NOW Foods Supplements, Relora 300 mg (a Blend of Plant Extracts from Magnolia officinalis and Phellodendron amurense), 60 Veg Capsules

Like many people, I was desperate to find SOMEthing that would help with my sugar cravings. Being addicted to sugar is NOT fun, and like any addiction, it is very hard to stop, especially if you're a stress eater like I am. If I had a dollar for all the products I've tried over the years, I'd be quite wealthy by now. I had almost given up trying to find a product that worked when I came across this. The price was very reasonable, and the reviews looked promising, so I bought it. I also trust the NOW company for high-quality products. The capsule is also easy to swallow. I've used it for several days now, and I have to say, it has really helped curb my sugar cravings. Before I started taking it, I was binging on all kinds of sweets and could NOT get myself to stop. It's like I couldn't eat enough sugar. As I get older, especially, it's so important to take better care of ourselves, so I knew I had to stop with the sugar (candy, cupcakes, cookies, etc.). I can't speak for the relaxing part of the product, as my stress levels are okay at the moment. It may have caused my BP to go up a little, but since I usually have low BP, I'm not concerned, so just be aware in case it happens for you. Because I am no longer craving and eating so many sweets, I'm feeling better. I've even started working out again. So, if you need a little extra help, I would recommend trying this. If you're on any medications, I would also recommend you check to make sure none of these ingredients will interfere with those meds. Even though the ingredients are natural, some can still interfere with some medications.

I was misdiagnosed with hypothyroidism due stress because my lab results indicated I had no TSH with `normal' T3/T4, cortisol through the roof and elevated lymphocytes. When I stumbled across the book Stop the Thyroid Madness: a Patient Revolution Against Decades of Inferior Treatment on this site, I was able to get an accurate diagnosis of HPA-axis Dysfunction due to severe neck injuries including whiplash, cervical disc herniations and degenerative disc disorder . . . all caused by a car collision in 2006. I am now taking supplements that have improved my health immensely for very little cost, and Relora is one of them. When I was first researching Amazon.com for reviews, I was put off that this was a weight loss supplement recommended by Dr. Oz. However, when I read this initial review further, I also saw that this was for reduction of cortisol levels. Regulating cortisol is an important step to calming your adrenal glands out of the `fight or flight' mode I had constantly been in for months. I felt like I was having a nervous breakdown, nearly jumping out of my own skin and easy to startle if someone simply walked up behind me and said "Hi!" I took two the first morning after Relora arrived. Then I took one before I ate lunch. A couple hours after my first dose, I noticed I felt markedly calm and no emo-eating issues. From Monday morning to Friday morning I had lost 5 pounds without any diet or exercise changes (keep in mind I have a physical job and eat healthy to begin with). In fact, I was short on time for grocery shopping so I ended up eating Mc D's one night, Subway's 12-inch Veggie Delite w/ avocado the next night and two slices of Sbarro's pizza Saturday night. So now that I bought groceries and will be back to my normal eating habits, I should see more pounds pour off my stressed body. Now I take the first one by opening the capsule and pouring the Relora under my tongue for quicker absorption. Then I make my morning vitamin drink a few hours later and take Relora in capsule form for slower release. Then I take my third capsule sublingually again right before I go to lunch. I am so happy this supplement is affordable, because there is no cure/reversal for HPA-axis Dysfunction and I will need to keep this as a part of my daily supplements for the rest of my life (which means I used the convenient option to have this shipped to my home monthly). BOTTOM LINE: The effectiveness of Relora for anyone is whether or not you have an issue that requires lowering your cortisol levels. If you have low or healthy cortisol, then you probably will not see much difference. IF you are taking this as a weight loss supplement because you think it is a magic pill and won't need to make ANY lifestyle improvements . . . then it probably will not work for you. I highly recommend getting routine lab work done to include your TSH, T3/T4, cortisol, DHEA and ACTH to see what (if any) health condition your have before starting ANY supplements.

I love this brand. Most of my supplements come from NOW. I purchased this item to help with my relentless appetite. I definitely suffer from 'food noise,' and since I'm NOT a semaglutide candidate, I looked for something natural to assist my plight. This is supposed to help with adrenals, which can affect appetite. I got this and freeze-dried kale powder for the thylakoids, which have a similar effect. Using the freeze dried kale powder and this supplement daily has made a difference! I am actually able to resist desserts the past two weeks, whereas typically I am a dessert fiend who can't say no. Admittedly, it could be the placebo effect. However, we know the placebo effect can be extremely powerful, so I won't knock it. Hopefully I'll be able to drop a few pounds and this continues to help.

