Lucky Iron Leaf Ⓡ - Natural Iron Supplement for Cooking | Add Iron to Soups, Stews & Meals | Reduce Iron Deficiency | Ideal for Vegans & Menstruating Women | Perfect for Healthy Meals & Vegan Diets

I purchased this product thanks to my daughter, who had heard about The Lucky Iron Fish somewhere in her own research and had mentioned it to me to check out. I am a person who has dealt with chronic iron-deficiency since I was a teen. So much so that I forget sometimes why I am in periods of extreme tired/exhaustion, and then something will remind me "Oh yeah - my iron must be low" and when I have it checked - yessiree, it's low. It has been a vicious cycle for me over the years and taking iron supplements in pill-form just has not really helped and typically added other issues (Stomach, constipation, etc). I started using the lucky fish a little over a month or so ago and went in to have my iron levels tested, and for the first time ever in my life the Dr. told me "You are no longer considered iron-deficient! Stop taking supplement pills! Keep doing what you are doing". My energy levels have balanced out, and if I feel slightly low-energy, I just ensure I drink 8 oz. of the iron water or if I have already, I will drink another 8 ozs, and it has made all the difference in the world for me! I have also now been able to donate Plasma again, which was something I enjoyed doing but had not been able to do with my iron-deficient issue. I have now started cooking regularly with the iron fish (soups, pasta sauces, etc) and I've noticed a better energy level in my kids also. A couple of things I recommend:1) It is important that you wash it with warm/hot water after each use, and then let it cool down.2) Be sure to dry it well so it doesn't rust. I rub a little olive-oil on it afterwards - between uses - to keep it conditioned (just like cast iron pots, etc).3) I keep it stored in it's little box and I marked the date of when I purchased it, so I can remember when it's 5-year life is done.4) I also do not recommend "over-boiling" it. I once accidentally forgot to set a 10-min. timer and it boiled way to long. The water had a metal taste to it afterwards and was not pleasant, so do not overboil.I like that all I had to do was put the iron fish in a pot of water and let it boil then cool down.My husband has stage 4 lymphoma and is chronically iron deficient and therefore anemic - and THEREFORE - chronically tired. He has had several painful and expensive iron infusions to keep his hemoglobin up and his oncologist suggested trying the fish. After using the fish for a couple of months - his blood levels are now normal - even high normal, and he feels so much better and able to do things. This product is also great for kidney - related issues (but check with your medical provider to make sure iron deficiency and there fore anemia is the source of the fatigue) The instructions are self evident in the fish package, but here is our 'recipe' that actually tastes very good.** lemon juice - squeeze some lemons (I do a half dozen small ones at a time ) place the juice in a small ice cube container and freeze** flavoring to hide the taste of iron - we buy packages of spiced apple cider** we grow fresh mint in a small pot in the window and add 3 to 5 leaves of mint to the boiling water** we add a teabag of mint tea or other flavored teaBring to boil about 4 - 5 cups of water - wash the fish with dish soap, rinse well and drop the fish in the boiling water.Add 1 or 2 small or half size ice cubes of lemon juice - you must have something with acid to leach the iron out of the iron fishadd the teabag, and mint and boil - the fish package says for 10 minutes but we have added more water and other ingredients so we boil for 15 minutes and add water to keep the level at about 4 - 5 cups.when done, remove the fish and immediately wash with dish soap dry well place some cooking oil (teaspoon full or less) in the palm of your hand and smother the fish with the oil and wrap in a couple of paper towels to keep the oil on the fish - to prevent rusting - wash the oil off before making more fish- tea.Stir in the spiced apple cider and we also add a teaspoon of Stevia ( but you could use sugar to taste)He loves it ( and I love the taste, too - but DO NOT drink it yourself if you are not iron deficient - too much iron in your blood is toxicSometimes he will have one cup of 'fish tea' (about 10 ounces) and sometimes he will have it twice a day - he kind of knows when his iron is low. The rest goes in the fridge and will keep for about 2 days.The entire recipie takes about 20 or 30 minutes to make and I do it every other or every third day. This is assuming you have lemon in the freezer and you boil 4-5 cups of water for 15 minutes. I forgot to add the lemon one day and he noticed that he was more tire than usual that afternoon(..... hmm wonder why......)Iron supplementUpdate:Unfortunately, mine didn't last long because it accidentally got thrown out with the food?. I did use the iron fish especially when making spaghetti sauce. Somehow we forgot it was in there and never saw it again. Someone must have accidentally thrown it out. So I just recommend that you put some sign over the lid as a reminder that your iron fish is still in the pot or pan otherwise it might get tossed out with left overs. Maybe the company can include a cut out fish with some twine.