Last modified on February 27th, 2023
Ancestral Supplements is a line of supplements that I love and use nearly every day. These supplements represent nose-to-tail nutrition, which is lost in our modern lifestyles. I like the idea of getting highly absorbable nutrition and vitamins from organ meat, but the idea of eating it doesn’t appeal to me. That’s where Ancestral Supplements can be so beneficial.
Along with offering great supplements that have the potential to make a real impact on your health, the company’s owner is always available to answer questions, help you improve your health, and generally just go above and beyond.
I put together a guide of everything you should know about Ancestral Supplements, including some background on the company and the idea of nose-to-tail eating, and a breakdown of some of the individual supplements and what they might be beneficial for.
What Are Ancestral Supplements?
Ancestral Supplements is a whole-food supplement line based in Texas.
The concept of Ancestral Supplements is based on the foundational elements of nose-to-tail eating, where you eat every part of the animal, as well as ancestral living.
According to Brian Johnson, the owner of the company, following an ancestral approach to how you live can have amazing benefits to your health. We often miss out on the things we need most because of the modern world.
All of the supplements that are part of the product line come from New Zealand raised, grass-fed animals.
The focus of the product line is on organ meats like liver, and there are also products like bone marrow and fish eggs.
The company makes one small batch of products at a time, and these supplements give you the opportunity to fuel your body the way we’re meant to be fueled, but conveniently.
Brian Johnson started this supplement company because he saw his own children struggling with poor health and allergies. He didn’t feel like they were thriving, and Johnson read to the book Nutrition and Physical Degeneration by Weston Price. As a result of what he discovered in that book, Johnson said he started giving his kids nose-to-tail, organic and pasture-raised foods, as well as in-season fruits and vegetables.
Since that time many years ago, Johnson said he’s seen a full transformation in his sons. They don’t get sick, and they’re physically and academically thriving.
There are two functional doctors on the staff of Ancestral Supplements as well.
Johnson subscribes to the evolutionary theory of health. According to his philosophy and the basis of Ancestral Supplements, health and strength were central to our existence for millions of years, and much of that robustness came from consuming animal products.
As a result of our modern lives, many people are deficient in fat-soluble vitamins like A, D, K, and E. So many people also struggle with deficiencies in iron, choline, magnesium and iodine. These vitamins and nutrients are found in abundance in organ meats.
In addition to consuming organ meats or taking Ancestral Supplements, Johnson also recommends that you make some other changes to live more like our ancestors. For example, taking transdermal magnesium may help you sleep more soundly, and wearing blue light goggles can also help with your sleep patterns.
Each of the Ancestral Supplements products starts with high-quality organs and other parts of the animal. The animals are grass-fed and finished, they are free of GMOs, hormones, and pesticides, and they are all raised in New Zealand.
The foods are freeze-dried and non-defatted. The way Ancestral Supplements are made retains all the important cofactors, enzymes, peptides, and proteins that come specifically from each organ. That’s a big differentiator between Ancestral Supplements and other organ supplements—the preservation of the nutrition that makes organs so important in the first place.
There’s a concept that’s really interesting with Ancestral Supplements as well. There is the idea of like-supports-like with ancestral eating. Traditionally, you would eat the parts of the animal to correspond with a health issue you might be experiencing. For example, if you had a weak heart, you might eat the heart of a healthy animal.
There has been research that shows that when you consume different parts of an animal, the nutrients and cofactors in turn travel to that specific part of your body. Research done at the University of Scotland using radioisotope studies found that organs and glands travel to the corresponding organs and glands in significant concentrations.
The Benefits of Organ Meats
Not all the Ancestral Supplement products are organ meats, but if you’re just starting your journey, it’s recommended that you begin with liver. Each type of organ meat, as well as glandular supplements, all have their own nutritional profile.
Overall, organ meat is always more nutrient-dense than muscle meat, but organ meat is not what we most commonly consume.
Organ meat is rich in vitamin B12, folate, and B-vitamins as well as fat-soluble vitamins and minerals such as magnesium, zinc, and selenium. Animal protein also has all nine of the essential amino acids we need.
Organ meats are among the best sources of choline, and it’s something many of us don’t get enough of. Choline is needed for brain, liver, and muscle health.
