You are on the right track. 500mg is a standard over the counter dose for NAC. I have powder that I can adjust the dosage if I need to. But it is bitter. You can do the same thing with the pills - 2 grams would be 4 x 500mg/day. As far as companies that make supplements, I do not purchase Walmart's brand, most things at Costco, Kirkland, Puritans Pride, Swanson, etc. I will use those sites to buy certain manufacturers I like at a cheaper price. I like Life Extension, Jarrow Formulas, Nature's Way, Wild Harvest, and Carlson, among others.

The best way to judge a product is to look at all the additional ingredients that are being added as fillers and carriers. The less the better. What is the source of the ingredients? Are mineral products bioavailable for the body to use or is it just ground up rocks from a gravel pit? Is it cheap industrial garbage? Pick up a bottle of Kirkland fish oil sold at Costco for example. Fish oil is way down on the list of ingredients and who knows where it comes from. I cannot believe the amount of crap that is contained in a product that people take thinking it will improve their health. Buyer beware for sure. I trust the companies I mentioned because I am confident in their manufacturing processes and their ingredient sourcing. But this is just my opinion based on my own research.

If it is an herbal product, like pine needle oil, is it organically sourced? If is is fish oil, is it heat or hexane processed? Is it wild caught fish from clean water or farm raised? If the label says nothing, it is most likely farm raised GMO poisoned fish. In the world of supplements, I will admit it can be a minefield. Like anything else, it needs to be researched. Especially if you are going to put it in your body. Good luck.

I am not familiar with Thorne products. Just cruised the site. I was impressed by the fact that on their science and medical team there were several NDs. That is encouraging. But, some of their professional collaborations are concerning - like the Mayo Clinic, Johns Hopkins, and the NIH to name a few. All of those collaborators are the belly of the beast so to speak. I did not see any indication of independent purity verifications with any of their products. That would be testing for heavy metals and other contaminants. Products geared towards athletic performance may not always be the cleanest. It is a multibillion dollar industry on its own and big pharma probably has their hands in that pie somewhere on the backend. Just my opinion.