FINAL UPDATE MAY 10TH 2013 :::: I have 38 pills left out of 120 so I'm almost done with the bottle. This will be my final update simply because I'm pretty sure my results will remain consistent especially with something new I've learned. My update was suppose to be on the 2nd of this month but I forgot *I'm sorry!*. Added Info I've Learned: I've been taking Relora religiously 3 times a day like it said to do. I even set alarms on my phone at certain times of the day of when to take it. When I first started taking this over a month ago, I noticed a difference in my appetite within the first week of using it. Here it is a month later and I find myself eating no more than twice a day. Sometimes depending on what I eat, I can eat only ONE time the whole day and NOT be hungry for the rest of the day!!! What I came to realize is that if I eat...lets say a Chicken Carbonara *large* from Quizno's and that's the first thing I ate all day, I won't feel hungry again until the next day no matter what time I ate it. For another example though, I can eat a Nutri-grain bar in the morning and won't find myself getting hungry again until 1 pm or 2 pm. Now if I don't eat anything until 12 pm, there are times it will be a veggie burger *no buns* and I will be fine for the rest of the day as well. If I DID get hungry then I would eat less than half of whatever I cooked. Lets say it's spaghetti, before Relora I could have a plate full, eat it all, then come back for seconds. Now I'm at the point I can only consume a portion that rivals what my 2 year old nephew eats and be full from it. I noticed I was getting low on pills and was worried about the whole "when you stop taking it then you gain all the weight back". I skipped 3 days of taking it and my eating habits stayed the same. So basically Relora got my body use to a certain way of eating and now mentally I'm able to control it myself. Relora is NOT a "Fix It" Supplement!!! It is a supplement that ASSIST you in controlling your eating habits while giving you extra benefits to taking it as well. STRESS:: I'll admit, for a 26 year old female I was a cry baby lol. Maybe it's because I'm a Cancer? But either way on top of the depression and anxiety, I was always moody. I can say without a doubt that Relora has assisted me in managing my depression and mood swings. YES I still get depressed from time to time! This is not a anti-depressant but it has cut down on how often I feel depressed drastically. Even the 3 days I went without taking it, I wasn't as stressed. I skipped taking it the day I had Finals *That was by accident actually* and I was FINE even when I showed up to class and it seemed like the whole class was early. I always arrive to class early so I wouldn't feel uneasy about walking into a class full of people and they start looking at me *You know how everyone stops what they are doing and stare at anyone who comes through the classroom door...yeah that drove my anxiety crazy*. I went to Walmart and walked around without feeling overwhelmed and THAT was an accomplishment for me. The "loopy" and "sluggish" feeling I was feeling at first when taking these, I no longer feel. I still feel relaxed but not to the point if I sit down to watch a movie I fall asleep. Even after 3 days of not taking it and starting back, that sluggish feeling didn't come back. Random Note: The gas got better lol and I don't have a bowel movement every time I take it now. WEIGHT LOSS: So within a month I've lost a total of 15lbs to date and my weight seems to be steady between 225 and 226 now. That doesn't bother me because I realized even though my weight hasn't changed as much as I wanted it to, my over all look has! I went from a 33-34 in the waist to a 30. I went from almost being a 20W, to a 18W, to a 18AVERAGE, and now a 17/18Average. Give me 2-3 more weeks and I'll be a 16 again! I didn't workout like crazy.. my workout routine pretty much stayed the same except I found "smart" ways of working out. Since I like doing my walks and it would take me about 30 minutes to walk a mile at a steady pace of 2.8mph speed walking..I would actually walk my road every evening for 3 days waiting on the mail man to deliver my mail. He would deliver it between 4:30pm and sometimes as late as 6:15pm. I would walk while I waited. I also would do the HIIT workout ONCE a week *I know your suppose to do it more but I felt like I was dying lol*. I found ways to be active even for a little bit. Everyone has been telling me they can see I've lost a lot of weight. I look like I lost more weight than I actually did and I don't mind that lol. My back has toned up a lot and my arms are smaller *has those bat wings going on but they are getting smaller*. Those are my problem areas I couldn't seem to cut down but I believe THAT is what Relora is actually suppose to do. It really does cut down on your cortisol levels and I do see it. Usually I don't see a change in weight but everyone else does. This time I can actually see the difference when I look in the mirror and I can FEEL the difference. I'm not apple shaped, I'm not pear shaped, I've always had a "Hour Glass" figure but down my shape is becoming more defined. Those 15lbs I lost must have been pure fat or something because It truly looks like I lost 25lbs to 30lbs instead. I'm feeling good about myself for once. Would I recommend this to people?? I would recommend that people at least try it AFTER doing your research on it. It's not for everyone or people with severe health issues. Just like with every other product no matter what its for, it will work for some and not for others. Everyone's body reacts differently to things. My body just happen to react positively to Relora. Would I buy it again? I believe Relora has done what it's suppose to and that's help me with my eating habits, my stress level, and helped me lose inches in my problem areas. Now that I'm where I want to be mentally as far as understanding portion control, I probably won't need Relora after I finish this bottle but if I needed to, yes I would buy it again. :::: PAST UPDATES ARE DOWN BELOW :::: I ordered this because of the positive reviews. I did take the negative reviews into consideration and figured the positive out weighed the negative. When I purchased this, originally it was only $14 for 120 capsules. It's a bit higher now and I'm a Prime member lol. Stress: I have been clinically diagnosed with depression, panic attacks, and social disorder. I attend college as a full time student *stressed to the max huh?