Organs can keep you feeling fuller for longer.
Perhaps one of the most compelling benefits of organ meat, like liver, is the heme iron it contains. Heme iron is very bioavailable, so it’s much more absorbable by our bodies than non-heme iron. Organ meats can facilitate muscle growth and strength too.
Grass Fed Beef Organs
There are a few foundational products you might start with if you want to try Ancestral Supplements, one of which is Grass-Fed Beef Organs. Other foundational products are the Beef Liver and Bone Marrow.
The Grass-Fed Beef Organs is a combination of liver, heart, kidney, pancreas, and spleen. Every 3000 mg serving includes 600 milligrams of each. The recommended serving size is six a day.
Some of the things that Grass Fed Beef Organs support in terms of your health include:
- Detoxification
- Immune health
- Health of the liver, heart, kidney, pancreas, and spleen
- Collagen health
- Regulated metabolism
- Includes enzymes to promote digestive health
The beef organs included in this supplement have all the fat-soluble vitamins, and copper, zinc, chromium, and hyaluronic acid.
This will be touched on throughout this guide because it’s so important, but the benefit of taking Ancestral Supplements instead of a multi-vitamin is the fact that all the nutrients are coming from whole food sources. That makes it easier for your body to absorb, and everything is more bioavailable than synthetic vitamins.
Grass-Fed Beef Liver
Ancestral Supplement’s Grass-Fed Beef Liver is a desiccated liver supplement. The Beef Liver can support the health of your own liver.
Your liver is essential for all of your body’s processes, including detoxification.
Many people also find that when they take the desiccated liver supplement, it gives them a rush of energy, unlike caffeine or anything else, because they’re fueling their body with what it needs to thrive.
The Ancestral Supplements Grass-Fed Liver supplement includes 120 milligrams of choline per serving, 100% of your daily value of vitamin A, and 230% of your daily value of vitamin B12.
Grass-fed liver can help support collagen synthesis to promote healthy skin and hair. It’s also valuable for the health of your immune system, as well as your heart and brain.
Liver contains something called heme iron, which is iron bound to hemoglobin. Up to 33% of heme iron is absorbed, as opposed to non-heme iron, which often has only 2% absorption.
When talking about the benefits of Ancestral Supplements Grass-Fed Beef Liver, it’s important to discuss vitamin A. Vitamin A is best absorbed when it comes from animal sources like liver. Without getting enough vitamin A, you may start to notice effects in your hair, skin, and nails. Vitamin A is needed so your body can produce ample collagen.
Vitamin A is also an important part of how your sex hormones are regulated, including estrogen and testosterone. Without enough vitamin A, conditions that may arise include infertility, fibroid tumors, endometriosis, and erectile dysfunction.
Ancestral Supplements Thyroid isn’t an organ. Instead, this falls into the category of glandular nutrition.
Around 20% of people in the U.S. have hypothyroidism.
Taking glands can help regulate the function of your thyroid naturally.
Thyroid supplements contain proteins, nutrients, enzymes, cofactors, and peptides. The Ancestral Supplements Thyroid supplement includes choline, vitamins A and B12, folate, and heme iron.
The benefits of this supplement, along with thyroid health and regulation, can include improved energy levels and mood, and it can support methylation and detoxification.
Like the liver, Ancestral Supplements Bone Marrow is one of the key foundational products you should try from this company.
The Bone Marrow supplement includes not only bone and marrow but also cartilage.
It supports healthy teeth and gum, and connective tissues.
The Ancestral Supplements Bone Marrow supplement may repair cellular damage, and it promotes immune system health.
Kidney
Kidney is a great supplement if you have issues with histamine health, in addition to its support for your actual kidneys.
There’s a type enzyme called diamine oxidase or DAO. It’s an enzyme that is often used for the treatment of histamine intolerance. Ancestral Supplements Kidney is actually a natural DAO supplement.
DAO is a digestive enzyme produced in your kidneys, as well as your digestive tract and your thymus. The function of DAO is to break down excess histamine.
Histamine regulates your immune, nervous and digestive system. If you have allergies of any kind, these are probably the result of high histamine levels. For example, symptoms of elevated histamine levels include headaches, sneezing, nasal congestion, and itchy skin.
