Wisdom of Healing

There is a wide array of processing methods used in the nutritional and herbal supplements industry, providing a great variety of possible effects on the body. Herbs, foods, mineral water and nutritional concoctions have been used for thousands of years to help the body prevent or recover from illness. This was, and still is today, the primary ‘medicine’ of the majority of the people around the globe. Today’s supplement industry has flooded the market with products labeled ‘natural’ and ‘from real food’, but these statements may refer to only 10% or less of the products’ total components. And many of the ingredients may actually be ground rocks, chemical compounds or may have been processed with chemical solvents such as acetone (nail polish remover) or PERC (dry-cleaning fluid). This sure doesn’t qualify as ‘natural’ in my book!

This will certainly be an ongoing series of posts, as I attempt to help you to better comprehend the similarities and differences between the products available in the supplements aisle and their processing methods, with a brief description and history of each process. Let’s begin today with the herbal products.

Herbs, spices and medicinal mushrooms have been used as teas and food flavorings for all known time. The ancient uses were traditionally passed down verbally or in writings, and modern science is now proving the validity of many of the properties and benefits that have been believed, sometimes for centuries or thousands of years. Although it is illegal to make specific health or curative claims for any herbal or nutritional products, the scientific research is beginning to build a very good case for the safety and potential effectiveness of the ‘cream of the supplements crop’.

What is so deceiving to the consumer is that inferior companies’ products may be advertised as possessing the same research and benefits as the ones studied, which are often those very best products. These deceptive advertising and marketing practices are commonplace in this country and in much of the world.

There is a wide range of growing methods for the raw materials used in herbal and nutritional supplements. Certified organic products have much stricter standards of growing than commercial crops, and biodynamically grown herbs may be even more potent than organic ones. Fresh or recently dried herbs and foods will be significantly more potent and effective than old, dried out, lifeless herbal material, harvested years ago..

Of course, until less than 100 years ago, there were no chemicals applied to vegetable and herb crops. But even back then, many farmers followed the common farming practices of the day, where crops were not rotated as often as needed for optimal soil nutrients. It was known that the soil in much of the heartland of America was considerably depleted of many of the minerals and trace elements necessary for optimal health a century ago.

Fresh herbs are often used during the growing season and autumn harvest. Fresh herbs compliment foods with their delicate flavors. Teas made with fresh herbs are also delicious with their light, refreshing flavors and aroma. The conversion for using fresh herbs and spices in a recipe that calls for dried herbs is 3 to 1, so if a recipe calls for 1 teaspoon of dried mint, for instance, you would use 3 teaspoons (1 TBSP) of fresh mint instead.

Dried herbs – But for the manufacture of most commercially prepared products, we must dry the herbs or super foods. Drying herbs properly is important for the quality of the finished product. Too much heat, light or too little air circulation during drying will produce a product with very little vitality and activity. When drying is optimally performed, the color will be bright, the scent pungent, the texture and taste strong and vital, and effectiveness potent and powerful.

For some herbal and nutritional products, the processing ends here. Most herbs are believed to be much more effective when they are put through an extraction process, creating an herbal concentrate. Again, there is a wide variety of possibilities here. The following will help to differentiate those variables so as to better understand, as a consumer, what we are really getting.

The most common herbal extraction methods include:

Chemical solvents – These products, usually produced by pharmaceutical or chemical companies, are often referred to as ‘standardized extracts’. The more common chemical solvents used are hexane (removes grease from a cement floor in five or ten minutes), acetone (nail polish remover), PERC (dry cleaning fluid), methanol, methylene chloride and ethyl acetate. With these chemical solvents, a chemist may alter the plants’ constituents to almost any desired specifications. Please see: Myths in Nutrition – Part Two – An Active Ingredient is Not the Same as the Herb Itself, posted on Dec. 15, 2006 for more information about this practice of altering herbs.

One of the big concerns with these standardized extracts is that there is always residue of the chemical solvent left behind in the herbs. There may be 65 parts per million (PPM) of dry cleaning fluid in your Echinacea or 44 PPM of acetone in your Ginkgo. Either way, it is likely not what we were bargaining for when we purchased a ‘natural’ herbal product.

