Solgar Gentle Iron, Iron Bisglycinate
Gentle iron helps rebuild the red blood cells that carry oxygen around your body and lifts the tiredness of running low, and it is built for the large number of people who have tried iron before and could not stay on it.
It suits women with heavy periods, vegans and vegetarians, people recovering from illness, and above all anyone whose last iron supplement meant a week of constipation and a metallic taste they still remember. One small vegetable capsule a day, taken with a meal, certified vegan, kosher and halal, and formulated so that a smaller amount of iron does the work a much larger one usually has to do.
Why This Iron Is Called Gentle
The iron here is bound to glycine, an amino acid, in a chelate called iron bisglycinate. That is the whole difference, and it is a chemical one rather than a marketing one.
In an ordinary iron tablet the iron travels as a free salt. Loose iron in the gut is what irritates the stomach lining, what feeds the metallic taste, and what slows the bowel. In a bisglycinate the iron arrives wrapped by two glycine molecules, absorbed more like a protein than a mineral, so far less of it is left loose along the way.
The practical consequence is that a smaller amount of iron does the same work with a fraction of the trouble.
What the Trials Found
A randomised controlled trial published in Nutrients in 2022 followed 120 pregnant women with low iron for six months. One group took ferrous bisglycinate supplying 24mg of iron; the other took ferrous fumarate supplying 66mg, nearly three times as much.
The bisglycinate group finished with higher haemoglobin and higher ferritin, the measure of iron actually stored. The side effect figures are the striking part:
- Constipation: 7.27% on bisglycinate against 67.92% on the conventional salt.
- Nausea: 7.27% against 47.17%.
- Metallic taste: 3.64% against 45.28%.
- Bloating and abdominal pain: both under 4% against roughly 36% and 40%.
One honest note on that trial, because it matters: both groups also received multivitamins, so the comparison is between two complete formulas rather than between two iron salts in isolation. A separate clinical comparison of four oral iron salts in 2024 pointed the same way more modestly, with bisglycinate at 30mg matching the haemoglobin rise of fumarate at 50mg and reporting fewer gastrointestinal complaints.
A Smaller Amount, On Purpose
Each capsule supplies 25mg of iron, which looks modest beside a pharmaceutical haematinic carrying four times that.
That is deliberate. Because more of a chelated iron is absorbed, the amount on the label can be lower while the amount reaching your blood stays useful. For somebody topping up a diet low in meat, or holding steady between blood tests, a smaller well-absorbed amount taken every day for months beats a larger one abandoned in week two.
Vegan, Kosher and Halal
The capsule is vegetable cellulose and the whole product is certified vegan, kosher and halal. It is free from gluten, wheat, dairy, soy, yeast, sugar, sodium, preservatives, artificial sweeteners and artificial colours.
That matters more in Kenya than a label usually does. Iron is the supplement most often needed by people whose diets already exclude things, whether by faith or by choice, and plant-based eaters are precisely the group most likely to run low on iron in the first place.
Getting the Most From It
Take one capsule daily with a meal. Leave an hour either side before strong chai or coffee, because the tannins in tea bind iron and stop some of it being absorbed, and chai with the meal is the ordinary Kenyan way to eat.
Vitamin C works the other way and increases iron absorption. An orange, a guava or a tomato-rich meal alongside the capsule improves the return, and our pharmacists can suggest a vitamin C product if you would rather be deliberate about it.
Who This Gentle Iron Is For
Anyone who has tried iron before and stopped because of their stomach. Vegans and vegetarians, who need more dietary iron than meat-eaters and absorb plant iron less readily. Women with heavy periods. People keeping their iron steady between blood tests rather than correcting a deep deficiency. And anyone who needs a certified vegan, kosher or halal iron and has struggled to find one.
What to Expect
Energy usually begins to lift within two to four weeks, which is the body putting new iron to work before the stores are anywhere near full. Refilling the stores takes three months or more, so give it a proper run and have a blood test if one started this.
