What Is in Standard Process Catalyn?

Catalyn is a multivitamin supplement manufactured by Standard Process. Originally developed in the 1920s by Dr. Royal Lee, Catalyn contains ground extracts of a variety of dried plants and animal tissues. According to Standard Process, Catalyn supports the health of your cardiovascular system, aids in energy metabolism and promotes the growth and repair of cells. Catalyn has not been evaluated by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and there are no scientific studies available to support the manufacturer's claims about the supplement. Talk to your doctor before taking Catalyn.

  1. Plant-Based Ingredients

    • The proprietary blend of Catalyn used by Standard Process includes defatted wheat germ, carrot, dried pea juice, dried alfalfa juice, oat flour, mushroom, rice bran, soybean lecithin, nutritional yeast, calcium lactate from a nondairy source and magnesium citrate. The vegetables are organic, pesticide-free and grown on a farm where the crops are rotated to ensure the soil is not depleted of essential vitamins and minerals, say the manufacturers. After harvesting and cleaning, the vegetables are processed with a high-vacuum, low-temperature drying technique that supposedly preserves maximum nutrient content.

    Animal-Based Ingredients

    • Catalyn's animal-derived components include adrenal gland, liver, spleen and kidney cow extracts and sheep spleen extracts. Lee believed that including dried, ground portions of these glands and organs in Catalyn helps enable the rest of the ingredients to promote the healthy growth and repair of cellular tissue, although research is needed to know if it's really effective. Standard Process does not specify how the animals used to supply the ingredients for Catalyn were raised or slaughtered, if they were fed with organic feed or if any chemicals such as hormones were administered as they grew. The company does claim that on-site scientists test the raw and processed animal products for bacteria.

    Other Ingredients and Preservatives

    • Ascorbic acid -- also known as vitamin C -- is included in Catalyn as a preservative, while compounds such as arabic gum, glycerin, calcium stearate and starch add bulk and help the ingredients blend together without clumping in the tablet. Some individual nutrients are also included, such as cholecalciferol, or vitamin D; pyridoxine hydrochloride, or vitamin B-6; vitamin A palmitate; riboflavin; and cocarboxylase, which is a form of thiamine. Honey and sucrose derived from beets provide flavoring.

    Nutritional Content

    • Standard Process reports that a single daily serving of three Catalyn tablets contains 4 calories. Each three-tablet serving supplies 1 milligram of vitamin B-6, or nearly 80 percent of the recommended dietary allowance of the vitamin for healthy adults. A Catalyn serving contains 52 percent of the RDA of vitamin D for both men and women as well as fulfilling 40 percent of a man's daily requirement of vitamin A and 51 percent of a woman's. Catalyn is also a good source of riboflavin and thiamine.