*. I started taking this Monday and have been taking it 3 times a day since then. I have noticed a change in my mood for the better. I'm a lot more calm and can function A LITTLE bit better in social areas. This does seem to make me "too" relaxed about 2-3 hours after taking the 3rd one. Luckily I'm home by that point and can go ahead and sleep *hasn't had anymore nightmares since taking this... strange*. Weight loss: Like I said, I took this for the 1st time Monday and YES my appetite has been reduced drastically. I find myself skipping meals and still not hungry. If I force myself to eat *Your suppose to eat at least 3 times a day* then I get sick. So instead, I eat when I get hungry.. no forcing. I'm allowing it to do it's job. Hmm I'm not gaining any weight while taking this and I dropped maybe 2lbs since Monday. I will do a update next Thursday to let everyone know for sure how it's working but for now my tummy area does seem to be a bit smaller. My family and boyfriend have noticed as well *cheers*. It is now Thursday.. so in 4 days I noticed a difference as far as stress and weight loss. I guess it does work differently for everyone. I think I was just one of the lucky ones to get the positive benefits of it. Be back next week *on the 18th* to update people. Ah!!! Also I workout every OTHER day for maybe 30 minutes. I'm a 26 year old female that is overweight by more than 10lbs that I'm trying to lose so I can look nice in my birthday dress *Birthday is in July*. I don't eat fast food, hardly anything fried, and I don't eat beef. I've been doing this since January. ****UPDATE APRIL 4TH 2013 ***** Stress: I thought it was after the 3rd one that I get tired but I started spacing them out even more and noticed after the very 1st pill of the day, I would get sleepy. The only way to combat that is by being ACTIVE. It seems to work both ways with me. If I'm just sitting around watching a movie then I will begin to get tired, but if I'm up and going then I have a little more energy than normal. There are no shakes with me. I take this as soon as I wake up to keep from getting that "I hate mornings" mood. I have NOT been depressed since taking this nor stressed!!!! Weight loss: I think this is the update most have been wanting lol. I have hardly been working out at all since my last update and STILL noticed a difference. Between last Thursday and today I have lost 4lbs. My thighs are slimmer and usually people will just tell me but I wouldn't see it. This time around I noticed it not only when I look in the mirror but when I take pictures as well. My jeans are a 18W short...and they are starting to get very baggy around the waist area and loose in the thigh area. BEFORE taking Relora my waist was a 32. I believe I'm a 31 now in a matter of 1 week. Eating Habits: I was a over-eater but this has curved that.... a lot. I maybe eat 2 times a day on average. At night time is when I'm hit with the "Starving" cravings. I wait to take the 3rd one after 9pm when I know it may hit me hard. No more late night munches after that change. Weird things I noticed: The gas is bad. I noticed I always have a bowel movement within a hour of taking a pill but I do end up gassy and that is one thing I don't like right now lol. Foods?: I haven't had soda in 3 days. It seems the longer this is in your system, the more tolerant your body becomes of certain things. The last soda I had *which was 3 days ago* made me so nauseated and it was what I was use to drinking *Dr. Pepper*. Also Milo's sweet tea was one of my favorites and I had to give that up 2 days ago. I thought maybe it was something I ate, but the next day I felt nauseated again once drinking that too. I use to get nauseated when I drunk water but now it's more tolerable somehow. My breakfast shakes I use to be able to finish in under 20 minutes... now it takes me almost 40 minutes to an hour *if I still want it*. I can drink half of it and be full. These are the Bolthouse Farms smoothies. Also, I've been eating veggie burgers lately. Oddly I CRAVE them. I've been craving healthier things while my body has been shunning drinks that are too sweet. Even when I eat, I only eat half of what I get and even then, sometimes I get full before finishing. ::: Next Update Thursday 25th ::: :::: Friday 27th 2013 even though by the time I finish it will be Saturday because it's 11:40pm when I'm typing this :::: Stress: Still got a good control on my stress level but now I get sleepy after just 1 pill if I'm not moving around. It seems like the more it's in my system, the less it takes to feel the effect lol. Weight loss: Since taking this I've went from 237 to 228 and thats only in 3 weeks. I stopped eating late at night *definitely helped* and spaced out the pills. I actually have a schedule of when to take them lol. 8am, 12pm, and 8pm. I scheduled it around the times I'm more likely to eat. But now it's 8am, 12pm, and 4 or 5pm. I don't eat after 6pm now. Most of the time you THINK your hungry when really your thirsty! Now I just drink water after 6pm and honestly I'm fine. the "love handles" are smaller and my jeans are more loose this week than 2 weeks ago. I worked out only twice this week for no more than an hour and it was cardio and crunches! I plan on working out more next week because that helps even more. ::: END OF UPDATES

