Skald is a fat loss supplement made by Beldt in the US. Their main plug is that Skald is the first ever thermogenic fat burner with respiratory support.
Fat needs oxygen to burn, that’s the essence of aerobic exercise. You breathe, and your body uses the oxygen as a reactant to burn fat.
Beldt’s idea is that the more oxygen you get into yourself, the more fat your will burn. Simple.
They have put an ingredient into Skald for this purpose: Elecampane and Verbascum, herbs touted for their asthma and respiratory disorder easing properties amongst other things (one of those other things being that it elecampane can kill little worms in your intestine too!).
“Breathe Better, Burn Faster” is the logic, which also explains the fancy-schmancy term “Oxydynamic” placed before “Fat Scorcher” in Skald’s tagline.
Unfortunately, Skald isn’t as scorchingly awesome as Beldt Labs would have you believe. Luke Warm might be a more appropriate name!
Some products still surprise us, even after years of studying supplements, their ingredients and the companies that manufacture them. Sadly, in Skald’s case, it’s not a good surprise.We applaud the idea of a fat burner that provides respiratory support, but sometimes there’s a reason something hasn’t been done before.
There’s also a reason you tend to find more than 341mg of active ingredients in a fat burner supplement. If you’ve got the space in the capsules, which we know is there, why not use it?
Take a look at the product which we feel is the most effective fat burner/weight loss product on the market – Instant Knockout (IKO) – and see for yourself….but we’ll give you a clue – Instant Knockout contains more Green Tea extract (500mg) than Skald’s entire formula of 341mg!
Benefits of Skald
According to Beldt Labs, who have no shortage of praise for their “Oxydynamic Fat Scorcher”, the formula can provide the following effects:
- “Astounding Energy and Fat Loss”
- Respiratory Support
- Appetite Control
Respiratory Support certainly stands out because there are no other examples that come to mind of companies using it as a selling point. Fair enough, can it actually provide said support at the dosages they have provided?… and if it can, would it even have a noticeable effect on fat burning rate?
We don’t know, and probably not, would be our responses…but in the interest of objectivity, we’ll give it the benefit of the doubt for now.
How Does Skald Work?
Skald contains thermogenic ingredients, so can theoretically burn some fat by raising core temperature.
Out of 341mg of ingredients in each capsule, caffeine takes up 110mg. And that’s the only dosage we actually know. The rest of the ingredients are listed but without their dosages. A veritable proprietary blend then.
So with 231mg remaining there isn’t much room for Green Tea extract (which should be around 250mg per capsule on its own), or L-Tyrosine etc. to do much but be another word on the label.
The Elecampane, which can ease breathing flow for asthmatics and help expel phlegm from the lung, is included at an unknown quantity. It’s second lowest on the list of ingredients though, which means there is only one ingredient with less quantity in the formula – black pepper.
Verbascum, a flower that can be used as a herbal remedy for respiratory diseases like pneumonia is a little higher up the formula but only by two rungs.
Elecampane is usually taken in teas or as drops, and dosages are around a teaspoon size 3 or 4 times a day.
NOT a tiny amount in a capsule that you swallow. On the plus side, it might kill an intestinal worm or two.
Ingredients in Skald
Below are the ingredients in one capsule of Skald. Most of the quantities are unknown with caffeine being the exception.
| Ingredient | Quantity |
|---|---|
| Caffeine Anhydrous | 110mg |
| N-Acetyl-Tyrosine [sic] | not known |
| Green Tea Leaf extract | not known |
| Bitter Orange Fruit extract | not known |
| White Willow Bark extract | not known |
| Verbascum thapsus leaf powder | not known |
| Theobromine | not known |
| Elecampane Root powder | not known |
| Bioperine | not known |
Caffeine Anhydrous – 110mg – the most ubiquitous of ingredients in fat burners. Caffeine has been proven again and again as both a thermogenic fat burner, and cognitive enhancer. You have to eliminate your coffee intake for it to work for fat loss though.
N-Acetyl L-Tyrosine – can reduce stress during periods of intense physical exertion.
Green Tea Leaf extract – another thermogenic fat burner that doubles as an antioxidant, helping to purge free-radical offspring of oxidation.
Bitter Orange Fruit extract – contains synephrine, a nervous system stimulant that burns fat without a concomitant increase in heart rate.
White Willow Bark extract – a cousin of aspirin which contains salicylic acid. Might confer a mild painkilling effect but is known for its famous inclusion in an ECA stack (ephedrine-caffeine-aspirin) which is a potent fat burner. Here it appears with caffeine and synephrine, a sort of weaker analogue of ephedrine.
Verbascum Thapsus Leaf powder – is the other respiratory ingredient here with elecampane. It can be used as a herbal remedy for respiratory infections.
Theobromine – natural caffeine from cocoa plants.
Elecampane Root powder – a herbal asthma remedy
Bioperine (Black Pepper extract) – increases the bioavailability and absorption of other ingredients in the blend.
Skald Customer Comments
If, like us, you are a tad skeptical of Amazon reviews and comments then you’re just going to have to take Beldt Labs’ word for it that Skald is the best thing since the invention of the wheel.
No…not a believer yet? … well, we didn’t find many genuine opinions on this product that are positive, so we’ll just leave it at that.
Side Effects and Health Considerations
Whatever the state of the formula, there are still unknowns in there and with the two respiratory ingredients, the possibility of medication interference is there, so don’t use it if you are on prescription meds or have a medical condition.
Pregnant and breastfeeding women should also avoid it. Check with your doctor if you are otherwise unsure.
The Judgement – Is Skald Recommended?
We’d have to say that’s a negative. The formula can’t get past the scrutiny of people like us, who make a point of researching these things.
The respiratory support thing maybe started as a genuine concept, but it just feels gimmicky and half-baked.
Furthermore, without knowing dosages of anything in the formula, we can’t be sure of anything we say about the potency, but we do know one thing: it’s only 341mg total, and most decent fat burners would have single inclusions that take up more room in the pill.
On that note, we’ll throw our recommendation your way. If we were to compare our favourite fat burner – Instant Knockout – with a product like this, you would see the difference. Check out the review.
Leave a Reply