NOW Probiotic-10: Ten Strains Making It 10 Times Better Than Others?

NOW Probiotic 10

NOW Probiotic-10 is a multi-species probiotic supplement containing 10 different strains of lactic acid bacteria. It is marketed to have clinically validated strains for healthy intestinal flora. Note that this product differs from the “Probiotic-10, 24 packets” label in the total CFU, the order of strains included and the other ingredients.

This product is available in 3 strength: 25, 50 and 100 billion. This review is for the 25 billion product.

Which Probiotic Strains Are in
NOW Probiotic-10, 25 Billion?

There are 10 strains in this product:

  1. Lactobacillus acidophilus La-14
  2. Bifidobacterium lactis Bl-04
  3. Lactobacillus casei Lc-11
  4. Lactobacillus rhamnosus Lr-32
  5. Lactobacillus paracasei Lpc-37
  6. Bifidobacterium breve Bb-03
  7. Streptococcus thermophilus St-21
  8. Lactobacillus salivarius Ls-33
  9. Bifidobacterium longum Bl-05

What Are the Other Ingredients in
NOW Probiotic-10, 25 Billion?

The other ingredients at the time of this writing (April, 2016) are cellulose powder, cellulose (capsule), FOS (fructooligosaccharides), ascorbyl palmitate and silica (flow and anti-caking agent). Ascorbyl palmitate is a synthetic lipophilic (fat-soluble) derivative of ascorbic acid that is used as an antioxidant.

Please always verify ingredients of any supplement before taking it!

What Is the Recommended Dosage of
NOW Probiotic-10, 25 Billion?

The recommended dosage is 1 capsule 1 to 2 times daily between meals or on an empty stomach. I personally believe that you should take probiotics with at least some food or drink to buffer the low pH from stomach acid in an empty stomach.

What Are the Pros of NOW Probiotic-10, 25 Billion?

The pros of this probiotic supplement as I see them are:

  • Multi-species
  • Strains are listed
  • Strains are known to be acid-resistant and bile resistant and have been genetically characterized.
  • All of the strains have in vitro research, and some of them have animal and human studies, too. The strains originally are from human, dairy, plant or unknown sources. The Lactobacillus bacteria all showed good to excellent inhibition of 4 pathogens, in vitro.
  • The mix of bacteria show both pro- and anti-inflammatory actions.
  • Non-GMO
  • NOT manufactured with wheat, gluten, soy, milk, egg, fish, shellfish or tree nut ingredients. (see next bullet)
  • Produced in a GMP facility that processes other ingredients containing these allergens, however, so that may be a concern if you are sensitive to any of those items. As part of their GMP processes, specification sheets, or spec sheets, are created, maintained and updated for all single raw materials, mixtures, capsules, tablets, softgels and liquid products.
  • Vegetarian/vegan
  • Potency is guaranteed through expiration date.
  • Compared to other multi-species probiotic supplements, this one contains a higher than average number of total CFU of 25 billion per capsule.
  • Sold in stores as well as online.

Some positive reviews from Vitacost (4.4 out of 5 stars) and Amazon.com where I could verify the reviewer was referring to the NOW Probiotic-10, 25 billion product and not the 50-billion product were:

"I used to get yeast infection every other month or so. It's really miserable, and nothing would help immediately. My doctor recommended me to take probiotics. I tried some other brand first, and noticed no improvement. Then I tried this brand, and... I haven't have a yeast infection in 4 months. I started with 2 capsules daily, but now I am down to 4-5 capsules per week. I store it in the fridge, but if I am traveling, I just keep them in my suitcase, and they are fine." 10/23/12

"I have Crohn's Disease so I wanted to try to control my symptoms by taking probiotics. I tried a more expensive one by Dr. Mercola and did not notice much of a difference compared to when I didn't take any probiotics. Then I tried this one by Now. I love it because it's about half the price of the other one and it actually works. I take one in the morning before I eat anything. Sometimes I take a second pill in the evening before I eat dinner. Without going into much detail, I'll just say that I can tell my digestive system is much better off. I'd recommend this product to others for sure." 3/17/13

“i love my probiotics - they have really helped take away the GERD that i have had all my life. i was on prilosec for a number of years, but that didn't help very much. within a few days of starting these NOW probiotics the GERD issues went away. my insides have been happy campers for about 2 years now.” 6/1/14

“One capsule in the morning before breakfast keeps me "regular." “ 4/20/15

“Love it! A few months ago my bloating got out of control so I decided to try probiotics. I take this once in the morning on an empty stomach. It has been amazing! I haven't had any bloating or any other issues since taking this product.”  - 11/14/15

What Are the Cons of NOW Probiotic-10, 25 Billion?

