Nova Forme CytoGREENS Review

I decided to take another look at some super greens powders blends and the first that caught my attention is CytoGreens by Nova Forme.

An old-school-looking blend, this greens powder supplement has been consistently popular so I wanted to know more about the ingredients, what it claims, and whether the reviews and evidence stack up.

CytoGreens is a “premium green superfood” powder drink, claiming to be full of leafy greens that represent a ‘revolution in the way you deliver nutrients to your body'.

So how does it deliver on this claim? I had high hopes for this brand as they look to be more focused on athletic performance. Keep reading my CytoGREENS review to find out if this stands up to its claims.

CytoGREENS First Impressions

Firstly I took a look around, a site which tells us all about the product. Although it’s not a selling site (and the site isn’t secure, which is a bit of a concern) there is still plenty of information about CytoGreens, what is inside and how to purchase.

The manufacturers, Nova Forme, have aimed CytoGreens at the athletic market, a group of people with a need for optimal nutrition and convenience. They claim that the main benefits of CytoGreens are:

Helps Muscles Recover Faster
Potent High-ORAC Anti-Oxidants
Improves Stamina
No Preservatives or Fillers
100% Natural Flavors

I can tell that what is going to be important about this super greens drink is the amount of the potent plant ingredients they have included in their formulation. I am always looking for full transparency of ingredients on the label. You can take a look at the section of this CytoGreens review on Ingredients to find out more.

Background on Nova Forme

Unfortunately (for me, and this review!) there isn’t a lot of information about the company behind CytoGreens. I looked at their own ‘Our Story’ page which appears to be more about the company’s vision than a story of who they are or what sparked them into being.

Nova Forme also produces a number of other brands such as their Vegan Protein Shake called Soy protein, energy drink called PreCharge, vegan rice protein called PhytoPro-V, and Wheatgrass and Spirulina supplements too.

I wanted to get more information from the official website but it's missing key information such as a terms and conditions page – even details on the manufacturing.

So for now I’ll focus on the main subject of the review, the ingredients inside the pack of CytoGreens.

CytoGreens Ingredients

The serving size of each scoop is 11.5g, there are a LOT of ingredients in the formula as you can see from the label or the list below.

The ingredients of CytoGreens are listed as follows.

Green Performance Matrix – 5694 mg

High-GLA Spirulina (Spirulina platensis) powder (60% Protein) – 1665 mg
Organic Matcha Green Tea (Camellia sinensis, leaf) powder – 900 mg
Organic Alfalfa (Medicago sativa, aerial) powder – 820 mg
Organic Barley Grass (Hordeum vulgare, leaf) powder – 650 mg
Pea Protein (Non-GMO) (Pisum sativum, seed) powder – 600 mg
Organic Spinach (Spinacia oleracea, leaf) powder – 600 mg
High-CGF Chlorella (Chlorella vulgaris) powder (Cracked-Cell Wall) – 459 mg
Cytozymes Digestive Enzyme Assimilation – 908 mg
Inulin Prebiotic from Chicory, root (FOS: Fructo-Oligosaccharide) – 750 mg

Protein Digestive Enzymes

Protease 4.5 (6400 HUT) – 16 mg
Protease 6.0 (1800 HUT) – 4 mg
Plant Digestive Enzymes Cellulase (2545 CU) – 64 mg
Hemicellulase (7000 HCU) – 14 mg
Carbohydrate Digestive Enzymes Alpha-Amylase (4000 DU) – 25 mg
Pectinase (25 endo-PGU) – 17 mg
Glucoamylase (3 AGU) – 3 mg

Lipid Digestive Enzymes

Lipase (60 FCCLU) – 15 mg

Active Energy Regenerator (485 mg)

Cordyceps (Ophiocordyceps sinensis, hyphae) powder (7% Cordycepic acid) – 280 mg
Astragalus (Astragalus membranaceus, root) extract (5:1 extract ratio) – 85 mg
Reishi (Ganoderma lucidum, hyphae) extract (5:1 extract ratio) – 75 mg
Asian Ginseng (Panax ginseng, root) extract (5:1 extract ratio) – 45 mg

Free-Radical Defense Blend (High-ORAC Antioxidant – 305 mg)

Organic Brazilian Acai Berry (Euterpe oleracea, fruit) powder – 119 mg
Organic Amla Berry (Phyllanthus emblica, fruit) extract – 104 mg
Citrus Bioflavonoid Complex – 42 mg
Acerola Cherry (Malpighia glabra, fruit) powder (17% Natural Vitamin C) – 40 mg

Fiber-Rich Golden Flax Omega3-Rich Seed Powder – 225 mg

Organic Golden Flaxseed (Linum usitatissimum, seed) powder – 225 mg

Liver Defense System Organ Detox 150 mg

Organic Milk Thistle (Silybum marianum, seed) powder (80% Silymarin) – 150 mg

Immune Defense Immune Activation Support 195 mg

American Ginseng (Panax quinquefolius, root) extract (4:1 extract ratio) – 150 mg
Organic Aloe Vera (Aloe barbadensis miller, leaf) powder (200x concentration, Aloin-Free)

PHEW! That’s a whole bunch of ingredients.

