NOW Foods Magnesium Citrate 60 Veg Capsules

What it is

NOW Foods Magnesium Citrate is a dietary supplement supplying 400 mg of elemental magnesium per three-capsule serving, packed in a bottle of 60 vegetarian capsules. The front panel places it in the brand's Minerals line and describes it as "A Dietary Supplement", and the bottle carries the maker's own Vegetarian/Vegan and Non-GMO marks. NOW Foods manufactures it at 395 S. Glen Ellyn Rd., Bloomingdale, Illinois; the panel states it is made and quality tested in the USA with globally sourced ingredients.

At the label's serving size of three capsules, the bottle works out to exactly the 20 servings the panel prints. You can browse the rest of the range in Supplements.

What's inside

This is a single-compound formula: one mineral, three supporting ingredients, nothing else. That makes the panel unusually easy to read once you know what each line is doing.

• Magnesium (elemental), from Magnesium Citrate — 400 mg, 95% Daily Value. The word that matters here is elemental. Magnesium citrate is a compound, and it weighs considerably more than the magnesium inside it; a panel quoting the compound weight would print a much bigger, much less useful number. The elemental figure tells you how much actual magnesium a serving contains. The Daily Value for magnesium is 420 mg, and 400 divided by 420 is 95.2% — exactly the 95% the panel prints.
• Citrate, the form. Citrate is the salt form of citric acid — the acid that gives lemons and limes their sourness. Here the magnesium is paired with it rather than with an oxide, a chloride or an amino acid. The panel adds its own description: "This magnesium citrate is a fully reacted mineral supplement." Fully reacted means the magnesium and the citrate have been chemically combined into a single compound, rather than blended as two separate powders.
• Hypromellose (cellulose capsule). The capsule shell itself. Hypromellose is derived from plant cellulose rather than animal gelatin, and it is why the front panel can print "Vegetarian/Vegan" — on a capsule product the shell usually decides that question.
• Ascorbyl Palmitate. A fat-soluble ester of ascorbic acid and palmitic acid, used in manufacturing as an antioxidant and processing aid. Listed under Other Ingredients, so it carries no stated amount.
• Silicon Dioxide. A flow agent. Powder metered into thousands of capsules has to move freely and not clump, and silicon dioxide is the standard inert material for that job.

For general background on magnesium as a dietary mineral — not on this product — the National Institutes of Health Office of Dietary Supplements publishes a consumer fact sheet on magnesium. Labels for thousands of marketed supplements can also be searched in the NIH Dietary Supplement Label Database.

Supplement Facts

The asterisks on the front of the bottle mark statements the manufacturer makes about the nutrient under US labeling rules. The FDA explains what that category of wording is, and what it is not, on its page covering structure/function claims.

How to use it

The label's suggested usage is: take 3 capsules daily, preferably in divided doses, with food. Both qualifiers are printed instructions, not general advice, and are worth reading literally. "Divided doses" means the three capsules are spread across the day rather than swallowed together — one capsule at each of three meals. "With food" ties the serving to a meal rather than an empty stomach.

Storage is also specified on the panel: store in a cool, dry place after opening. A hypromellose shell is a cellulose material and responds to humidity, so a closed cupboard suits the bottle better than a windowsill or a bathroom shelf. The panel also notes that natural color variation may occur — a batch-to-batch appearance note from the manufacturer.

Do not exceed the serving size printed on the label.

Why the 60-capsule veg capsule format

This is a small format by magnesium standards, and the practical reason to choose it is that it is the size you can finish. It suits a first-time buyer of magnesium citrate, someone checking how a three-capsule daily routine fits their day before committing to a larger bottle, or anyone who prefers opening a fresh bottle often to keeping one open for months.

The capsule format is the other half of the decision. A vegetarian capsule is a two-piece cellulose shell filled with powder; a tablet is powder compressed under pressure, usually with binders and sometimes a coating to hold it together. That is why this product's Other Ingredients line is only three items long — a capsule shell does the structural work a tablet needs extra ingredients to do. It also means a capsule can be opened, and that there is no coating to get through.

Who it's for

This is a general-purpose dietary supplement for adults aged 18 and over who are choosing the citrate form of magnesium specifically. Magnesium is classified as an essential mineral, meaning the body cannot make it and an official Daily Value has been set for it — which is why this panel can print a percentage where a supplement built around a non-essential compound would print "Daily Value not established". It occurs in ordinary foods including leafy greens, legumes, nuts, seeds and whole grains.

The label restricts it to adults. Related items are in Health & Wellness.

Good to know

• Allergen statement, in full as printed: 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. If you are severely allergic, the second sentence matters as much as the first — it describes a shared facility, not a dedicated one.
• Caution, as printed: for adults only. Consult a physician if pregnant or nursing, taking medication, or if you have a medical condition. Keep out of reach of children.
• Certification marks on the pack: the bottle panel carries a "GMP Quality Assured" roundel, and a "K" symbol appears on the front panel. A separate NOW information card in this gallery shows the Intertek GMP certification mark — a brand-level certification, not a mark printed on this bottle.
• Packaging: the panel states that the bottle is made from 100% PCR — post-consumer recycled — resin.
• The company: the panel prints "Family owned since 1968."
• The NIH Office of Dietary Supplements publishes general background in Dietary Supplements: What You Need to Know. Neither that agency nor any other reviews, tests or endorses this product.

Frequently Asked Questions

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

There are 60 vegetarian capsules in the bottle, which is 20 servings. The panel sets the serving size at 3 veg capsules, and three capsules across twenty servings accounts for all 60. At one serving a day that is a twenty-day supply.

Is this product vegetarian and vegan?

Yes — the front panel prints "Vegetarian/Vegan". The capsule shell is hypromellose, a cellulose material derived from plants rather than the gelatin used in animal-derived capsules, and none of the other listed ingredients is animal-derived.

What does "fully reacted" mean on this label?

It means the magnesium and the citrate have been chemically combined into one compound rather than blended together as two separate materials. The phrase is printed on the bottle's own panel, which reads "This magnesium citrate is a fully reacted mineral supplement."

Why does the label say to take the three capsules in divided doses?

Because that is the manufacturer's printed instruction: "Take 3 capsules daily, preferably in divided doses, with food." In practice that means spreading the serving across the day — for example one capsule with each of three meals — rather than taking all three at once. Follow the label rather than any other schedule.

How is the order packaged for delivery?

Orders ship in plain, unmarked outer packaging. 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.