Jarrow Formulas

Jarrow Formulas: active forms and cultures

Jarrow Formulas is an American brand you come across when you are specifically looking for a certain form of a substance. Not folic acid, but methylfolate; not cyanocobalamin, but methylcobalamin. This choice runs like a red thread through the product range and explains why the brand has a loyal customer base.

This collection contains the Jarrow products we carry. There are four, each with its own application. Below you will read what each product is and what to look out for.

Where Jarrow Formulas comes from

Jarrow Formulas is an American company from Los Angeles. The products were developed for the American market, which means you will find American reference values on the label. These differ from the European ones, so do not compare a percentage on the packaging one-to-one with what is common here.

Methylfolate and methyl-B12

Methylfolate is the already converted form of folate, whereas folic acid still has to undergo that conversion. Jarrow offers it as a 400 microgram capsule and as a lemon-flavored chewable tablet, in which it is combined with 1000 micrograms of methyl-B12. That chewable tablet is convenient if you prefer not to swallow pills. Good to know: chewable tablets almost always contain a flavoring and sweetener, so read the ingredients list if you are sensitive to those.

Saccharomyces boulardii with MOS

This is not a bacterium but a yeast, and that makes it different from most bacterial cultures on the shelf. The product contains 5 billion colony-forming units per capsule, supplemented with MOS (mannan-oligosaccharides). Because it is a yeast, it behaves differently than the common lactobacilli and bifidobacteria.

Mastic gum

Mastic is the resin of the mastic tree, which grows mainly on the Greek island of Chios. Jarrow offers it as a 1000 milligram capsule. It is one of those ingredients that you come across in this dosage in very few other brands.

What to look out for with bacterial and yeast cultures

Look at the number of colony-forming units per capsule and at the storage instructions. Some cultures must be stored refrigerated, while others are stable at room temperature. This is stated on the packaging and matters for how you store them at home. Also pay attention to the expiration date, because the number of live units decreases over time.

What to look out for when comparing

When comparing vitamins, do not only look at the dosage but also at the form, because methylfolate and folic acid are not the same product at a different price. With capsules, the number per bottle counts: 60 capsules at one per day is two months, 100 chewable tablets will last longer. Calculate it into the price per day, then you are comparing apples with apples.

Jarrow Formulas is suitable for those who know which form they are looking for. If you are still undecided between forms, first look at the broader collections per ingredient and then come back to the brand.