / for anxiety Plain-English ruling | Critical | 29 | 22 | 'Promotes a sense of calm' / 'supports relaxation' |
| alternative to [prescription drug] | Critical | 22 | 21 | Remove. Never reference a drug, class, or brand. |
| heals leaky gut Plain-English ruling | Critical | 21 | 18 | 'Supports a healthy intestinal barrier' / 'supports digestive health' |
| therapeutic dose | High | 21 | 14 | 'Clinically studied dose'. Only if a study on that dose exists. |
| treats insomnia Plain-English ruling | Critical | 16 | 15 | 'Supports restful sleep' / 'helps you fall asleep faster' |
| reverses | Critical | 15 | 15 | 'Supports healthy [X] already within the normal range' |
| for Alzheimer's / dementia / memory loss | Critical | 14 | 14 | 'Supports cognitive function' / 'supports memory' |
| for menopause symptoms / hot flashes Plain-English ruling | High | 14 | 11 | 'Supports hormonal balance during life's transitions'. Avoid naming symptoms. |
| treats IBS / Crohn's / colitis | Critical | 12 | 11 | 'Supports digestive comfort'. Remove all condition names. |
| remedy for | Critical | 9 | 9 | Remove. Reframe as support for a normal function. |
| Ingredient study on a disease population | High | 8 | 6 | Cite studies in healthy populations, or remove the citation. |
| treats Plain-English ruling | Critical | 8 | 7 | Remove. Reframe to what the ingredient supports in normal function. |
| treats depression / mood disorder | Critical | 8 | 8 | 'Supports a positive mood' |
| for COVID / flu / colds | Critical | 7 | 7 | 'Supports immune function' |
| mitigates | Critical | 7 | 5 | Remove entirely. |
| lowers cholesterol Plain-English ruling | Critical | 6 | 2 | 'Helps maintain cholesterol levels already within the normal range' |
| treats acne / eczema / psoriasis | Critical | 6 | 6 | 'Supports healthy-looking skin' |
| treats arthritis / joint disease | Critical | 6 | 5 | 'Supports joint comfort and mobility' |
| antibiotic / antibacterial (systemic) | Critical | 5 | 5 | Remove. Do not reframe. |
| lowers blood pressure Plain-English ruling | Critical | 4 | 4 | 'Supports cardiovascular health' / 'supports blood pressure already within the normal range' |
| treats erectile dysfunction | Critical | 3 | 3 | 'Supports male vitality'. Still restricted on paid social. |
| Testimonial naming a disease | Critical | 2 | 2 | Use testimonials that reference only structure/function benefits. |
| treats migraines | Critical | 2 | 2 | Remove. 'Supports head comfort' is weak but defensible. |
| Disease claim in blog / SEO content | High | 1 | 1 | Apply the same rule set to blog, email, and SEO copy. |
| Disease terms in backend search keywords Plain-English ruling | High | 1 | 1 | Strip disease terms from all hidden fields. |
| for osteoporosis | Critical | 1 | 1 | 'Supports bone health' / 'helps maintain bone density' |
| for thyroid disease / hypothyroidism | Critical | 1 | 1 | 'Supports healthy thyroid function' |
| lowers blood sugar / for diabetes Plain-English ruling | Critical | 1 | 1 | 'Supports healthy glucose metabolism already within the normal range' |
| reverses insulin resistance | Critical | 1 | 1 | 'Supports healthy glucose metabolism' |
| treats autoimmune conditions | Critical | 1 | 1 | 'Supports a healthy immune response' |
A listing counts once per standard however many times the wording appears in it. A count is wording our standards flag, not a record of what Amazon did to the listing: Amazon does not publish which listings it acted on or why.
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