We often get excellent questions and comments from the Mountain Rose Herbs community that inspire us on product ideas, blog writing, and more. We recently had a question about the difference between whole and standardized herbal products and how to choose which to use. We are so glad you asked that!
In the herbal products industry, whole herbs usually mean dried plant parts—roots, leaves, stems, flowers, etc., and include whole herbs processed into other forms like powders, capsules, and extracts. Products made with whole herbs are broad-spectrum, meaning they contain the complex and complete constituent makeup of the plant.
Standardized supplements are blended or processed to capture specific active constituents of a plant in quantifiable, standardized, consistent amounts. Standardization allows for precise amounts of one or more desirable herbal constituents based on measurable factors.
It is important to note that both whole and standardized herbal options can be beneficial. Many people use whole herbs in combination with standardized herbal supplements as part of their daily wellness plan. However, neither should be considered an adequate substitute for a healthy lifestyle that includes a whole-food diet and exercise.
Human use of whole herbs for wellness dates back to the dawn of humankind; we have evolved side-by-side with Earth’s flora. The microbiomes of healthy soil and the human gut have some interesting crossover because everything we have eaten for millennia contains the chemical makeup of the soil it grew in or grazed on. Medical science is increasingly looking at the interplay between intestinal microbiota and the immune system. The current science tells us that 70-80% of our immune cells are present in the gut and require a healthy microbiome to flourish, which in turn requires different strains of beneficial microbes.
Whole herbs contain both beneficial constituents and microbial diversity, which is necessary for the health of the human gut. According to the American Herbal Products Association (AHPA), whole (unprocessed) dried herbs are allowed to have more natural microbes compared to standardized herbal products. Eating a nutritious, whole-food diet with the diverse constituents of whole herbs gives our bodies more tools to build a robust microbiome and immune response. Whole herbs may be powdered and encapsulated, infused in extracts/tinctures, oxymels, vinegars, glycerites, etc., or used dried in bulk for cooking, teas, and more. Many whole herbs can also be standardized.
The caveat with whole herbs is that the quantity and quality of an herb’s constituents and microbial content are affected by a variety of things: the plant’s genetics, the terroir it grew in, its age at harvest, the harvest season, the part of the plant used, processing techniques, storage conditions, and more. Even the best farmers and manufacturers who do everything correctly will see differences from harvest to harvest. So, although whole herbs offer us unique, vital wellness benefits, their chemical composition may vary slightly, whereas standardized herbal products are always consistent.
For an herbal product to be standardized, the manufacturer must guarantee batch-to-batch consistency in the chemical composition of the ingredients. The typical way to confirm the chemical content is by analyzing what are called marker compounds. Marker compounds are constituents that occur naturally in the botanical material and can be chemically analyzed and measured.
Herbal supplements may be broad spectrum, made using whole herbs with quantifiable constituents. However, according to AHPA, the marker ingredient is usually a component(s) responsible for a desired benefit. The goals of the standardization process are to reduce the natural, inherent variation in the desired constituent(s) and create an end product with a known percentage of the marker component(s). Essentially, the standardization process prioritizes one or more active constituents in a botanical and isolates those as much as possible to create a measurable dose of the active ingredient.
Standardization procedures start in the field. Ideally, materials are sourced from the same species or even the same variety of plants to minimize the inherent variability. Agriculture, harvesting, and wildcrafting practices must be consistent so that plants are collected at the right stage of development and under the best conditions and are then dried appropriately to avoid nutritional degradation. Many manufacturers then use processes and/or solvents to isolate and concentrate precise phytochemicals and minimize other constituents that were part of the whole herb. This process makes a more sterile end product with less diverse microbial content, but it does allow manufacturers to precisely dial in the potency of particular constituents.
Depending on your needs, standardized herbal products are an excellent way to get a pre-measured, consistent, appropriate amount of a particular constituent for a specific purpose, which is often not possible in the same way with whole herbs. That said, remember that more is not always better, whether we are talking about conventional medicine, herbs, supplements, nutrients in food, exercise, etc. Herbs that are safe in their whole state may be dangerous when concentrated, and some people are more sensitive than others. Therefore, it is always in your best interest to educate yourself about the products you are buying and the companies that provide your herbs and herbal products—ensure they are ethical, trustworthy, and transparent about their ingredients, sourcing, and manufacturing process.
Finally, whether you are interested in whole herbs, herbal supplements, or both, please speak with your healthcare professional(s) and look at the other herbs, supplements, and/or medications you are currently taking before adding something new to your wellness regimen. Mountain Rose Herbs carries high-quality whole herbs and just launched a line of standardized herbal capsules so you can customize your wellness plan for your unique body and goals.
Mountain Rose Herbs' New Standardized Supplements Include:
You may also enjoy:
Topics: Inside Mountain Rose Herbs, Herbalism, Specialty Ingredients
Heidi is an award winning freelance writer with a passion for urban homesteading. She has been honored to receive a number of literary prizes including the esteemed Pushcart Prize and an Individual Artists Award in Creative Writing from the Oregon Arts Commission and the National Endowment for the Arts. She is proud to have earned a certificate of completion for the Herbal Medicine Making Course at the Chestnut School of Herbal Medicine. When she isn’t working in the garden, cleaning the henhouse, preserving food, crafting herbal formulations, or writing and editing content for really fantastic small businesses, you’ll likely find her with her nose in a book.