Darker stools can happen with any iron and are harmless. Most people on a bisglycinate notice considerably less of the usual trouble, which is the entire reason to choose it.
Is Gentle Iron Right for You?
Iron is among the most useful supplements there is and one of the few worth being careful with. Our pharmacist is glad to go through it with you first if any of these apply:
- You have haemochromatosis or another condition where iron accumulates, or an anaemia that is something other than iron deficiency.
- You are correcting a diagnosed deficiency rather than topping up. At 25mg this is a maintenance amount, and a low blood result may call for something stronger first.
- You are pregnant or breastfeeding, so we can add up what your clinic has already given you.
- You are buying for a child, or you take other regular medicines. Keep the bottle out of reach, because iron in excess is genuinely harmful to a young child.
Tiredness has many causes and low iron is only one. If nobody has tested you, a blood test first will tell you whether this is the right answer.
Storing It
Keep the bottle closed in a cool, dry place away from direct sunlight, and out of reach of children.
Where to Buy Gentle Iron in Kenya
Order online and we deliver countrywide, or collect from our pharmacy at Kahawa Sukari Shopping Center, Nairobi. We send orders to Nairobi and every neighbourhood around it — the CBD, Westlands, Parklands, Gigiri, Muthaiga, Runda, Rosslyn, Kitisuru, Lower Kabete, Lavington, Kileleshwa, Kilimani, Karen, Langata, South B, South C, Eastleigh, Buruburu, Donholm, Embakasi, Ngong Road, Kasarani, Roysambu, Zimmerman, Githurai, Ruaka, Banana Hill, Two Rivers, Village Market and Pride Lands — and across Kiambu, Thika, Juja, Ruiru, Kikuyu, Limuru and Ngong.
Beyond the capital we deliver to Mombasa, Kisumu, Nakuru, Eldoret, Nyeri, Machakos, Athi River, Kitengela, Kajiado, Naivasha, Narok, Kericho, Bomet, Kisii, Migori, Homa Bay, Siaya, Bungoma, Busia, Kakamega, Vihiga, Webuye, Kitale, Nandi Hills, Iten, Kapenguria, Embu, Meru, Chuka, Kerugoya, Murang’a, Othaya, Nyahururu, Nanyuki, Maralal, Isiolo, Marsabit, Moyale, Wajir, Mandera, Garissa, Lodwar, Kitui, Mwingi, Makueni, Emali, Kibwezi, Voi, Taveta, Wundanyi, Mariakani, Diani, Ukunda, Kilifi, Watamu, Malindi, Lamu and Hola. Packed to travel, cool-boxed where the weather calls for it, and tracked from our counter to your door.
Across Africa, ask us before you order. We have sent orders to Uganda, Tanzania, Somaliland and as far as Malawi, and we will quote for Rwanda, Burundi, South Sudan, Ethiopia, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Botswana, Mozambique, Nigeria, Ghana, South Africa and the rest of the continent. What we need to know first is your country’s import rules for iron supplements and how long the parcel will be in transit; we will tell you plainly if a destination is not worth the shipping cost.
Living abroad? Order from wherever you are and we deliver to your family here in Kenya. Kenyans in the UK, the United States, Canada, South Africa and the Gulf order from us regularly for parents and relatives at home. You pay online from where you live, we deliver to their door anywhere on the list above, and we confirm with you once it has arrived. Give us their name, their phone number and the estate or town they live in, and we will do the rest.
Why Buy Your Gentle Iron from HealthAlone Kenya?
HealthAlone is a pharmacist-led health ecosystem licensed by the Pharmacy and Poisons Board, and our stock is original, sealed and correctly stored.
Our pharmacists stock six different irons and can tell you honestly which one your situation calls for, whether that is this gentle chelate or something stronger for a low blood result, and they will say when a blood test should come before a bottle.
It is one more step in our vision: building Africa’s most trusted health ecosystem, accessible to everyone, everywhere.
Frequently Asked Questions
What makes Solgar Gentle Iron gentle?