-------------------------Original Post:I have four kids so I am always finding ways to get more iron in our diet. I kmow I definitely need more. This is so handy to have. I put it in everything. Only thing is I clean it well and rub coconut oil and a drop of lempn essential oil and keep it in a ziplock bag otherwise it starts to have some rusting which is natural and to be expected with iron. I scrub it a bit and it cleans off easily. So I wash before use and wash after as well. It is also good to know with every one you purchase they give one to underprivileged families in other countries.One thing I hope they do is maybe change the number area that is carved into the fish. It is a bit harder to clean that area. So I took a star off. But they can easily fix that.This fish is great for anemic people. I have used this for others and taken note of their iron levels over the course of using it. It works and best of all, you cannot taste the iron.I had lots of difficulty with low iron since having babies. I was always tired and easily winded. During my period, I would be basically non functional. My doctor was concerned and I just wanted to get my energy back. I have been unable to stomach iron pills and red meat consumption is not an option for me. When I heard about The Lucky Iron Fish, I thought that maybe it would be my saving grace. It was. I started preparing my drinking water using the Iron Fish and I cannot begin to tell you the difference I feel. It's only been a month and I feel more alert, I'm falling asleep less often and my skin tone has changed making me look healthier over all.It's easy to do, set one litre of water to boil with a couple drops of lemon juice. Once boiling put the fish in the bottom of the pot and boil for ten minutes. That's it. After that, pull out the fish (its hot) and cool down the water for drinking. The fish needs to be "seasoned" after use to prevent rusting just like you would a cast iron pan. I bought the seasoning oil and cloth and they work well. The colour of the fish does change a bit after use but as long as the oil is consistently used there shouldn't be any rusting.The fish doesn't change the taste of my drinking water, you wouldn't even know that it had been treated. The box also says that it can be used while making soup or rice, pretty much anything that has acid in it. I haven't used it for that, but I can't see why it wouldn't work. I haven't experienced any upset stomach or constipation as I would with iron pills either. Overall, I'm am so happy with this product! Who knew that something so simple could fix such a big problem!Blood Work Update: After using the fish for just a little over two months, my hemoglobin has increased from a 10 to an 18! I feel amazing, way more energy. My period is much lighter and I don’t feel like all the energy has been drained from my body. I’m so glad I chose this method over supplements.I followed the instructions exactly (I just purchased it a couple of weeks ago) and the amount of rust is awful. I've spoken to the company but it seems like it's my fault for not following the instructions. Then they went on to say that the rust happens and not to worry about it?! It has turned my water brown every time I tried to use it which was very disappointing. I feel like the oil is where they will make a profit because they keep pushing to use the Lucky Fish oil which, of course, costs extra!!! I felt like I was doing something good by purchasing this product because I like the intent of paying it forward but it really isn't worth it. I should have given the money to directly to charity instead...now I'm stuck with a brand new rusty iron fish...I bought this fish 4 months ago due to low haem iron, I had initially been taking ferrous sulphate but this caused severe constipation. I boil it in water with a few drops of lemon juice and store the water in the fridge to be drank over a couple of days. I add it to orange squash as I find it there is a slight iron taste. Sometimes there is a slight yellow colour but this is either due to me forgetting to take it off the boil after 10 mins or not cleaning properly after use. I do feel better since using, I.E dizziness & tiredness have reduced. I would recommend to anyone that’s needs an iron boost, however if iron is very low I would say this probably isn’t enough on its own to increase iron levels but could be good to maintain them. I love how the company also provide these to others in need.Feel conned, bought this product as I was low on iron, put in my kettle used once it not only turned my kettle brown with rust, went rusty itself, so don’t recommend it at all ?I've only used it three times when cooking rice. It didn't alter the taste of the rice. It's discoloured already but that's my fault because I didn't protect it with a layer of oil after cleaning it. I haven't felt the health benefits yet but it is early days. Having seen the TED talks documentary about it, I certainly believe it would work if I used it often enough! If Brexit causes our shops and pharmacies to run out of iron pills, I shall be very thankful for my little iron fish.