Serrapeptase HP by NuMedica: Dosage, Uses & Who It Suits

Quick answer: Serrapeptase HP is a single-enzyme supplement from NuMedica: each vegetarian capsule holds 130,000 SPU of serrapeptase in an enteric-coated blend, meant to support respiratory and sinus health and healthy fibrin levels. The label dose is one capsule a day with a large glass of water on an empty stomach, 30 to 60 minutes before a meal or 2 hours after one. It suits adults whose practitioner has suggested a systemic enzyme; anyone pregnant, nursing or taking medication should check with their doctor first.

Clinical review pending — Holistic Health Partners

Gideon Ferraro first heard the word "serrapeptase" from a podcast host who called it a silkworm secret, which was enough for him to assume it was nonsense. Gideon, a fictional 47-year-old high school choir director who talks and sings for six hours a day, still wrote it on the back of an attendance sheet. At the counter, he asked for the bottle and read the back instead of the front: 130,000 SPU, enteric-coated, one capsule on an empty stomach. "So the silkworm part is true," he said, "and the rest is a timing problem." That was the right question to bring home.

Here is what is in the bottle, how to take it so the coating does its job, and who should pass on it.

Serrapeptase HP is NuMedica®'s higher-potency serrapeptase: one enzyme, one capsule a day, in a coated form built to get past stomach acid. Covenant Health Products carries the 60-capsule bottle.

What is Serrapeptase HP, and what is in each capsule?

Each capsule of Serrapeptase HP contains 65 mg of an enteric-coated serrapeptase blend that supplies 130,000 SPU of serrapeptase, and nothing else active. NuMedica's current label lists:

• Enteric-coated serrapeptase blend, 65 mg (Peptizyme SP® EN), providing 130,000 SPU of serrapeptase.
• Methacrylic acid copolymer, the enteric coating on the enzyme.
• Other ingredients: hydroxypropyl methylcellulose (the vegetable capsule), maltodextrin (from corn, per our product listing) and silica.
• Does not contain: milk, eggs, fish, shellfish, tree nuts, peanuts, wheat or soy.

Serrapeptase (also called serratiopeptidase or serrapeptidase) is a protein-splitting enzyme first identified in a bacterium, Serratia marcescens, from the silkworm gut, where it helps the moth dissolve its cocoon. Today it is produced by fermentation, which is why NuMedica describes the product as suitable for vegetarians.

What does 130,000 SPU mean?

SPU stands for serrapeptase units, a measure of enzyme activity rather than weight. That is why the label lists 65 mg of blend and 130,000 SPU on separate lines: the milligrams tell you how much powder is in the capsule, and the SPU tells you how much enzyme work it can do. When you compare serrapeptase products, compare SPU to SPU. A product listed only in milligrams can't be lined up against an SPU number without the manufacturer's conversion.

Why is it enteric-coated?

Enzymes are proteins, and stomach acid can break proteins down before they do anything. NuMedica coats the serrapeptase blend with methacrylic acid copolymer so it passes through the stomach and releases further along the digestive tract, which is also why the label asks for an empty stomach and plenty of water. That is the manufacturer's design rationale. We did not find a published human study comparing coated and uncoated serrapeptase head to head, so treat the coating as sensible engineering rather than a proven difference.

What does serrapeptase do in the body?

Serrapeptase is a proteolytic enzyme: it breaks the bonds that hold proteins together, including fibrin, the protein mesh your body lays down as part of normal tissue responses. NuMedica's label claims are that Serrapeptase HP supports healthy fibrin and supports respiratory and sinus health, taken as a systemic enzyme between meals rather than as a digestive aid.

The research behind serrapeptase is real but thin, and it is worth saying so plainly. A 2017 review in the Asian Journal of Pharmaceutical Sciences describes serratiopeptidase as a protease from the trypsin family with a long history of medical use, studied mainly for how it interacts with the body's inflammatory response. A 2013 systematic review in the International Journal of Surgery screened 24 clinical studies and concluded that most were small, short and of poor methodology, that doses were often not specified, and that long-term safety data were lacking.

The most relevant single trial for the respiratory angle is small. In a 4-week open-label study from Japan, 29 adults with long-term airway conditions were randomly assigned to 30 mg a day of serrapeptase or no treatment. The serrapeptase group's morning mucus was lighter, less viscous and less elastic, and moved more easily in a lab test of mucus clearance. There was no placebo, the group was small, and the dose was given in milligrams of a clinical preparation, so it does not translate directly to an SPU number on a supplement label.