Water extracts – An example of a water extract is herbal tea. There are also products that are water extracts in capsules or tablets that are made by dehydrating a tea until it is a concentrated powder. These are often very potent products, but it will really depend on the reliability of the company producing the product. If there was high heat applied or if the herbs were grown poorly, the finished product will be of little value.

Alcohol extracts (Also called Ethanolic or Hydro-ethanolic extracts) – Alcohol is an excellent solvent for extracting the constituents from herbs and delivering them into the bloodstream in approximately 90 seconds. Tinctures, alcohol (or more often, alcohol and water extracts), may be diluted with a small glass of water or tea for increased palatability.

Tinctures are considered safe for most people, with the probable exception of recovering alcoholics. It is a myth that tinctures are unsafe for children. The amount of alcohol in an adult serving of tincture is significantly less than the alcohol contained in a ripe banana! We feed bananas to babies as one of their first foods, so this minute amount of alcohol is considered to be safe. I do suggest than we never offer a tincture to a child without diluting it first, so they do not feel the burn of the alcohol on their tender mucosal tissue in the mouth and throat.

Glycerine – Vegetable glycerine is a sweet medium for carrying the vitality and phytochemicals from the herbs into the body. Some companies will first extract the herbs in alcohol or alcohol and water, remove the alcohol, and add the vegetable glycerine. Other companies use the glycerine directly for extraction purposes. Children, recovering alcoholics and elders may be good candidates for these herbal glycerites.

Supercritical extraction – The supercritical extraction process was developed in Germany in the last twenty years. Rumor has it that some food scientists were hired to work on a new extraction process that may work with hops to make a better beer. It worked! Soon thereafter, other herbs were being extracted with this newest of the extraction methods. There are only a few companies in the US employing the supercritical extraction process and they offer only very high quality products. They are all using full spectrum extracts, which means that they maintain the integrity of the herb’ constituents in the same balance that nature provided. The supercritical extracts may be refined or altered in the future, but for now, we receive the benefits of high-grade concentrated herbs in these powerful full spectrum extracts.

Vinegar extracts – Apple cider vinegar may be used for extracting herbal constituents for those who choose to use a liquid herbal extract, but are unable to consume alcohol. Vinegar extracts are not commercially available due to their very short shelf life.

Freeze drying – The process of freeze drying begins with freshly harvested herbs. They are frozen at very low temperatures, and while frozen, the moisture is removed. The herbal material is then powdered and encapsulated or tableted. These concentrated products can be as much as 200:1, but can be very sensitive to heat and light. My favorite freeze dried herb is nettles.

Syrups and pastes – Most of us think of cough syrup when we consider a healthful herbal syrup. Syrups can be a very pleasant way to take herbs for a wide variety of health concerns. Today, they’re offered for cold and flu, bone health and a wide variety of health concerns. Pastes are often used in Ayurveda and occasionally in Chinese medicine. A small amount of the herbal pastes may be added to warm water for a potent, pleasurable herb tea.

Oil infusion – Some herbs are extracted with oil, usually extra virgin olive oil, and although they are often used topically, some may also be ingested.

Some of the most pure and potent herbal and nutritional products may be found in the following trustworthy, honorable and reliable companies’ lines of (mostly) organic products. Many of these companies have been pioneers in organic and biodynamic growing practices, and developing and improving both new and ancient technologies. Some have worked tirelessly toward protective legislation for our right to consume nutritional supplements, and for products to be required to be labeled honestly, as well as fighting bad legislation jeopardizing our rights to buy and take supplements by educating the public. Their commitment to excellence is strong, and the products they produce are of exceptionally high quality.

New Chapter,
Flora- Floradix, Bija, Udo’s Choice and Dr. Dunner,
Organix South- Thera Neem and Thera Veda
Gaia Herbs,
Pure Planet
Renew Life,
Eclectic Institute, (most of their product line)
Avena Botanicals,
Nordic Naturals,
Herb Pharm,
Megafood

Many small herb companies owned and run by regional herbalists could also be added to this list, as well.

Remember, it is considered ideal to consume most herbs and herbal products on an empty stomach. This means that we would consume liquid herbal extracts, capsules or tablets at least 15 to 30 minutes before our next meal and two hours after our previous meal.

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