Herbs

HW205: Vitamins, Herbs, and Nutritional Supplements

Standardized & Non-Standardized Herbs

A great deal of things predate documented history including the countless uses early humans had for various plants, many of which we still use today. Long before the understanding of germ theory and the cause of other diseases, shaman and other healers used herbs to help the ill. Herbs are mentioned throughout the Bible and there is evidence of Egyptian herbal schools as early as the year 3000 BC (Penn State Extension, 2015). Having such history and laying the groundwork for many medications used today (Kosowski, 2015) it is no wonder the popularity of herbs in the marketplace continues to grow.

As growing health disparities continue to rise, many people are moving towards a more natural minded way of life. Current trends have prompted a demand for the availably of herbs to use for medicinal purposes. The effective healing properties of herbs make them a logical and typically inexpensive alternative to prescription medication. Since the average consumer doesn’t necessarily understand exactly what to take in order to benefit from herbal supplements many manufactures offer both non-standardized and standardized version of various herbal products. Some consumers prefer the non-standardized form of given herbs, which contains all the plants properties other consumers may only want a specific concentration of an herb and opt for a standardized extract. The appeal to a standardized herbal extract is knowing the concentrated amount to be taken, whereas with a non-standardized option potency will vary. It is important to keep in mind some properties of the whole herb will be absent in a strictly standardized extract (Kosowski, 2015).

Comparing the contents of both a standardized and a non-standardized herb is a good way to comprehend the differences between the two (Appendix). It is important to keep content in mind, often measured in milligrams for capsules and...