We often get excellent questions and comments from the Mountain Rose Herbs community that inspire us on product ideas, blog writing, and more. We recently had a question about the difference between whole and standardized herbal products and how to choose which to use. We are so glad you asked that!
In the herbal products industry, whole herbs usually mean dried plant parts—roots, leaves, stems, flowers, etc., and include whole herbs processed into other forms like powders, capsules, and extracts. Products made with whole herbs are broad-spectrum, meaning they contain the complex and complete constituent makeup of the plant.
Standardized supplements are blended or processed to capture specific active constituents of a plant in quantifiable, standardized, consistent amounts. Standardization allows for precise amounts of one or more desirable herbal constituents based on measurable factors.
It is important to note that both whole and standardized herbal options can be beneficial. Many people use whole herbs in combination with standardized herbal supplements as part of their daily wellness plan. However, neither should be considered an adequate substitute for a healthy lifestyle that includes a whole-food diet and exercise.
Human use of whole herbs for wellness dates back to the dawn of humankind; we have evolved side-by-side with Earth’s flora. The microbiomes of healthy soil and the human gut have some interesting crossover because everything we have eaten for millennia contains the chemical makeup of the soil it grew in or grazed on. Medical science is increasingly looking at the interplay between intestinal microbiota and the immune system. The current science tells us that 70-80% of our immune cells are present in the gut and require a healthy microbiome to flourish, which in turn requires different strains of beneficial microbes.
Whole herbs contain both beneficial constituents and microbial diversity, which is necessary for the health of the human gut. According to the American Herbal Products Association (AHPA), whole (unprocessed) dried herbs are allowed to have more natural microbes compared to standardized herbal products. Eating a nutritious, whole-food diet with the diverse constituents of whole herbs gives our bodies more tools to build a robust microbiome and immune response. Whole herbs may be powdered and encapsulated, infused in extracts/tinctures, oxymels, vinegars, glycerites, etc., or used dried in bulk for cooking, teas, and more. Many whole herbs can also be standardized.
The caveat with whole herbs is that the quantity and quality of an herb’s constituents and microbial content are affected by a variety of things: the plant’s genetics, the terroir it grew in, its age at harvest, the harvest season, the part of the plant used, processing techniques, storage conditions, and more. Even the best farmers and manufacturers who do everything correctly will see differences from harvest to harvest. So, although whole herbs offer us unique, vital wellness benefits, their chemical composition may vary slightly, whereas standardized herbal products are always consistent.
For an herbal product to be standardized, the manufacturer must guarantee batch-to-batch consistency in the chemical composition of the ingredients. The typical way to confirm the chemical content is by analyzing what are called marker compounds. Marker compounds are constituents that occur naturally in the botanical material and can be chemically analyzed and measured.
Herbal supplements may be broad spectrum, made using whole herbs with quantifiable constituents. However, according to AHPA, the marker ingredient is usually a component(s) responsible for a desired benefit. The goals of the standardization process are to reduce the natural, inherent variation in the desired constituent(s) and create an end product with a known percentage of the marker component(s). Essentially, the standardization process prioritizes one or more active constituents in a botanical and isolates those as much as possible to create a measurable dose of the active ingredient.
Standardization procedures start in the field. Ideally, materials are sourced from the same species or even the same variety of plants to minimize the inherent variability. Agriculture, harvesting, and wildcrafting practices must be consistent so that plants are collected at the right stage of development and under the best conditions and are then dried appropriately to avoid nutritional degradation. Many manufacturers then use processes and/or solvents to isolate and concentrate precise phytochemicals and minimize other constituents that were part of the whole herb. This process makes a more sterile end product with less diverse microbial content, but it does allow manufacturers to precisely dial in the potency of particular constituents.
Depending on your needs, standardized herbal products are an excellent way to get a pre-measured, consistent, appropriate amount of a particular constituent for a specific purpose, which is often not possible in the same way with whole herbs. That said, remember that more is not always better, whether we are talking about conventional medicine, herbs, supplements, nutrients in food, exercise, etc. Herbs that are safe in their whole state may be dangerous when concentrated, and some people are more sensitive than others. Therefore, it is always in your best interest to educate yourself about the products you are buying and the companies that provide your herbs and herbal products—ensure they are ethical, trustworthy, and transparent about their ingredients, sourcing, and manufacturing process.
Finally, whether you are interested in whole herbs, herbal supplements, or both, please speak with your healthcare professional(s) and look at the other herbs, supplements, and/or medications you are currently taking before adding something new to your wellness regimen. Mountain Rose Herbs carries high-quality whole herbs and just launched a line of standardized herbal capsules so you can customize your wellness plan for your unique body and goals.
Mountain Rose Herbs' New Standardized Supplements Include:
You may also enjoy:
Topics: Inside Mountain Rose Herbs, Herbalism, Specialty Ingredients
Heidi is an award winning freelance writer with a passion for urban homesteading. She has been honored to receive a number of literary prizes including the esteemed Pushcart Prize and an Individual Artists Award in Creative Writing from the Oregon Arts Commission and the National Endowment for the Arts. She is proud to have earned a certificate of completion for the Herbal Medicine Making Course at the Chestnut School of Herbal Medicine. When she isn’t working in the garden, cleaning the henhouse, preserving food, crafting herbal formulations, or writing and editing content for really fantastic small businesses, you’ll likely find her with her nose in a book.