Let’s take some of the big-hitters and see if there’s any evidence for the product’s claims.

Looking back on the website I see that there are suggested benefits such as Muscle Recovery and Improved Stamina. Are there any ingredients included that can have these effects?

I’m specifically looking for ingredients that might have scientific evidence for increasing energy output, stamina, endurance, or muscle recovery. Spirulina, Green tea, and Cordyceps all have been examined for their potential to support human stamina, with the caffeine in Matcha Green Tea being the most likely to improve output in this area. For muscle performance and soreness doses of around 2-7g of Spirulina have been recommended (CytoGreens contains 1665mg of 60% protein spirulina) (source).

There is 900mg Green Tea included in this blend and there are thought to be (fat burning) benefits at a daily dose of around 500mg (source).

Panax Ginseng is also thought to have benefits in terms of improved muscle soreness after exercise and greater muscle gain at around 200-400mg daily.

The formula also includes a fair amount of enzymes, the thinking behind this is that these help the other active ingredients to be broken down and therefore enhancing the bioavailability (usability in the body).

How Does CytoGreens Taste?

As with all greens powders the taste is likely to be sort of ‘greeny’ which is to say mostly deriving from the powerful greens ingredients. They can taste overwhelmingly vegetable in flavor, but if I look at the reviews I see that the added flavor seems to make CytoGreens palatable.

CytoGreens comes in Acai Berry and Chocolate flavors, neither of which particularly appeal to me as a masking flavor to greens powders but I’m prepared to give them the benefit of the doubt. People obviously prefer the taste of chocolate to green veggies!

There are also plenty of recipe suggestions on the NovaForme site for blending the powder into smoothies.

Side Effects

It is possible to experience some digestive discomfort when first taking greens powders, especially brands so high in digestive enzymes. It is advisable to work up slowly to the full dose if you experience any discomfort, to begin with.

Does CytoGreens Actually Work?

On the plus side of this product, the transparency of the formula really appeals to me.

There are heaps of ingredients and if you apply the ‘more is more’ thinking then you are bound to be happy with this brand.

Now for the negatives:

How much caffeine is in the formula? Matcha (green tea) will contain caffeine unless it is removed and really they should let customers know the caffeine content, not only because people may be concerned about anything they take being considered ‘performance-enhancing’ but also because people can have sensitivity or intolerance to caffeine.

I would say that overall the manufacturers have been careful to include a decent dose of most of the beneficial ingredients for customers to really be able to see benefits within a short time of taking the full dose of this product.

CytoGreens Customer Reviews

The reviews on Amazon are for the acai berry powder, there are 83 ratings of which only 13% are negative. I’ll give a sample of the comments here:

Potent formula keeps you going for hours5 star review

The best greens5 stars

Tastes bad, feel great4 stars

Messy3 stars

never againone star

Money Back Guarantee / Returns Policy

Because the Novaforme site isn’t a shop front there aren’t any guarantees or refund offers through Novaforme.

Where to Buy CytoGreens?

You can buy CytoGreens online at various retailers such as at iHerb, bodybuilding.com, allstarhealth, and luckyvitamin or on Amazon.

Is CytoGreens Worth the Price?

Allstarhealth carries the 535g tubs (60 servings) of Acai Berry Green Tea for $49.99, the Chocolate (690g) for $44.99, and the 267g tubs of Acai for $29.99.

For 60 servings at $0.83 per serving this is a quite good value given the huge amounts of ingredients included in the formula.

The Bottom Line

CytoGreens looks to be a heavy-hitter in the world of super greens powders, both in terms of its ingredient transparency and how carefully the manufacturers have thought about what goes into the formulation.

That said I do have minor concerns over who is producing this product as the official website as of next to no information about them.

The really positive thing is the ingredients are on the label and the price is good for anyone looking for a cost-effective greens powder.

If you are looking for enhanced performance in your physical output, whether it be athletically or just trying to get through a stressful day, I would definitely give CytoGreens a try, especially given the affordability and the number of ingredients you will be benefiting from.

LifeHacker Guy Greens Recommendation

Some Call This An "Extreme" Step...

Most super greens supplements are disappointing.

I learned this the hard way. After creating this blog in 2018, I spent months buying and testing all the most popular brands.

I wasn’t happy with the results so I did something you might call "extreme"....

In 2019 I created my own brand that ticks every single box of what I look for in a super greens product:

No hidden ingredient amounts - we have full disclosure labelling, so you know EXACTLY whats inside
Ingredient amounts that make a difference - we include the minimum effective amounts supported by research, and most of the time, MORE
Ingredients that help immunity, boost mental clarity and shake off brain fog - making for a much more productive and happy lifestyle

No more worrying about ineffective ingredients or too low dosages. I finally have a product I KNOW does the job it’s made to do.

I use it every day and, after years of battling Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS), I now have my energy (and my life!) back.

The good news? I made my brand available to the public so you can see and feel the difference for yourself.

Read Review