NOW Foods ENERGY Review

NOW Foods Energy is actually less of a diet pill and more of just an herbal energy supplement (shocking, right?), though some claim that it can help reduce hunger and burn extra calories. NOW Energy offers a fairly safe and cheaply-priced formula, but is it really worth buying? We’re not quite convinced, but you should check out the information we have on it before writing it off.

NOW Foods Energy Ingredients

The full formula for NOW Energy includes the following (mostly) fabulous ingredients:

  • Vitamin Complex: Vitamin E, Vitamin B-1, Riboflavin, Niacin, Vitamin B-6, Vitamin B-12, Vitamin B-5, Iodine, Chromium (as Chromium Chelavite), Potassium – 121 mg
  • Guarana Standardized Extract (Paullinia cupana with 42 mg of Caffeine) – 280 mg
  • Green Tea Extract (Camellia sinensis with 8 mg of Caffeine) – 200 mg
  • Panax Ginseng – 150 mg
  • Eleuthero (Eleutherococcus senticosus) – 150 mg
  • Rhodiola Extract (Rhodiola rosea)- 100 mg
  • Licorice (Glycyrrhiza glabra) – 100 mg
  • Gotu Kola (Centella asiatica) – 100 mg
  • Yerba Mate Extract (llex paraguariensis with 4 mg of Caffeine) – 50 mg
  • Cayenne (Capsicum annuum) – 50 mg
  • Alpha Lipoic Acid – 25 mg
  • CoQ10 – 10 mg
  • Octacosanol – 30 mcg

To touch on the major components here, you get a hefty dose of guarana and green tea which are rich in antioxidants but have a reduced amount of caffeine.  Likewise with yerba mate and gotu kola, you get herbal stimulants which have a reduced or zero caffeine content.  Gotu Kola is an asian herb that acts as a mild antibacterial and anti-inflammatory.  Panax ginseng and eleuthero (known as Siberian ginseng) are both known for reducing susceptibility to fatigue, but may not actually boost energy levels.  It’s the difference between having a little extra gas in the tank and having a faster car.

NOW Foods Energy Side Effects:

As you might expect, you don’t get a boost of energy without any possible side effects, but given the caffeine content here you shouldn’t be too worried. Even so, the company warns that the niacin content “may cause temporary flushing, tingling or skin reddening.”  Other possible side effects may include nervousness, sleeplessness or nausea. You probably shouldn’t take NOW Energy if you are pregnant or lactating or if you have any medical condition or are taking prescription drugs.

NOW Foods Energy Marketing

NOW Energy is pretty straightforward in its marketing and doesn’t really make a lot of big claims other than that the “formula does not contain Ephedra (Ma Huang). Instead, NOW uses ingredients such as Guarana, Yerba Mate and Green Tea to provide a natural source of caffeine and support for the thermogenic processes in the body.”  It cites caffeine as the main way it could boost energy and otherwise states that it “combines a comprehensive array of nutrients and dietary ingredients that provide your body with a natural source of energy.”

NOW Foods Energy Price

We haven’t seen a lot of diet pills or energy supplements out there that get much cheaper than NOW Energy. While the list price is $15.99, you can buy a pack of two bottles for about $14. Whether or not you need or will use two bottles is another issue, but based on the formula its actually a pretty good buy.  That is, you get what you pay for.

NOW Foods Energy Guarantee

NOW Energy isn’t sold directly from NOW Foods and there isn’t apparently a manufacturers guarantee, but depending on where you buy it you should be able to at least return an unopened bottle within 30 days.  This isn’t all that great, but given how cheap it is we can see why the company wouldn’t want to bother guaranteeing a diet pill like this.

NOW Foods Energy Conclusion

As mentioned, you get about what you pay for with NOW Foods Energy, which means you get a small dose of some good ingredients.  It isn’t clear that you’ll see any significant results in terms of weight loss with NOW Energy, but for a cheap diet pill with a handful of quality herbal energy supplements, it’s not too bad a deal.