In partnership with Cowboy Colostrum. Editor's Note: We only select and work with partners that meet our quality standards, so you can rest assured we only endorse products we believe in.
I’ll admit—beyond my basic gym protein powder and creatine, I’m not much of a supplement girl. I don’t have the patience for a 10-pill morning routine, and I tend to abandon anything that feels even slightly inconvenient within a week.
But as a health and wellness journalist, I’ve been seeing a lot of buzz about colostrum, the first milk that a cow produces after giving birth. After hearing it described as “liquid gold” (dramatic, yes, but it got my attention) and reading claims around how multifaceted it is—immune support, exercise recovery, gut health, and even hair and nails—I was curious enough to try it.
After some digging, I landed on Cowboy Colostrum. What sold me was the transparency around their collection process: It’s made with whole bovine colostrum (as opposed to more processed isolates or concentrates) from grass-fed cows from U.S. dairy farms. Plus, it comes in four flavors—vanilla, chocolate, strawberry, and unflavored—that all seem easy enough to mix into food or drinks I already use daily. I’m not the only one who has been drawn in by this women-owned brand—their products are sold on the shelves—and in the smoothies—of LA’s favorite grocery store, Erewhon.
Here’s what I thought after weeks of testing:
We like
- Actually tastes good enough to drink in just water
- Easy and delicious to mix into coffee, yogurt and smoothies—doesn’t clump
- Subtle but noticeable improvements to hair and digestion
- Didn’t experience any negative side effects
We don't like
- Can’t be mixed into hot drinks (but that’s an issue with any colostrum product)
- Took a few weeks to start seeing benefits
What is Colostrum?
Bovine colostrum has been having a moment in the wellness world lately, but it’s not a new ingredient. It’s the first, nutrient-dense milk produced after a cow gives birth, and it’s naturally packed with antibodies, growth factors, and proteins that support early development.
It’s long been used for immune support in infants, but more recently, adults have started using it as a daily supplement, thanks to its potential links to immune support, gut health, skin improvement, and exercise recovery. However, it’s worth noting that research is still in its early stages, but many people who have tried it report real results.
Not all colostrum supplements are the same, though. Cowboy uses whole colostrum, taken from the first milking within hours after a cow gives birth, when naturally occurring antibodies, growth factors, and bioactive nutrients are most concentrated. Many brands don’t disclose when or from where they source their colostrum, so this impressed me. Also, some other brands—like Armra or Lemme—use more processed forms of colostrum, like concentrates or isolates, which are stripped of fats and proteins. While that can make the product more shelf-stable or target specific compounds (like immunoglobulin for immunity), it may also mean you’re getting a narrower range of nutrients.
Whole colostrum, on the other hand, keeps more of that full-spectrum profile intact. Whether that translates to noticeably better results is still being studied, but it seems to be preferred for overall health benefits if you’re not targeting a specific problem. Either way, it’s a difference worth knowing when you’re choosing between products.
Cowboy also provides three grams of colostrum per scoop, compared to 1 gram of other major brands. While it’s good to start low and build up, one gram seems too low to have major effects, when adult dosages can be as high as 60 grams a day, according to WebMD in clinical settings.
Taste and Testing
I tested the vanilla flavor and was pleasantly surprised by how good it tastes, making it easy to work into my routine. I usually default to gummies because I hate dealing with powders, but this one felt different. The reason why—I’m assuming—is because the brand uses natural ingredients to add flavor, in this case, vanilla bean. So instead of tasting like artificial flavoring, it had that slightly warm, natural sweetness you’d expect from the real thing.
I usually have a protein yogurt right after the gym, so most days I would mix in a scoop of colostrum. It actually improved the flavor—cutting that slightly chalky protein taste and making it taste both more creamy and more like real vanilla.
I also tried it in water, and it was totally drinkable on its own. While I haven’t tried it yet, I think it would be delicious added to iced coffee, and you can bet I’ll be adding it to mine once the weather warms up a bit. Just don’t add it to piping hot coffee—the liquid must be cooled down below 100 degrees Fahrenheit or else the heat will kill the bioactives.
The Benefits
Colostrum is often marketed for gut health, but that’s not something I actively struggle with, so I wasn’t expecting much there. However, recently, I had a bout of intense bloating that was probably related to my cycle. Unfortunately, it lasted for weeks, which is unusual for me, and was really messing with my comfort (and body image.) Around the same time, I started taking Cowboy Colostrum and the symptoms eased up—although, of course, it could just be coincidence. I’ll be excited to see if it eases some of my PMS bloating this month.
My hair has also felt more healthy, shiny, and easy to manage. It’s still early days for me, but 66% of users experienced increased hair growth as part of Cowboy’s 12 week clinical study, so I’m feeling incentivized to keep taking it to see for myself (I’ll report back). My nails, which are usually wrecked from gel and press-ons, are giving me hope: I can now go a few days without polish without immediate damage, which hasn’t been the case in a while.
I was also curious about the effects on exercise recovery, as it’s one of the most studied benefits. I’m currently training for a trail half marathon while maintaining my four-day-a-week strength training program. Fitting in running in an already tight exercise schedule means sometimes I am running on sore, tired legs, and I need all the recovery I can get. I wouldn’t say colostrum has been a dramatic game-changer, but I did feel slightly less beat up between sessions and more capable when I had to do two hard workouts back to back. I think the benefits will compound more as I continue to use it.
My Verdict
If you’re curious about colostrum, Cowboy Colostrum is a great place to start. It’s approachable, tastes good, and has a more whole-ingredient approach than similar products.
Colostrum isn’t a miracle product, but really nothing in the wellness world is. It hits that sweet spot of being genuinely low-effort (no complicated prep, no gross flavor) while still offering enough noticeable benefits to feel worth it. For me, that showed up most in small, cumulative ways, like less bloating, improved digestion, stronger hair and nails, and an overall feeling of being a bit less run-down during a pretty demanding training block. It’s going to become a staple in my daily routine.
