Health/Nutrition: Where to Purchase Herbs and Suppliments

Q: For many years, my husband and I have used medicinal herbs and natural supplements to maintain our health. We have always purchased these herbs and supplements at our local health food store, but recently I’ve noticed that the chain drug stores are beginning to sell some of these products under a store brand for less money than we’ve been paying. I certainly don’t want to spend more than is necessary, but I also don’t want to waste money on worthless products. Could you tell me if the herbal supplements sold at the chain pharmacies are as good as the products offered at the health food stores?

A: Thank you for your question pertaining to the quality of herbal and vitamin products on the market today. This is quite an important topic, as most people may not be aware of the varying quality from one product to another, and from one manufacturer to another. With such a huge variety of brands, formulas and prices available to the public, the question of quality and reputability of products is paramount.

In the fifteen years since I personally made the shift to a healthier lifestyle and started purchasing herbal and vitamin products, many changes have occurred. Accurate information used to be hard to find, especially pertaining to herbal medicine, but now it is much easier to find quality educational support. Health food stores became known as the place to find the best herbal and supplement products, natural bodycare products and healthy, chemical-free grocieries. In the last few years some of these products have found their way into chain groceries, drug stores and larger discount stores, as well as on the internet and by mail-order.

Certain standards definately exist in the formulation and tableting of high quality supplements, and these standards still exist to guide the consumer to the best product they can obtain for their money. The highest quality products are found in finer health food stores because the supplement and herbal manufacturers dedicated to this standard have continued to improve and refine their methods, and their products are the main lines you will find in these health food stores. The highest quality ingredients will be used in their products. Most of these dedicated companies have in-house testing labs and facilities to test the purity and potency of raw herbal material, for example. If a batch of a particular herb does not meet their standards, they reject it. Most of these companies also send their finished formulation to a third-party, independent lab to be tested for potency and purity, which assures the customer of even better results. Tablets are made in such a way that they will dissolve more easily, and will contain less binders, fillers and glazes. No artificial colors or flavorings are used.

On the other hand, in the general marketplace a wide array of quality can be found. The less expensive products will contain less expensive ingredients. Corners will be cut on the quality of individual components, and very often the rejected herbal material from one of the high quality manufacturers will go back out into the marketplace to be resold to a lower bidder for use in their product. So not only can we get a product which contains inferior herbal material or lower quality, hard to absorb vitamin and mineral ingredients, but then the tableting process will include so many binders, fillers and glazes as to make it almost impossible for many people to digest the product. What may often occurr as a result of these lower standards of manufacture, is that the consumer on the other end does not get the good results they were anticipating. This can often leave a person disappointed and discouraged with using supplements and herbs for prevention and balancing health.

All in all, it makes good sense to purchase higher quality vitamin and herbal products, formulated by companies who have a long-standing record of excellence. By visiting your local health food store, you can not only become more familiar with some of these fine products, but you can also gain educational support from trained, dedicated staff members who have current research and reference materials on hand, and can offer personalized attention to help you decide for yourself which products you may want to use. Your money will be well invested in your health, and you will have a much greater opportunity for achieving the results you desire.

©Copyright 2001 by AlternativeApproaches.com

Susie Cooper, a community herbalist and homeopathic educator, has worked in the natural foods business since 1991 and has been teaching workshops on herbal and homeopathic medicine since 1993. In addition to presenting numerous talks, she has also appeared on radio programs pertaining to natural health. With her husband, Paul, she owns and operates Blue Mountain Herbs, a small health food store in Pilot Mountain, North Carolina, where she also teaches workshops in herbal and homeopathic medicine. “Offering a proper base of education for people interested in maintaining health the natural way is of utmost importance to me,” she says. “So many options exist in the world around us, and it’s important to me to offer the best traditional educational support I can to people wanting a healthy alternative for prevention and wellness.”

Important note: The information contained in this column is not meant to diagnose or prescribe for specific ailments, but is intended for educational support only. Please seek the advise of a licensed health practitioner for specific illnesses and emergency situations.