The fair summary: serrapeptase has a plausible mechanism and some encouraging small studies, and it has not been through the large, well-controlled trials that would let anyone promise a result.

How do you take Serrapeptase HP?

Take one capsule of Serrapeptase HP once a day with a large glass of water on an empty stomach, 30 to 60 minutes before a meal or 2 hours after one, or as your healthcare practitioner directs.

• First thing in the morning is easiest. A capsule on waking, then breakfast 30 to 60 minutes later, meets the empty-stomach window without planning around lunch.
• Swallow it whole. Opening the capsule would expose the coated blend to more handling than it was designed for, and there is no reason to.
• Keep it apart from your digestive enzymes. If you also take an enzyme with meals, that one goes with food and this one goes between meals. They are doing different jobs.

Who is Serrapeptase HP for, and who should skip it?

Serrapeptase HP fits adults who want a single-ingredient systemic enzyme and can keep an empty-stomach routine. It tends to suit:

• Adults whose practitioner has suggested serrapeptase for respiratory and sinus support
• People who want one enzyme, not a multi-enzyme blend with botanicals
• Vegetarians, since the enzyme is fermented and the capsule is plant cellulose
• Anyone who would rather take one capsule a day than several

Talk to your doctor first, or choose something else, if you:

• Are pregnant or nursing. NuMedica's label says to consult your healthcare practitioner before use.
• Take any medication. The label says the same, and it matters most for blood thinners and antiplatelet drugs. Serrapeptase breaks down fibrin, part of how your blood forms clots, so it should not be added to warfarin, clopidogrel, daily aspirin or similar drugs without the prescriber's okay.
• Have surgery or a dental procedure coming up. For the same reason, tell your surgeon or dentist you take it and ask when to stop.
• Want to stay on it for many months. The 2013 systematic review found long-term safety data lacking. That is a reason to set a review date with your practitioner, not to take it indefinitely on your own.
• Need to avoid corn. Our product listing notes the maltodextrin is corn-derived.

Our product listing adds the standard instruction: stop taking it and seek medical attention if any adverse reaction occurs. Keep it out of reach of children; it is an adult product.

How does Serrapeptase HP compare with other enzyme supplements we carry?

None of the core professional brands we feature on the blog makes a single-ingredient serrapeptase that we carry, so the honest comparison is with the two closest options: a broad systemic enzyme blend and a single-enzyme bromelain. Prices are our listed prices as of November 2026.

Systemic Enzyme Complex by Pure Encapsulations® is the broader formula: nine actives, including animal-sourced pancreatic enzymes and boswellia, aimed at muscle and joint comfort. It does not list serrapeptase itself, and at 3 to 6 capsules a day it is a bigger daily commitment. Our Systemic Enzyme Complex guide covers it in more depth.

Bromelain 500 mg by Douglas Laboratories® is the less expensive single-enzyme option, a pineapple-stem protease taken between meals. It is a different enzyme with a musculoskeletal focus, so it is an alternative to discuss with your practitioner, not a substitute you can swap in one for one. If you are allergic to pineapple, it is not the one for you.

If what you or your practitioner want is serrapeptase specifically, at a known SPU and once a day, Serrapeptase HP is the one in this group built for that.

Is serrapeptase the same as a digestive enzyme?

No. Digestive enzymes are taken with meals to help break down the food in front of them. Systemic enzymes like serrapeptase are taken on an empty stomach so they are not spent on your lunch. That difference is the whole reason for the timing on the label, and it is why taking Serrapeptase HP with breakfast would work against the way it is designed.

Is Serrapeptase HP worth it?

It is worth it if you want serrapeptase itself, in a coated, once-daily capsule, and your practitioner agrees it fits. Serrapeptase HP gives you 130,000 SPU per capsule, a short ingredient list, a vegetarian enzyme and a two-month bottle at about 63 cents a day.

It is the wrong pick if you take a blood thinner without your prescriber's okay, if you are pregnant or nursing without your doctor's go-ahead, or if you want large clinical trials behind every claim: the research is promising in places and thin overall. Gideon, for the record, takes his before the 6:40 a.m. warm-up and has a check-in with his practitioner in five weeks. He still thinks the silkworm part makes a better podcast than a label.

Keep reading

• NuMedica: A Comprehensive Overview of a Trusted Brand
• Micellized D3 + K2 by NuMedica: Benefits for Bone, Heart and Immune Health
• Pure Encapsulations Systemic Enzyme Complex: Benefits and Uses

These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.