Comparison updated 2 September 2026 · compositions verified on official sources on that date · next re-check: March 2027
Burgerstein CELA vs base One: the honest comparison, line by line
You are standing in the pharmacy, a box of CELA in your hand, with one simple question: is it the right choice : or is there better? Here is a Swiss formulator's answer: verdict first, proof after : and every technical term explained the moment it appears.
Our verdict
Our winner: base One. And let's say it plainly: it is our product. CELA is a respectable opponent, better formulated than average. Our bet is the next generation: 100% active forms, orthomolecular doses, and no mineral getting in its neighbour's way. Everything below exists so you can prove us wrong, line by line.
The detail few people notice: in every CELA tablet, iron, copper and zinc travel together : three minerals fighting for the same entry door of the gut. The proof, line by line, below.
Advice & trust
CELA
half a century of Swiss pharmacies
What the body absorbs
base One
active forms: usable without conversion
The no-compromise formula
base One
no iron mixed with zinc, amino acids included
- CELA if pharmacy advice and a historic house matter to you, with partly good forms.
- base One if you want every form active, no line hindering another, and a fully checkable label.
- Neither one if a symptom persists or settles in: that is your doctor's job, not a supplement's.
29 nutrients in active forms · one glass a day · reviews published unfiltered
The proof, line by line, below ↓
Not all vitamins are equal. The same vitamin exists in several chemical versions: its “forms”. Some are active forms: the ones your body uses as-is; others must first be converted, with losses along the way. Systematically choosing active forms, at useful doses, is the orthomolecular approach: the discipline taught by David Giovenco, formulator of base One and president of the International Francophone Academy of Orthomolecular Medicine. Keep this key: the whole comparison reads with it.
Burgerstein's historic all-in-one: 23 vitamins, minerals and trace elements as tablets (2 a day), designed for the whole family, sold in pharmacies for decades.
The daily base: covering the essentials every day : 29 vitamins, minerals and amino acids : in active forms (the versions your body uses without converting them), in one pomegranate-flavoured glass. Not a one-off cure: the foundation, day after day.
The comparator, line by line
Green = a form the body uses as-is, or a strength. Amber = a version that must first be converted, or a partial point. Each line says what the nutrient is for.
The amino acids (including 750 mg of glycine, raw material of collagen) : impossible in a tablet : plus chromium picolinate. That is what the 6 g powder format allows.
Iodine (150 µg), manganese and molybdenum, plus built-in vitamin D: coherent choices for a single family product.
The real difference in two words: conversion and company
Conversion. CELA picks several forms well (zinc bisglycinate, active B6) : rare enough to deserve credit. But its folate is folic acid and its B12 cyanocobalamin: two versions your body must first rebuild, with losses that depend on your genes. base One systematically starts from the finished molecule.
Company. CELA puts iron, copper and zinc in the same tablet. These three minerals use the same entry door of the gut: swallowed together, each hinders the others' absorption. Not a chemist's detail: it is why base One excludes iron, deliberately.
What CELA does well : and its limits, in plain words
Its strengths. Half a century of Swiss consistency, pharmacy advice, above-average forms (bisglycinates, active B6), vitamin D and iodine included. As a single family product, a deserved reference.
Its limits. Folic acid and cyanocobalamin (versions the body must first convert), magnesium partly as oxide (the least absorbed of common forms), mineral selenium, and the iron-copper-zinc trio in one intake. No amino acids: a tablet is physically too small.
base One in practice: for whom, when, and what to expect
Who it is for. Adults who want the essentials covered daily without stacking boxes : and especially those who have taken vitamins before and “felt nothing”: often the sign of forms the body used poorly. After 50 or on a plant-based diet, the active B12 in the formula counts double.
When. One glass a day, at the moment that becomes your ritual: morning, or the 5 p.m. alcohol-free apéro. The 90-day course follows the body's own rhythm: skin renews in a month, blood in four.
What to expect, honestly. We promise nothing : here is what biology says. If your diet left gaps : common for magnesium and the B vitamins, which contribute to reducing fatigue : the difference may be felt within weeks. If your intake was already good, base One works silently: it is background coverage, not a stimulant. The honest check-in is at 90 days : and you judge.
What base One does not contain : and why
An honest comparison also lists our absences. They are deliberate:
- No iron. Iron and zinc use the same entry door of the gut: putting them together makes them hinder each other. A real iron deficiency is measured (ferritin) and corrected in a targeted way. The full explanation.
- No vitamin D. The right dose depends on your blood status and the season: it varies tenfold between people. One dose for everyone would be either useless or insufficient. Our dedicated article.
Why these choices? base One follows the orthomolecular approach: giving the body molecules it already knows, at useful doses : rather than cheap synthetic versions at minimal doses. It is the discipline practised and taught by David Giovenco, president of the International Francophone Academy of Orthomolecular and Integrative Medicine.
Your questions
CELA or base One for the whole family?
CELA can be dosed for children (half a tablet from age 4): its family strength. base One is formulated for adults.
Can I switch from CELA to base One directly?
Yes: both are daily bases, the switch is immediate. If you took CELA for its iron, have your ferritin measured first.
Why does base One contain no vitamin D?
Because the right D dose varies enormously with your blood status and the season: we prefer it taken separately, at your dose. Our dedicated article explains.
Ready to try the daily base?
29 nutrients in active forms, one glass a day, made in Switzerland : and 5 CHF welcome credit on your first order, applied automatically with your e-mail.
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Sources
[1] Official Burgerstein CELA composition, burgerstein.ch, recorded 02.09.2026 · [2] Walker 2003, magnesium forms compared · [3] Wegmüller 2014, zinc absorption by form · [4] Scaglione & Panzavolta 2014, 5-MTHF vs folic acid · [5] base One product page, nuho.ch
This content is published for information purposes and does not replace medical advice. For any health question, talk to your doctor or pharmacist. Compositions recorded on 2 September 2026: report any inaccuracy.