Folic Acid (a.k.a. folate, or vitamin B-9) is a vitamin that performs many important tasks while it is in its activated form, L-5-Methyl-tetrahydrofolate. Along with vitamins B-2, B-6 and B-12 it’s required for the methylation of amino acids, converting them to new proteins, detoxifying artery-damaging homocysteine, controlling growth and reproduction of cells, and supporting the production  of hemoglobin.