The iron is bound to glycine, an amino acid, in a chelate called iron bisglycinate. Loose iron in the gut is what irritates the stomach, causes the metallic taste and slows the bowel; in a chelate the iron is wrapped and absorbed more like a protein, so far less is left loose along the way.
Does it really cause less constipation?
The evidence is good. A randomised trial in Nutrients in 2022 followed 120 pregnant women for six months and reported constipation in 7.27% of those on ferrous bisglycinate against 67.92% on a conventional iron salt, with nausea and metallic taste showing similar gaps. Both groups also took multivitamins, so it compares two complete formulas rather than two salts alone, but the direction is consistent with other work.
How much iron is in each capsule?
25mg, as iron bisglycinate, in one vegetable capsule. That is deliberately lower than a pharmaceutical iron, because more of a chelated iron is absorbed, so a smaller label amount still delivers usefully.
Is 25mg enough?
For topping up a diet low in meat, or holding steady between blood tests, yes. For correcting a diagnosed deficiency, bring your blood result to our pharmacist, because a low count may call for a stronger preparation first and then this one to maintain.
When should I take it?
One capsule daily with a meal. Leave an hour either side before strong chai or coffee, since tannins bind iron. A vitamin C-rich food at the same meal pushes in the helpful direction.
Is it suitable for vegans?
Yes. The capsule is vegetable cellulose and the product is certified vegan, kosher and halal, and free from gluten, wheat, dairy, soy, yeast, sugar, sodium, preservatives, artificial sweeteners and colours.
Why do vegans and vegetarians need more iron?
Plant iron is absorbed less readily than the iron in meat, so a plant-based diet needs a higher intake to deliver the same amount into the blood. That makes vegans and vegetarians one of the groups most likely to run low, and a certified vegan iron one of the harder things to find.
How does it compare with your other irons?
We stock six. This is the gentlest and the lowest amount, for people whose stomachs have rejected iron before. Ranferon and Feroglobin are stronger and carry B12, folic acid and other nutrients alongside the iron. Saferon is a polymaltose syrup for children and anyone who prefers a liquid. Ask our pharmacist and we will match the product to the blood result and to who has to take it.
How long before I feel a difference?
Energy usually lifts within two to four weeks. Refilling the iron stores takes three months or more, and stopping as soon as you feel better is the commonest mistake with iron.
Will it turn my stools black?
It can, as any iron can, and it is harmless. Most people on a bisglycinate notice much less of the usual trouble overall.
Can I take it in pregnancy?
Speak to our pharmacist or your clinic first. Iron is important in pregnancy and clinics issue it routinely, so the point is to add up your total rather than take two lots by accident.
Where can I buy gentle iron in Kenya?
From HealthAlone, online for delivery countrywide or over the counter at Kahawa Sukari Shopping Center, Nairobi. We deliver across Nairobi — the CBD, Westlands, Parklands, Gigiri, Muthaiga, Runda, Kitisuru, Lavington, Kilimani, Karen, Langata, South B, South C, Eastleigh, Kasarani, Roysambu, Githurai, Ruaka and Banana Hill — and to Kiambu, Thika, Juja, Ruiru, Kikuyu, Limuru, Ngong, Mombasa, Kisumu, Nakuru, Eldoret, Nyeri, Machakos, Kitengela, Naivasha, Narok, Kericho, Kisii, Migori, Homa Bay, Bungoma, Busia, Kakamega, Kitale, Embu, Meru, Nanyuki, Nyahururu, Isiolo, Marsabit, Wajir, Mandera, Garissa, Lodwar, Kitui, Makueni, Voi, Taveta, Mariakani, Diani, Ukunda, Kilifi, Watamu, Malindi and Lamu. Outside Kenya we have delivered to Uganda, Tanzania, Somaliland and Malawi, and we quote for Rwanda, Burundi, South Sudan, Ethiopia, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Nigeria, Ghana, South Africa and the rest of Africa on request.