Your body naturally has histamine, and you can also consume histamine if you have things like cheese, wine, or pickles. Histamine intolerance can occur because you have elevated histamine levels. One of the reasons for histamine intolerance is believed to be DAO deficiency.
If your DAO levels are too low, your body has a hard time metabolizing histamine, which can lead to physical symptoms. There is a wide range of factors that can play a role in DAO deficiency or the overproduction of histamine, such as genetic mutations and intestinal bacterial overgrowth.
Ancestral Supplements Kidney can provide histamine support because it is a source of DAO.
The beef brain supplement is one of my personal favorites.
You can nourish your brain and mental health, and well-being. There are certain compounds found in whole cow brain extract that can reduce the negative effects of aging such as atrophy and degeneration.
There are specific brain cell activators found in the brain glandular that may help with loss of memory or brain fog.
There’s something called phosphatidylserine in bovine brain extract that has been shown to improve cognition and behavior in elderly people. There’s also evidence this compound can help with symptoms of depression.
Ancestral Supplements Brain includes proteins that are exclusively found and expressed in the brain and glandular derived from the brain including the hypothalamus and pituitary. This brain supplement includes brand-derive neurotrophic factor (BDNF) and brain cell activators. It also contains EPA and DHA.
This is a wonderful supplement if you want to mentally feel your best, particularly if you take the recommended dose on a consistent basis.
We talk a lot about collagen supplements, and I’ve personally tried many of them. There are great products out there, but without a doubt, the living collagen from Ancestral Supplements is the absolute best.
The Ancestral Supplements Collagen is derived from cartilage, and it includes everything needed to support your bones, skin, hair, nails, and joints.
Typically, when you look at some of the available collagen supplements, they’re formed from hooves, hides, and other parts of the animal that wouldn’t be edible. They’re also very processed, and what’s left is a product that’s quite a bit different from the so-called living collagen.
The collagen in the Ancestral Supplements products has amino acids, different types of collagen, and bioactive growth factors. It also has chondroitin sulfates to lubricate your joints and trace minerals that are difficult to get otherwise.
The collagen from Ancestral Supplements is made from parts of the animal, such as the trachea.
This collagen supplement is a powerful anti-inflammatory that can improve not only joint health but also gut health. In some cases, people have found benefits in conditions that were otherwise treatment-resistant.
Other Ancestral Supplements
A quick rundown of the other great products includes (I included links to shop each as well).
- Beef Heart: The Beef Heart product is good for not only cardiovascular issues but also high blood pressure. It supports mitochondria health, which includes immune health, endurance and energy. It can improve athletic performance, and it’s packed with natural, bioavailable CoQ10. The Ancestral Supplements Heart supplement also includes cofactors, enzymes, and peptides exclusively expressed in heart tissue.
- Beef Pancreas: The pancreas supplement includes the enzymes that your body needs to break down what you eat. If you have deficiencies in your pancreas or digestive enzymes, you may notice issues like abdominal discomfort, bloating, and malabsorption. According to Ancestral Supplement reviews, many people feel this supplement helps with these issues tremendously. Pancreatic enzymes that naturally occur in this supplement include lipase, which breaks down fat, protease and trypsin which breaks down proteins, and amylase, which is needed to break down carbohydrates. You may find that in addition to better overall digestive health if you use the pancreas supplement you’ll feel generally better because it will help you use the nutrients you consume more effectively.
- Spleen: The spleen plays a role in modulating your immune system. If you have an autoimmune disorder, it may be an issue with your spleen. The Ancestral Supplements Spleen product can help nourish your spleen. Spleen is good for reducing inflammation, and it can help with digestive health. If your primary issue is anemia, spleen has 12.5 milligrams of heme iron per ounce.
- Thymus: The glandular thymus extract may help with conditions related to the immune system. For example, conditions like rheumatoid arthritis, migraines, and allergies are often related to the function of the thymus. The thymus produces white blood cells that mediate your immune system and help protect you from infections and viruses.
- Trachea: The tracheal cartilage supplement can support collagen production. Trachea may also work to regulate the immune system.
