NOW Foods Super Colostrum 500mg 90 Veg Capsules

What it is

NOW Foods Super Colostrum is a bovine colostrum dietary supplement sold in a bottle of 90 capsules. The Supplement Facts panel sets a serving at two capsules and counts 45 servings in the bottle. Each serving lists a 1,000 mg dried bovine colostrum blend together with three further named ingredients: 200 mg of ImmunEnhancer™ larch arabinogalactan, 200 mg of an olive leaf extract blend, and 100 mg of astragalus root. The side of the bottle files the product under NOW's "General Health" line and carries the line "Family owned since 1968."

Colostrum is the first milk a mammal produces in the days immediately after giving birth. This product uses the dried bovine form — that is, from cattle — and the panel marks the blend "BSE-free". Because colostrum is a milk product, the panel carries a plain "Contains milk." allergen statement, and that single line is the most important thing on the label for anyone who avoids dairy.

What's inside

Four rows make up the active side of the panel. Three of the four carry a bracketed list of components beneath the row name, and that bracket changes how the milligram figure should be read, so it is worth walking through each row as the label actually prints it.

• Dried Bovine Colostrum Blend (BSE-free) — 1 g (1,000 mg). The bracket under this row names five components: dried bovine colostrum, milk protein concentrate, non-fat dry milk, sunflower lecithin and natural flavor. The 1,000 mg figure covers all five together. The panel does not break out how much of that gram is colostrum on its own, so neither do we.
• ImmunEnhancer™ — 200 mg. The bracket gives this one a single component: arabinogalactan from larch tree (Larix laricina). Arabinogalactan is a plant carbohydrate drawn from the wood of the larch, a conifer.
• Olive Leaf Extract Blend — 200 mg. This bracket lists maltodextrin and olive leaf extract (Olea europaea), with the extract standardized to a minimum of 6% oleuropein. Olive leaf comes from the same Mediterranean tree that gives us table olives and olive oil. As with the colostrum row, the 200 mg is the blend, not the extract alone.
• Astragalus (Astragalus membranaceus) (Root) — 100 mg. The only row on the panel without a bracket, and the smallest of the four by weight. Astragalus is a legume-family plant long used in traditional Chinese herbal preparations; the NCCIH keeps a general background page on astragalus for anyone who wants the plain-language overview.

All four rows carry a dagger, which the panel's footnote defines as "Daily Value not established". The nutrition rows above them are small: 5 calories, 1 g total carbohydrate, under 1 g of dietary fiber and under 1 g of protein per two-capsule serving.

Three excipients close the panel out under Other Ingredients: hypromellose, which the label itself describes in brackets as a "cellulose capsule"; magnesium stearate, noted as vegetable source; and silicon dioxide. The panel assigns no role to these, so neither do we. The NIH runs a searchable Dietary Supplement Label Database, and its background sheet on botanical supplements explains how extracts and standardization percentages like that 6% oleuropein figure are meant to work.

Supplement Facts

** Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. † Daily Value not established. Transcribed from the Supplement Facts panel on the bottle.

How to use it

The label's Suggested Usage reads: "Take 2 capsules twice daily, preferably before meals." That is four capsules across the day, so the 90-capsule bottle works out to roughly 22 days at the suggested rate. Nothing on the pack suggests taking more than that.

Storage is equally brief: "Store in a cool, dry place after opening." The label also notes that "Natural color variation may occur in this product," which is ordinary for a dried dairy ingredient and not a sign that anything is wrong with the batch. The pack also states that the bottle is made from 100% PCR — post-consumer recycled — resin.

Who it's for

This is a product for adults; the printed caution says "For adults only." It will suit someone browsing our Health & Wellness range who specifically wants a colostrum product with named botanicals alongside it rather than colostrum on its own, and who is comfortable with a four-capsule daily routine split across two sittings. The three botanical additions are the reason this one is called Super Colostrum rather than plain colostrum, and all three are itemized on the panel with their own milligram figures.

It is emphatically not for everyone. The printed caution tells anyone who is lactose intolerant or sensitive to dairy products to avoid taking it, and that is not a hedge — colostrum is milk. If dairy is off the table for you, look at something else in Supplements instead.

Good to know

The caution block on the bottle reads in full: "For adults only. Consult physician if pregnant/nursing, taking medication, or have a medical condition. Avoid taking if lactose intolerant and/or sensitive to dairy products. Keep out of reach of children."

The allergen line beneath it is equally specific: "Not manufactured with wheat, gluten, soy, egg, fish, shellfish, tree nut or sesame ingredients. Produced in a GMP facility that processes other ingredients containing these allergens." Read the second sentence as carefully as the first — it is a shared-facility statement, not a promise of absence, and milk is deliberately not on that list because this product contains it. The front of the bottle also carries a Non-GMO mark.

The panel names the maker as NOW Foods, 395 S. Glen Ellyn Rd., Bloomingdale, IL 60108, USA, and states the product is "Made and quality tested in the USA with globally sourced ingredients." If you take prescription medication or are managing a health condition, the NCCIH's page on dietary and herbal supplements is a sensible read before you add anything new, and so is a conversation with your own clinician.

Frequently Asked Questions

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

Ninety capsules, which the Supplement Facts panel counts as 45 servings of two capsules each. At the label's suggested rate of two capsules twice daily, that is four capsules a day and roughly 22 days from one bottle.

Can I take this if I avoid dairy?

No — the panel states "Contains milk." and the printed caution says to avoid taking it if you are lactose intolerant and/or sensitive to dairy products. Colostrum is itself a milk product, and the blend row also names milk protein concentrate and non-fat dry milk, so there is no dairy-free version of this formula.

What is ImmunEnhancer™ on the ingredient panel?

ImmunEnhancer™ is the panel's name for arabinogalactan from the larch tree (Larix laricina), listed at 200 mg per two-capsule serving. The bottle's side panel records that IMMUNENHANCER™ is a Lonza trademark, so it is a branded supplier ingredient rather than a NOW Foods formulation of its own.

Are the capsules made from gelatin?

No — the Other Ingredients line names hypromellose and describes it, in the label's own brackets, as a "cellulose capsule". Hypromellose is derived from plant cellulose, so the shell is not an animal gelatin. The material inside the shell is a dairy ingredient, which is a separate question.

How will my order be packaged?

Your order ships 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.