Natural: What Does This Mean to Us?
by Michael Lelah, Ph.D. - NOW Foods Technical Director

At NOW Foods, we sell natural products - natural supplements, foods, and health and beauty products. We differentiate ourselves from the mass market, where synthetic ingredients are rampant. We also distinguish ourselves from many who claim to sell natural products, but whose products are far less than 100% natural. Elwood Richard founded NOW with his vision to provide affordable natural products. As a chemist, Elwood understood the dangers of many synthetic ingredients, and moreover that health and wellness begins with products that are As Natural as Possible™. Since 1968, our team has been delivering such products to your doorstep. Our commitment to you is that we will continue to do this.

Let’s review some specifics about what natural means to us:

Alcohols: NOW does not use any alcohols in foods. Only grain alcohol - ethanol - is used in some of our liquid extracts. No synthetic alcohols are used.

Aluminum: We do not use aluminum in our formulas, as it has been associated with Parkinson’s disease. Most of our products are formulated/tested to be aluminum-free. Some of our clays and trace mineral formulas naturally contain aluminum and we declare this prominently on our labels and give use instructions appropriate to maximize safety.

Artificial Colors: NOW does not use any artificial colors in our products. Many of the synthetic colors, especially the red colors, have known toxicity. We use only natural colors such as annatto, beet, carob, and chlorophyll.

Artificial Sweeteners: NOW sells natural sweeteners such as xylitol, erythritol and fructose. We do not sell or use artificial sweeteners such as saccharin, sucralose, or aspartame. Although these artificial sweeteners are sold freely in the U.S., much of the evidence for long term safety is in question.

Bovine Chondroitin: Chondroitin sulfate is a key ingredient in the fight for joint support. Clinical studies demonstrating efficacy are based on bovine Chondroitin (from cow). However, Chondroitin is more cheaply available from porcine (from pig) and chicken sources. NOW does not use the unproven pig and chicken forms, which are prevalent in the market.

Chlorinated Compounds: Chlorinated organic compounds are not found in nature. These compounds are toxic and very dangerous. PCBs and dioxin are examples, as is sucralose. NOW Foods does not formulate with chlorinated compounds.

CoQ10: CoQ10 is a particularly important antioxidant. However, there are two forms: the naturally produced fermented trans-CoQ10 form and the synthetic, cheaper cis-form. The trans form is the form found in your body, while the cis-form is chemically different. NOW only sells the natural all-trans form of CoQ10.

D-Amino Acids: The natural form of amino acids is the L-form, except for Glycine and Taurine which occur in only one form. Synthetic forms are the D-form or the DL-form. NOW Foods does not sell the mass produced synthetic forms; only natural L-Carnitine, L-Arginine, L-Lysine, etc.

Ephedra and Bitter Orange: The FDA has banned Ephedra. But even during the years when Ephedra was legal, NOW Foods never sold Ephedra, as we have always been concerned about its abuse. Today, bitter orange is commonly used as a substitute for Ephedra in many competitive formulas. NOW Foods does not sell bitter orange.

Fish Oil Purification: Our fish oils are almost all molecularly distilled. This physical separation and purification process produces the best quality fish oil, free of harmful levels of heavy metal contaminants and pesticides. A common concern with fish oils is mercury content. NOW fish oil is mercury-free. Compare!

Fluoride: Sodium Fluoride is used to control bacteria and to prevent tooth decay and is present in most of our municipal water supplies. There is increasing evidence that Fluoride is unnecessary and potentially harmful, and NOW does not formulate toothpastes and mouthwashes with Fluoride.

Genetic Modification: NOW is opposed to genetic modification, because there are real and unknown harmful effects. Unfortunately, much of the world’s supply of corn and soybeans is genetically modified. We continue to bring you more and more products that are certified GMO-free, including certified organic material, all clearly stated on the label.

Heavy metals: Natural botanicals do contain traces of heavy metals because heavy metals are naturally occurring in soil. We ensure that the heavy metal content in our herbs and other ingredients is safe.

Hormones: NOW Foods does not sell androstenedione, estrogen, testosterone, or DHEA (dehydroepiandrosterone). These are all steroid and/or anabolic supplements that may have potentially harmful side effects.

Hydrogenated fats and trans-fats: Hydrogenation is a chemical process where unsaturated fats (vegetable oils) are chemically modified to make them more solid at room temperature. Man-made trans-fats are a particular form of these chemically modified fats. These fats are unhealthy and have contributed to the obesity of America. We do not formulate our products with either hydrogenated or trans fats.

Irradiation: Irradiation is used to kill bacteria. But irradiation also has side effects, transforming the natural components in herbs and botanicals into unnatural molecules. NOW conducts microbiological tests, and rejects ingredients where this test indicates the use of irradiation.

Microbial contamination: Many natural ingredients contain naturally occurring low levels of microbes. However, high microbial contamination, contamination with pathogens and aflatoxin contamination, are potentially unsafe. We have an in-house state-of-the-art microbiology lab staffed with professional and trained microbiologists that test our materials and products against microbial contamination.

Natural Vitamin E: Synthetic vitamin E (dl-alpha-tocopherol) is chemically and physiologically different from the natural family of Vitamin E isomers, which consists of 4 tocopherols (including d-alpha-tocopherol) and 4 tocotrienols. NOW only sells the natural “d” forms of Vitamin E.

Organic: Organic products are the most natural. No pesticides, herbicides or fungicides are used in cultivation. This is good for us and our environment, and NOW is taking every measure to increase our selection of organic products.

Oxidation: Some natural products will oxidize when stored. To minimize this from happening, we include silica-gel packs to remove moisture, and in some cases use Ageless® anti-oxygen packets, which reduce the oxidation and keep the product in the bottle as fresh and natural as possible.

Pesticide Residues: We use pesticide-free products where available. Our Panax ginseng is pesticide-free. Roots are most susceptible to contamination by pesticides. As described earlier, our fish oils now are mostly molecularly distilled, ensuring them to be pesticide-free.

Polyethylene Glycol (PEG) and Propylene Glycol (PPG): PEG is antifreeze. PPG is in the same family. NOW Foods does not use any PEG or PPG in our supplements, and is replacing the PPG in our deodorant stick. All of our health and beauty products will soon be PPG-free.

Parabens: These synthetic chemicals are widely found in personal care products as preservatives. NOW Foods does not formulate its Personal Care products with Parabens.

Pyrrolizidine Alkaloids: Some natural herbs contain these alkaloids which are hepatotoxins (liver toxins). These herbs include comfrey and butterbur. Our butterbur is free of pyrrolizidine alkaloids, and we do not sell comfrey for internal use.

Sodium Lauryl Sulfate (SLS): This nasty synthetic surfactant is also widely used in personal care products such as shampoos and oral products such as toothpaste. NOW Foods does not use SLS.

Titanium Dioxide and Phosphates: These synthetic ingredients are widely used as excipients in supplements. Excipients are ingredients that have no nutritional value, but have been added to improve processing. NOW minimizes the use of these additives. In fact, many of our CoQ10 softgels are formulated to be free of titanium dioxide - a rarity in the market.

At NOW Foods, we take natural seriously. This is our life, our expertise, and our business. We hope that you appreciate  the efforts we go through every day to manufacture natural products at the best possible prices.  This is our commitment to you, and we welcome your suggestions to help improve the NOW® product line.