Colostrum

How does Colostrum work?

Colostrum is collected from cows that have been vaccinated to produce antibodies that fight the bacteria that cause diarrheal disease. These antibodies appear in the colostrum that is collected as medicine. Though the hope is that these cow antibodies will help fight human disease, the cow antibodies do not seem to be very active in humans.

Are there safety concerns?

Bovine colostrum is safe for most people. While most people don't experience any side effects from bovine colostrum, there have been isolated reports of problems in HIV+ patients such as nausea, vomiting, abnormal liver function tests, and decreased red blood cells.

There is some concern about the possibility of catching "mad cow disease" (bovine spongiform encephalitis, BSE) or other diseases from products that come from animals. "Mad cow disease" does not appear to be transmitted through milk products, but it is probably wise to avoid animal products from countries where mad cow disease has been found.

Do not take bovine colostrum if:

• You are pregnant or breast-feeding.
• You are allergic to cow's milk or milk products.

Dosing considerations for Colostrum.

The following doses have been studied in scientific research:

BY MOUTH:

• For infectious diarrhea: 10-20 grams of colostrum daily for 10 days.