This is such a good product. I started taking Relora about one week ago, so my review may be premature. But, I am so pleased. I saw an advertisement for Relacore on television and came to Amazon to see if I could find it. A relative took it a few years ago and had good results. She has a lot of health issues and stopped taking it because of contraindications with her prescription medicines. The brands I found here did not have good reviews, but I saw Relora and decided to do my research. It seemed good and I decided to eventually order it. While out and about, I bought my first bottle at a local health food market. I tried my first capsule around 4:00 PM in the afternoon and within an hour felt calm fall like gentle rain. Don't mean to wax poetic, but the effect was so smooth, that I was really amazed how good I felt. I relaxed for the evening and then took another capsule before bed. I was a little concerned that maybe I had taken one too soon, but had no ill effects. I slept soundly and even dreamed (not usually a dreamer, at least I do not remember them). When I awoke the next morning, I lay in bed for awhile and actually rested without having the mental argument with myself about all the things I had to do. I still had tasks to complete, but felt really confident that they would be done and I did not stress. For the first few days, I felt a little lazy (judgment call) and really took the time to rest. Something I had not done in a while. It was good not to hear self-criticism about what I was or was not doing, or hear, from myself, what I should do even though I was extremely tired. After a few days of Relora and relaxation, I noticed that some nagging ailments had subsided. No more stiff neck, I have Achilles tendonitis, but the pain is a lot better, no daily headache after working on the computer and my sinuses and allergies have greatly improved. As far as weight loss, I believe that will come too. I find it easier to exercise and my cravings for sweets are controllable. They still come, but I do not eat mindlessly, now. Today a friend noticed that my midriff was a little thinner. I did notice that I need another notch on my belt, lol. I am in no hurry, and want to really give my attention to the journey, and really be there--not just looking for the result. Relora is helping me do that. Living in the moment is a lot of fun.

Works for me. I love it. I used a diff brand of Relora before but that other brand is toonstrong for me. The Now brand you can tailor depending on how much you need. i just need one in the morning and at late afternoon and thats it for the whole day. Less food craving and I feel energy and clarity when working.

It's an okay product. I didn't experience any negative side effects, but I also didn't feel the significant 'cortisol reset' that many reviewers mention. Compared to Ashwagandha or Holy Basil, Relora feels less effective for my anxiety levels. It's a decent middle-of-the-road option, but I was expecting a bit more given the Relora branding

This product works great for reducing anxiety and low mood!

It's not effective

Awesome product ,gives peaceful sleep and you wake up energetically in the morning.

Los compre para los integrantes de la familia que tomaban capsulas de 250mg y hasta ahorita no hay quejas ni problemas.

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No me quitó la ansiedad por comer, tengo una semana a dieta y la estoy haciendo por pura fuerza de voluntad 🥲