NOW Foods Magnesium Citrate 240 Veg Capsules

What it is

NOW Foods Magnesium Citrate is a dietary supplement that supplies 400 mg of elemental magnesium in every three-capsule serving, in a bottle of 240 vegetarian capsules. All of the magnesium comes from magnesium citrate, and the panel prints a single active line — there is no blend, no proprietary formula and no second mineral sharing the label. The bottle is the 240-count size, which works out to 80 servings.

The wording on the back of the bottle is worth reading literally. NOW describes the contents as "a fully reacted mineral supplement". In plain chemistry, a fully reacted mineral is one where the magnesium and the citric acid have been combined into a single compound — magnesium citrate — rather than two separate powders stirred together in the same capsule. It is a statement about how the raw material was made, and that is all it is.

What's inside

The full ingredient list on this bottle runs to four items, and each one has a job worth explaining.

• Magnesium (elemental), from magnesium citrate — 400 mg per serving. Magnesium is a mineral found in everyday foods such as pumpkin seeds, almonds, spinach, black beans and whole grains. Citrate is the salt form used here, named for citric acid, the same organic acid that gives citrus fruit its sourness. The panel reports the elemental figure, which is the weight of magnesium itself rather than the weight of the whole citrate compound — the compound is heavier, because the citrate portion is counted too. The NIH Office of Dietary Supplements fact sheet on magnesium gives general background on the mineral and the forms it is sold in.
• Hypromellose (cellulose capsule). This is the capsule shell itself, not something added to the contents. Hypromellose is made from plant cellulose, and it is the reason the front of this bottle can print the line "Vegetarian/Vegan" — a conventional gelatin capsule is an animal-derived product, and this one is not.
• Ascorbyl palmitate. An ester of ascorbic acid (vitamin C) and palmitic acid, a fatty acid. Joining the two makes a fat-soluble version of a normally water-soluble vitamin, which is why it is used in dry supplement blends as a processing aid. The quantity is not disclosed on the panel, and at excipient level it is not present as a source of vitamin C.
• Silicon dioxide. Silica — the same material as sand and quartz, in a very fine powdered grade. It is a flow agent: it stops fine powders clumping so that each capsule fills to a consistent weight on the production line.

Nothing else appears in the list. The bottle also notes that "natural color variation may occur in this product", which is normal for a mineral raw material.

Supplement Facts

The 95% figure is a Daily Value percentage, which is a labeling reference point set for the general adult population — it is not a personal target, and it is not a recommendation for any individual. The NIH Dietary Supplement Label Database is a public archive of supplement panels if you want to see how other products present the same field.

How to use it

The label's Suggested Usage is: take 3 capsules daily, preferably in divided doses, with food. "Divided doses" means splitting the three capsules across the day rather than swallowing all three at once — for example one with each meal. Storage guidance on the bottle is equally short: store in a cool, dry place after opening.

Because the serving is three capsules rather than one, the capsule count and the serving count are different figures: 240 capsules divided by a 3-capsule serving gives the 80 servings printed on the panel, so this bottle is an 80-day supply at the suggested usage. That is the practical difference a higher count makes — fewer reorders, and one bottle covering a longer stretch of a daily routine.

Who it's for

This is a single-mineral dietary supplement for adults 18 and over who already know they want magnesium citrate specifically, and who prefer a capsule to a tablet or a loose powder. The 240-count bottle suits someone settled into a routine rather than someone sampling a form for the first time — at three capsules a day it is a long-running bottle, which is worth weighing against the label's own instruction to store it in a cool, dry place once opened.

It sits in our minerals range alongside other single-nutrient products, and in the wider health and wellness section. Anyone who is pregnant or nursing, taking medication, or managing a medical condition should speak to a physician before starting it — that is the instruction printed on the bottle, and it is the right order of operations.

Good to know

The allergen statement on the bottle reads: not manufactured with wheat, gluten, soy, milk, egg, fish, shellfish, tree nut or sesame ingredients; produced in a GMP facility that processes other ingredients containing these allergens. That second clause matters to anyone with a severe allergy, and it is printed as part of the same statement.

The manufacturing address on the panel is NOW Foods, 395 S. Glen Ellyn Rd., Bloomingdale, IL 60108, USA, and the bottle states that the product is made and quality tested in the USA with globally sourced ingredients. A "GMP Quality Assured" seal is printed on the panel itself; NOW's own certification card in the image gallery names Intertek as the body behind its GMP certification. The front of the bottle carries a Non-GMO badge, the line "Vegetarian/Vegan", and a kosher "K" symbol — no certifying agency is named anywhere on the packaging for that symbol. The bottle is made from 100% PCR (post-consumer recycled) resin, and the shoulder band reads "Family owned since 1968."

The caution printed on the bottle is: for adults only; consult physician if pregnant/nursing, taking medication, or have a medical condition; keep out of reach of children. No California Proposition 65 warning appears anywhere on this packaging. The FDA's questions and answers on dietary supplements is a useful general reference on how supplements are regulated in the United States.

Frequently Asked Questions

How many capsules are in the bottle, and how many servings is that?

There are 240 vegetarian capsules in the bottle, which the panel lists as 80 servings. The serving size is 3 capsules, so 240 divided by 3 gives 80 — an 80-day supply at the label's suggested usage of three capsules daily.

Are these capsules suitable for vegetarians and vegans?

Yes — the front label prints the line "Vegetarian/Vegan", and the capsule shell is hypromellose, a cellulose material derived from plants rather than the gelatin used in conventional capsules. The other three ingredients on the panel — magnesium citrate, ascorbyl palmitate and silicon dioxide — are not animal-derived either.

What does "400 mg elemental magnesium" actually mean?

It means 400 mg is the weight of magnesium itself, not the weight of the magnesium citrate it comes from. A citrate compound weighs considerably more than the magnesium inside it, because the citrate portion is counted in the total, so labels that report the elemental figure are telling you the amount of the mineral rather than the amount of the raw material.

Should I take all three capsules together?

The label suggests otherwise: it says to take 3 capsules daily, preferably in divided doses, with food. Splitting them across the day — for instance one at each meal — is what "divided doses" means, and taking them with food is part of the same instruction.

How is this order packaged for delivery?

Orders ship in plain, unmarked outer packaging with no description of the contents on the outside. It will not show the Gear Isle name.

Product information compiled and reviewed by the Gear Isle product team. We transcribe supplement facts directly from manufacturer packaging. Found an error? Tell us.

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. Dietary supplement for adults 18 and over. Consult a licensed healthcare professional before use, especially if you have a medical condition, heart concerns, or take prescription medication (including nitrates). Keep out of reach of children.