Goldenseal Supplements - What You See is Not Necessarily What You Get!

This is a series of articles on the problems with the supplements you buy in the store. Since in the United States, herbs are sold not as drugs but as food, there are problems with contamination and adulteration of a lot of the herb products.

This is an ongoing problem now as well as in the past few years.

There are a number of factors that can be involved with buying a supplement that in not up to standards. Much of the time, you will just get inconsistent results or see no results from taking the product. This cannot be proven because of factors such as age, immune system stability, health conditions and stress. Even with a quality product, there may times that you see no positive results. It's like in weight loss when you reach a plateau. Each herbal supplement has ways in which it can be adulterated. You look at a capsule and to you, it looks like the same product, but in reality, it may not be. A tea can taste or smell like the real herb but in actuality be cut with a cheap filler. You may not be able to taste the difference.

What goes into a quality goldenseal product?

First of all, the herb itself must be grown in the proper soil until it reaches maturity 3-5 years. It takes that long for it to be a quality product with the correct medicinal properties. One of the first ways you may get cheated is that the plant is sold before it's mature. The plant will not contain all the medicinal properties when sold early but only testing can distinguish that. The profit margin is raised when the plant is dug up after only a year or two instead. The plant must be picked at the proper time and then processed in a way so that it retains its medicinal properties. Using too much heat and certain chemicals will destroy the medicinal value of the plant. Tests must be performed to determine the kind of Goldenseal it is, and if it is free from dirt, pesticides, bugs, mercury, lead, and other toxins. When a person has an allergic reaction to a product, it may not be from the main ingredient but from the filler, dirt, or contamination in the product.

It is the goldenseal root, rather than the leaves, that is the most valuable medicinal part of the plant. A cheap goldenseal product often contains the leaf not the root.

Adulteration

The main problems with goldenseal supplements are that some companies are cutting the goldenseal with Oregon grape root because they have similar markers in their chemistry and both are bitter when dried. It takes tests to determine if the herb is pure. You as a consumer cannot tell by looking at the capsule. Goldenseal is very bitter so most people do not take it in the liquid form. So how do you tell then which brand to buy?

Do I buy the most expensive brand? Are the less expensive brands inferior?

Price does not mean necessarily that you have purchased is a quality product either. The company is not going to tell you they are giving you an inferior product. The only thing then you can go on, is the reputation of the company selling the product and what is stated on the label. Herbalists often use preferred brands because by experience and patient success over time, they have seen that a product gives results..

In Africa, China, and in many nations native people experimented with different herbs for example to soothe a stomach upset. With time, trial and error, they discovered that this herb made their stomach feel better and this other herb did not. After generations of practical use with positive results, you have a history of effectiveness.

Research the company on the internet or by phone. Find out where the goldenseal product comes from, what tests, they perform on the goldenseal to determine purity, and what extraction process is used on the herb powders. Is it a low heat process and what chemicals are used in the process? What are the standards that they adhere to with all their products like independent third party testing?

If you take goldenseal often for a cold, and you try a new brand without results, change products. You should, however, consider, whether your immune system is compromised and if there might be another factor why you are not getting results. Herb usage takes some experimentation and trial at times to get it right. Each one of us is unique and often need an individualized program to get results.

Read the label carefully:

Here is a good example of a label on a bottle of Goldenseal-Echinacea extract, "The herbs used t prepare this compound are Certified Organically Grown without the use of chemical fertilizers, pesticides or herbicides. They are hand harvested at their optimal potency, and are then promptly extracted while still fresh and succulent or after being carefully shade-dried. These herbs are never fumigated or irradiated." It lists the product as 85% Echinacea and 15% Goldenseal. Your product should state something similar, or I would not buy it. It also states as ingredients that it contains Echinacea root and Goldenseal rhizome and roots. This label comes from a product that I have used often, and it is very effective. The label may also give the designation of being, "Standardized" which is good or perhaps third party laboratory tested.

Just remember what you see is not necessarily what you get.

References:

http://www.viable-herbal.com/singles/herbs/s320.htm