- Tallow: We’ve been conditioned in the past few decades to view fat as the enemy. The ancestral lifestyle completely flips this idea on its head. Instead, fat is something nourishing and incredibly beneficial for our health. You can get healthy fat from Ancestral Supplements Tallow, which comes from suet. Historically, fat accounted for up to 80% of the calories many native people would consume. Tallow provides fat-soluble vitamins, and having those vitamins helps us absorb other nutrients. Tallow has fatty acids like conjugated linoleic acid, and it can help with skin health, as well as brain health. Tallow is also a natural anti-inflammatory. Tallow can help with hormone regulation and fertility, immune health and it potentially has anti-cancer effects.
- Adrenal: Another glandular supplement from Ancestral Supplements, Adrenal can help regulate the hormones that help us deal with stress, letting our bodies heal from the inside out. Ancestral Supplements Adrenal can help with energy and concentration, as well as mood and blood sugar levels. It may also help with methylation and detoxification. Impairment of the adrenal gland is often linked to depression, and this can stem from chronic stress. Adrenal supplements can help bring your adrenal gland back into balance.
- Gallbladder with Ox Bile and Liver: Among our readers here at The Top Supplements, from what we can tell, the Gallbladder with Ox Bile and Liver is an incredibly popular supplement from this product line. This supplement includes a combination of bovine gallbladder, ox bile and liver. The supplement contains concentrated amounts of building blocks specific to the gallbladder, bile and liver. It’s an excellent support system for your entire biliary tract, which includes your gallbladder, bile ducts and liver. There are molecular bio-directors, which help rebuild tissue, as well as glutathione, bilirubin and vitamin E. The Gallbladder with Ox Bile will support healthy bile flow and may help with issues related to gut health. It’s also a good helper for the absorption of fat-soluble vitamins.
What Are Fat-Soluble Vitamins?
When talking about the benefits of many of the Ancestral Supplements, the term fat-soluble vitamins continues to come up.
It can be useful to talk about fat-soluble vitamins on their own, outside of just Ancestral Supplements. They’re something many of us are deficient in, and it’s tough to get and absorb some of these vitamins. Ancestral Supplements are packed with them and they come from natural, whole food sources, so it makes it easier for your body to assimilate them and put them to good use.
Fat-soluble vitamins are A, D, E and K. They are in foods that contain fat and they don’t dissolve in water. Water-soluble vitamins are B and C. It can be good to eat higher-fat foods to absorb more fat-soluble vitamins.
Vitamin A is important for healthy vision. It’s actually a collection of compounds known as retinoids. Vitamin A also supports the immune system. Animal sources have preformed vitamin A which is also called retinols. This is the type of vitamin A that is ready for your body to use.
Vitamin D can be obtained through sunlight or from dietary sources. Vitamin D deficiency is a big problem throughout the world. Vitamin D3 is the type of compound found in animal fats. It is critical for a properly functioning immune system, it maintains bone health, and it also plays a role in mood and mental health. There is some evidence that vitamin D deficiency can lead to more severe cases of COVID-19.
Vitamin D deficiency is common in people with chronic health conditions, people who don’t spend a lot of time outdoors, people who live far from the equator, and people with obesity. Deficiency of vitamin D is also more common in people with darker skin and in the elderly.
Vitamin E is a powerful antioxidant that can prevent oxidative stress. Oxidative stress causes cell damage that contributes to cancer and other chronic illnesses. Vitamin E can help prevent blood clotting, dilate blood vessels and boost the immune system.
People with Crohn’s or cystic fibrosis are most likely to have a vitamin E deficiency. Deficiencies can lead to a weakened immune system and nerve and muscle damage, as well as problems with vision.
Vitamin K helps your blood clot so that you don’t bleed excessively. It can also reduce your risk of heart disease, reduce calcium buildup in the blood, and help with bone health.
What Do Ancestral Supplements Reviews Say?
I can personally speak to the quality of these products. I have tried nearly all of them, and my favorites are the Grass Fed Beef Organs, Spleen, Brain, and I also like the Intestines. Aside from my personal opinion, you will see countless reviews from other customers. The positive reviews were one of the big reasons I decided to invest in these products myself.