The cons of this probiotic supplement as I see them are:

  • Only the total CFU is given; you don't know how much of each species is present. It is not possible to speculate what the dominant effects of this supplement may be.
  • As with most probiotic supplements, this one requires refrigeration after it is delivered. (see the information in the next section)
  • No studies with this supplement as a whole supplement have been performed to my knowledge. This is not unusual, however. Very few multi-species probiotic supplements are used in studies. Instead, species and strains that are show to be effective are mixed together in most multi-species supplements such as this one.
  • It has an undisclosed amount of FOS (fructooligosaccharides) which could pose problems for people who are on a FODMAPS diet.


There were not many negative reviews. Some helpful negative reviews about this product from Vitacost and from Amazon.com reviews where I could verify the reviewer was referring to the NOW Probiotic-10, 25 billion product and not the 50-billion product were:


“I've taken many, many different probiotics and this is the only one I've ever taken that really upset my digestive system. I gave it a go for a couple weeks, as sometimes it's just an adjustment period. However, consistently, every day I took this I had intense abdominal pain. So, for me, the microbe mix in this supplement is just not a good choice. I usually love NOW brand and this is the first supplement of theirs that has ever caused me problems.” 1/20/15

“At first I didn't notice a whole lot, other than they curbed my appetite for a week or two. I was hoping they would help to ease my allergies and food sensitivities. I took them for 2 months, and noticed that I was getting more tired, with brain fog, and mild headaches with a slight sense of disconnect. After suffering for a few weeks, I decided to remove all supplements and add them back one at a time. To make a long story short, these were the source of my problem. Maybe they were not the right probiotics for my situation.” 6/4/15

“I have been using Garden of life probiotics for years but recently decided to try this brand for our family so we could save a bit. One capsule taken after eating caused both eyes to swell shut and hives all over hands, feet and ears. Be very careful if trying this probiotic for the first time as some people may experience a histamine reaction. We use Garden of Life 85 billion probiotic and never had this reaction. Will not purchase again.” 9/12/15  (Note: I called NOW and asked if the strains in this product of the species usually implicated in histamine production produced histamine. After doing some research, the nutrition representative told me that NOW does not have any information on them specifically producing histamine. Thus, this person's reaction could be from the microbes, from traces of one of the allergens, or from something else.)

“I had not tried this type of probiotic before, and found that it makes my gut quite gassy and uncomfortable. So, unfortunately, even though the quality seems to be tip-top, I decided it isn't for me.” 11/27/15

Where Can You Find NOW Probiotic-10, 25 Billion?

NOW, like many other manufacturers, adds extra CFU in the product to make sure it has at least 25 billion by the expiration date if kept in recommended conditions. A notice about product stability on their website states, “In testing designed to mimic exposures during transportation in a hot climate, a sealed probiotic formula exposed to a temperature of over 122° F for 24 hours still met label claim for CFU content. This indicates that this level of heat over that time period was not enough to kill many of the organisms in the package, so it would take even harsher conditions to rapidly degrade the potency of this specific probiotic product.”  While this may be true, note that they did not specify which product was tested so it may or may not apply to this product.

For maximum potency, either have NOW Probiotic-10, 25 billion shipped cold from a seller who stores it cold, or have it shipped from a seller who stores it cold and then ships it during colder months in which it will not be exposed to warm temperatures anywhere along the way.

This supplement is available online from:
NOW Probiotic 10

Is NOW Probiotic-10, 25 Billion the Right Probiotic Supplement for YOU?

If you would like help in determining if this probiotic supplement is right for you, please consider nutritional consultations with me. A supplement is just that: supplemental to other healthy lifestyle factors. A supplement should not replace good eating habits and taking care of oneself and nutrition consultations can certainly help with those.

Many of the same strains are in the Healthy Origins product, but at a total lower dosage.

NOW Probiotic-10, 25 billion is a high potency supplement, has "safe" species of Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium and has the strains identified.

Thanks to Christine for suggesting a review of this supplement!

One Other Note

If you decide to take this supplement, I would combine the health benefits of it with the benefits provided by:

Other Probiotic Supplement Reviews

To read about my approach to supplement reviews, and about my reviews of other probiotic supplements, click here.

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