Herbal Extracts & Organics
Herbal Powders, Extracts, and Organics
Herbs come in many forms and this is an important consideration when it comes to your health goals and proper usage. Herbs can come in their raw form, such as tea leaves, or in various powder forms, each with their own purpose and benefit. At Pureherbs Online, we offer a few different forms and these forms are the same ones that we utilize in our herbal formulas.
Every herb powder, herb extract, and functional food that we offer to you here is 100% pure with no added fillers, flavoring, sugars, dyes, or otherwise. These herbs and whole foods are as close to nature as you can get with nothing added to alter their efficacy and impact on your health.
The main herbal forms that we offer are either powders or extracts. In truth, they are all 'powders' and with this definition, they are highly ground and powdery in consistency, but when it comes to herbs, this word can refer to something different.
A 'powder' in our world of herbs refers to the entire herb which is then ground into a powdery consistency. There are a few that we offer and this would include Astragalus and Marshmallow root as examples. You will see 'powder' next to their name. Here the word 'powder' means that the entire herb is ground up and thus, you get the benefit of all active components of that herb. This is common and for some, this is what they desire. This form works for some herbs, all dependent upon your goals, but in other situations, we seek a higher potency.
Herbal extracts are the next option and this is the form that we utilize the most in our products that we offer and in the herbal formulas that we blend. An herbal extract is when a laboratory concentrates that herb down to the where the more active components are concentrated. These extracts come in a few different forms. The first is a ratio extract, such as 4:1, and is commonly seen next to an herb listed. This ratio essentially means that the laboratory took 4 grams of that herb in its 'whole' form and then concentrated it down to 1 gram. In this process, many of the non-essential or inactive components of the herb were removed which then allows for a more concentrated form with more actives, as compared to the powder form mentioned above.
The next extract form is called a percent in our world, and this is where the laboratory takes an herb and extracts the main active ingredient and concentrates it down to a percent of the herb preparation. This would be like taking Turmeric, as a whole herb or powder, and concentrating it down to its perceived 'active' ingredient, being Curcumin, arriving at a 95% Curcumin extract. This form allows us to focus on a perceived active ingredient within that whole herb and potentially gain a higher level of benefits. This is also common in the world of herbs and does provide some benefit, but again it is all dependent upon your health goals. In some cases, many herbs have multiple active components and so focusing on one perceived active ingredient may not be of true benefit, despite research. Sometimes the whole herb or at least a concentrated ratio extract is better than a concentrated percent active ingredient one. It is all dependent upon what you are seeking and how you use that herbal component.
Finally, we have the topic of organics and this is one that we have considered for many years. The truth is, at least in our experience after laboratory testing many types and forms of herbs, is that organics rarely test any different or 'better' than a traditional herb in powder or extract form. Thus, as a doctor and supplier of the herbs, I am very price conscious for my clients and using a 'non-organic' that has proper laboratory testing is a better alternative than an overpriced organic that is no better regarding bacterial or heavy metal contamination, or pesticides. Personally, I think the term 'organics' has become a catch phrase and can be misleading. In reality, as you move up the ladder in herbal extracts, from a powder to a percent, you are removing many contaminants and inactives naturally. Thus, these forms are often very effective and provide the same level of benefit as an organic. Bottom line? It is not common for us to offer an organic herbal powder or extract for these reasons.