I should also note that my children don’t enjoy the taste of any kind of meat, and unfortunately, they have a diet that almost entirely consists of carbohydrates and some fruit. It’s frustrating for me, but I can open Ancestral Supplements and put them into yogurt or applesauce and they have no problem taking them that way.
These supplements are expensive, so every time I’m about to try a new one or reorder, I go over the reviews in detail, and they’re honestly just exciting. To see the enthusiasm and results people get from the entire line is great.
I have also personally spoken to the company owner by email and can back up all the great things reviewers have to say about him.
Frequently Asked Questions
The following are brief answers to some frequently asked questions people have about Ancestral Supplements.
Which Ancestral Supplements Do I Need?
The question of which Ancestral Supplements to take should be answered for your individual situation. A good starting point is to research the company website or Amazon, and you’ll find more information about each, and you’ll also find some of this above in the product rundowns.
If you don’t have a specific issue you’re interested in tackling, but you just want the nutrition of beef organs and glandulars, you might start with Beef Liver and Bone Marrow and go from there.
You can also contact the company owner through his website, and he can work with you on a customized plan.
How Do You Take Ancestral Supplements?
With Ancestral Supplements, since they really are just food, you don’t have to worry about taking too much necessarily. Just follow the label’s instructions. You can take up to six a day of most of the supplements, but you can also take more or less of that.
A good rule of thumb is to start slow and make sure your body responds well. You might just start with one capsule a day and then work your way up from there gradually over a couple of weeks until you reach the full dose.
You don’t have to think about taking them with or without food, again, because they are technically food.
You can open the capsules and put them in smoothies, teas or anything you want if you prefer.
You can also stack the supplements and take several at a time, which I personally do. I also will sometimes rotate some of the supplements on different days.
I will also note that the company owner doesn’t talk about a potential detox reaction that might occur. I’d say that if I had to compare it to something, maybe it’s similar to the keto flu, based on what he describes. I personally didn’t not experience a detox reaction, however, and I started out with the full dose.
What Ancestral Supplements Help with High Blood Pressure?
There are several Ancestral Supplements that might help with high blood pressure, but in particular, the Beef Heart with CoQ10 could be helpful. You can also contact the company owner and let him know a bit more about your personal situation, and he’ll advise you on which supplements will be most helpful for you.
Who Is the Owner of Ancestral Supplements?
We talked about this above, but Brian Johnson is the owner of Ancestral Supplements. I have personally spoken to him on several occasions, and he’s a great help. He loves what he does and has a true passion for helping people change their health.
Brian and the Ancestral Supplements company is located in Texas.
Are Organ Meat Supplements Good For You?
Historically, as humans, we were meant to eat organs. In our modern lives, we’ve let go of that and potentially many health benefits as well.
For example, organ meat has a number of vitamins, nutrients and co-factors that we may not get elsewhere.
Eating organ meats or taking them in supplement form is like getting a multivitamin, except one that’s specifically designed for your body.
Many of us are so deficient in nutrients, and organ meat supplements can help us replace what we’ve lost.
How Do I Contact Ancestral Supplements?
If you’d like to contact Ancestral Supplements directly, you can do so at brian@ancestralsupplements.com.
What Does Liver King Do?
Liver King is Brian Johnson’s nickname. In addition to running Ancestral Supplements, he produces great content and newsletters with helpful tips so you can get back to living more like our ancestors. Definitely worth checking out.
Where to Purchase Ancestral Supplements?
So, where can you buy Ancestral Supplements? I have purchased Ancestral Supplements both through Amazon and also through the company website. I like Amazon for fast shipping, but there are benefits of buying directly from the site too.
First, I’ve found that shipping is usually as fast as Prime even when you go directly through the company website.
You can also use coupons and other discount codes on the site, which makes it a better option than Amazon.
There are discounts for customers in general, plus if you go directly through Ancestral Supplements, they have a military and first responder discount available too.
Final Thoughts
If you’re getting started with a keto diet or a carnivore diet, or even if you’re not, we recommend Ancestral Supplements. The concept of revitalizing your body which has been depleted of so much because of modern living, is one that we love, and the company itself is fantastic to deal with.
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