In order to make a capsule or tablet, the plant must be dried and then ground to a powder. In this process, much of the plant's essential oils are burned and lost. Further, capsules require excellent digestion and since most of our digestive systems are compromised, we only get 10% to 15% of what is contained in the capsule. In addition, chemical additives are used in the capsules to facilitate encapsulation.

Liquid tinctures, by contrast, are rich in the plant's essential oils and go directly into the blood stream. This makes tinctures faster acting and more effective.

The alcohol serves several important functions:

1. Alcohol is the best medium to extract the medicinal, healing qualities of most plants.

2. Liquid preparations have to be protected against spoiling, particularly microbial damage. Alcohol serves to stabilize and preserve the herbal tincture.

3. Alcohol actually helps to increase absorption of the medicinal substances in the gastrointestinal tract and, thereby, improve efficacy.

The small amount of alchohol used in our process is easily assimilated. When functioning normally, the human body itself produces small amounts of alcohol and over thousands of years of evolution has developed its own enzyme to break down alcohol. To eliminate some of the alchohol, put some boiling water into herbal dose or consume them in hot beverages.

All plants contain hundreds and even thousands of compounds in distinct patterns. Whole plants have been gifts of our planet for thousands of years. Our bodies have the wisdom to select what is needed from these complex and incredible botanicals.

With the entry of large pharmaceutical companies into the herbal field comes their attempt to treat herbs almost as drugs, that is, to identify the "active ingredient," and establish a "standard." However, we are finding that it is not only arrogant, but actually impossible to standardize herbs.

For example, it was believed that 0.3% hypericin was the best way to measure the potency of Saint John's Wort, an herb with remarkable antidepressant qualities. Then, last year, it was discovered that hypericin was not the anti-depressant in Saint John's Wort at all! Hypericin is an anti-viral compound. And the antidepressant constituents in Saint John's Wort are still unclear.

This effort to standardize herbs is intended to exclude all but the major pharmaceutical companies from herbal manufacturing. They alone have the unlimited funds to pursue standardization. But there is another reason to pursue standardization: these highly refined standardized products have been patented! It is impossible to patent a whole plant.

We, at Quantum Herbal Products, believe in making full-spectrum extracts from whole plants of the highest possible quality: organic and wildcrafted extracts made by people, not machines, and aged for months or years.

Yes, our herbal tinctures can be used by children and animals. Please call our Herbal Hotline
(800) 348-0398 or email us for proper dosage information and for best methods of administration.