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Folic acid, another form of which is known as folate, is one of the B vitamins. It is used as a supplement by women to prevent neural tube defects (NTDs) developing during pregnancy. It is also used to treat anemia caused by folic acid deficiency. More than 50 countries require fortification of certain foods with folic acid as a measure to decrease the rate of NTDs in the population.

Not enough folate can lead to folate deficiency. This may result in a type of anemia in which low numbers of large red blood cells occur. Symptoms may include feeling tired, heart palpitations, shortness of breath, open sores on the tongue, and changes in the color of the skin or hair. Low levels in early pregnancy are believed to be the cause more than half of cases of neural tube defects in babies. Deficiency in children may develop within a month of poor dietary intake. In adults normal total body folate is between 10,000–30,000 micrograms (µg) with blood levels of greater than 7 nmol/L (3 ng/mL).

Folic acid was discovered between 1931 and 1943. It is on the World Health Organization's List of Essential Medicines, the most effective and safe medicines needed in a health system. The wholesale cost of supplements in the developing world is between 0.001 and 0.005 USD per dose as of 2014. The term "folic" is from the Latin word folium, which means leaf.

Folates occur naturally in many foods especially dark green leafy vegetables and liver.

Most common Folic acid supplement side effects from eHealthme

• Nausea - (5,642 reports)
• Fatigue - (5,490 reports)
• Weakness - (4,813 reports)
• Breathing difficulty - (4,707 reports)
• Fever - (4,691 reports)
• Pain - (4,608 reports)
• Joint pain - (4,506 reports)
• Drug ineffective - (4,291 reports)
• Pneumonia - (4,226 reports)
• Diarrhea - (4,043 reports)

On Jan, 24, 2017  103,857 people reported to have side effects when taking Folic Acid supplements.  Among them, 1,904 people (1.83%) have Death

On Jan, 25, 2017  103,857 people reported to have side effects when taking Folic Acid.  Among them, 314 people (0.3%) have Hallucination

On Feb, 03, 2017  103,857 people reported to have side effects when taking Folic Acid.  Among them, 76 people (0.07%) have Hallucination, Auditory

On Feb, 03, 2017  103,857 people reported to have side effects when taking Folic Acid.  Among them, 1 person (0.0%) has Hallucination, Tactile