What you know before buy herbs?
Photo courtesy of Steffe
St Jonh’s wort can come in many forms:
· Pill
· Tablet
· Capsules
· Tea
· Tincture
· Ointment
· Oil
There are a few questions you should ask yourself like what brand you should buy, what are the differences among different brands, and what the price tells you…etc…
How to choose the safest brands?
There are a few herbal medicine companies that are strictly regulated by FDA. Before you go to the market or buy herbs online, you should always read the label carefully. Not all companies produce the same quality of St Jonh’s wort. You want to make sure the label reads that the preparation is standard extract that contain a specific amount of hypercin in each pill (0.2-0.3% of hypercin).
For a high-quality herbal medicine product, the label also contains clear information on the expiration date, lot number, and dosage directions. The recommended dosage can be from low 300mg per day to 900 mg per day. Talk to your doctor which dosage fit your condition.
Does the price reflect the quality when buying herbs?
Different herbal medicines from different companies cost differently. A major herbal company that has passed the IND (Investigational new drug) status from the FDA is Kira or Lichtwer. In order to obtain such status, the company has to meet the manufacturing and safety standard given by the FDA.
So should you purchase the cheapest brands or the most expensive? There is no answer for that. The cheapest brand can be a bargain or just useless. The most expensive brand could mean high-quality or just plain rip-off. Prices can varied can be from $0.25$ – $2.20$/ per day.
Few warnings for your safety
Before buying herbs in the store or buy herbs online, you should look for the expiration date carefully. If the expiration date had passed, don’t buy it. Even if you think the expiration is too close, you shouldn’t buy it.
If you want to see if there is any improvement after using St John Wort, you can look for things such as:
· feels more optimistic
· Sleep better and longer
· feels more active in all activities
· Concentration better…
Take care of your health,