3 replies to this topic

[Skyguy2005]

The BBC has a report where they used HPLC (proper method I assume) to test herbal supplements of Rhodiola, Ginkgo and Milk Thistle. 

 

http://www.bbc.co.uk...y-on-the-label 

http://www.sciencedi...44711315003189 

 

What to make of this study? I couldn't find links to the actual study data about Ginkgo Biloba or Milk Thistle. It was all Rhodiola related. 

 

E.g. I get Ginkgo Biloba from Nature's Best, it's pretty high quality. What about other manufacturers? 

 

Is this the difference between more expensive tablets and cheaper ones... 

[aconita]

The issue is quite simple, most if not all herbal extracts (and not only those) are manufactured in China where quality control is basically just up the the manufacturer morality, if the importer doesn't perform its own third party tests quality is uncertain, to rely solely on the manufacturer provided certificate of analysis is a joke.

 

Price has probably nothing to do with quality since profit is huge anyway.

 

The solution would be very simple: a normative imposing importers to perform third party quality tests to be attached to the final product sold.

 

I am quite sure most importers/sellers are totally unaware of what they are really selling to the public.

[joelcairo]

That may possibly be true for the lowest price resellers, such as the in-house brand supplements sold by chain stores such as Walgreens or Costco. I can imagine them using a lowest-bidder approach to their whole supply chain where the only metric being applied is the ability to sell certain dosages at a certain price point.

 

However most of the supplements I take are "standardized", so as to contain a certain quantity of EGCG (for green tea) or rosmarinic acid (for rosemary) or punicosides (for pomegranate) or whatever. Because of the nature of plant products, I assume there could be some variation from the advertised numbers, but I think it's reasonable to expect that the labels are approximately correct. Unless the manufacturers are outright fabricating the numbers on the label, they have at least gone through the process of obtaining the appropriate raw materials and processing them so as to create a high quality product.

[normalizing]

that is why studies on herbs that show any effectiveness are trademarks by companies. not just business, but companies make their own extracts (not generics from China) and then test them for efficiency and put them on trial in studies. lots of trademarked various herbal extracts out there that come from US and Europe, and China produces the rest, generic herb powders, formulas usually sold at cheaper price by manufactures like swanson, nature made and all those brands in wal-mart and walgreens.

 

now i know people will find this dubious and dont wanna spend the extra money on what they deem to be the same herbal extract, but you can experiment yourself just once go the extra mile here and buy generic turmeric extracts and brand name trademarks and see the difference. tho, thats not the best example as turmeric doesnt really have any clear noticeable effect, try something stimulative perhaps, like rhodiola or green tea extract. compare the two, basic extracts vs trademarked brand. i know ive noticed some differences, but who am i to be trusted, im the bad boy of the forum :S

Edited by normalizing, 29 August 2016 - 04:49 PM.