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Bodytalk
Question: What does it mean when I read that the government doesn't standardize herbal products? Herbals difficult
to standardizeAnswer: In conventional medicine, standardizing a product means that each dose, whether it's a pill, capsule or teaspoonful, contains the same amount of active ingredient. There are no variations in potency. They are chemically manufactured to be exact.
This standardizing process is much more difficult with medicinal herbs, because botanicals are composed of many naturally occurring complex chemical compounds.
In other words, any one herb may contain many active ingredients. Some even have unidentified active constituents, making standardizing next to impossible.
Currently, herbs, and the products made from them, are not required by law to be standardized. This results in products where the amount and potency of the active ingredients can vary greatly.
There are many factors that influence the potency of an herbal product. One is the strain of the herb used to make the product. Different strains may have genetic differences in potency.
Growing conditions are another. The climate and soil characteristics affect the health and vigor of the plant, both of which help determine potency.
The maturity of the plant at harvesting time is another crucial factor in determining plant potency. Were the growers in a rush to get their product to market, harvesting before the plant matures and thereby compromising potency?
Purity influences potency. Which plant parts were used in manufacturing the product? Were the leaf, stem, root, flower, bark and seed all used, when in fact just the root contained the active ingredient?
How long were the herbs in storage before processing began, and were the storage conditions conducive to preserving potency?
The active compounds in herbs lose their potency as they are exposed to air, light, heat and humidity. Which manufacturing methods were used in making the product? Were the herbs cooked, cut, ground, dried, mixed, etc., to any particular specifications?
Since the FDA does not monitor quality standards for herbal products, the herbal industry is pretty much self-regulated. You can purchase herbs in a variety of preparations. Teas, tinctures, extracts, fluids or juices, solids, powders, oils, ointments and liniments.
According to my source, the best way to be sure of an herbal medicine's potency is to buy an extract in an alcohol tincture. If properly stored, the shelf life exceeds two years.
Health Events
Stephenie Karony is a certified health
and fitness instructor, a personal trainer and the author of
"Body Shaping with Free Weights." Send questions to her at
P.O. Box 262, Wailuku Hi. Her column appears on Wednesdays.