Not a botanical (vitamin B9) · supplement
Evidence tier: strong
Folate is vitamin B9. Folate contributes to normal blood formation and to the reduction of tiredness and fatigue.
Folate carries single carbon units needed to make DNA and RNA and to recycle homocysteine to methionine (with vitamin B12). Dividing cells, including red blood cells and the early embryo's neural tube, depend on it.
Strong for one use: folic acid taken before conception and in early pregnancy cuts neural tube defects by about two thirds (Cochrane RR 0.31, 0.17 to 0.58, high quality; recurrence RR 0.34; no extra benefit above 400 mcg; no clear effect on other birth defects, PMID 26662928), which is why the NHS advises 400 mcg a day to 12 weeks. Folate deficiency causes megaloblastic anaemia with tiredness, weakness and poor concentration, and supplementing corrects it (NIH ODS). The strong grade belongs to the pregnancy dose of 400 mcg; the 240 mcg in PlantRx Iron Support Strips does not carry it. Folic acid versus methylfolate: methylfolate is at least as bioavailable (EFSA 2022, PMID 36034319), but folic acid is what the neural tube trials used and what the CDC recommends, including for MTHFR variants.
Adults 400 mcg DFE a day (US RDA), 200 mcg (UK); 400 mcg folic acid a day before conception to 12 weeks of pregnancy. Upper limit for folic acid 1,000 mcg a day unless prescribed.
Before folic acid at 1 mg or more, rule out B12 deficiency, because folate can hide it. With methotrexate, epilepsy medicines or sulfasalazine, the prescriber decides. Methylfolate is an alternative, not a requirement, for MTHFR variants. [NIH ODS; NHS]
Pregnancy: safe
Breastfeeding: safe
Active compounds: folic acid, L-5-methyltetrahydrofolate (5-MTHF)
Remedies using Folate · Browse by body system · Check it against what you take
*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.