Sourcing Quality Supplements

Quality Supplements Are SO Important

Purity of product is all important when purchasing supplements. An independent study several years ago revealed supplements purchased from Walmart, Target, GNC, and Walgreens had as little as 10% of what was claimed on the label! Yikes! People spend more than $35 billion on these products each year. One recent report looked at three memory supplements: two of them contained none of the active ingredient, and one of those contained unidentifiable chemicals that raise serious questions about its safety.

This is why we are so particular to the brands we carry. We have personally toured and hand-picked companies that use independent lab testing to verify potency and purity.

Some of the different terms to describe herbs, for instance, are based on how they are grown and harvested, including Certified Organic, Responsibly Wildcrafted and Purity Verified. Regardless of its classification, each herb needs to also be subject to a variety of tests, including organoleptic assessment, high performance thin layer chromatography (HPTLC) and microbiological testing, to confirm identity and quality. These also need to have a testing program for heavy metals and pesticide screening, which includes pesticides, herbicides, miticides and fungicides.

Here’s some help to understand sourcing from one of our trusted vendors, Herb Pharm:

CERTIFIED ORGANIC

Certified Organic herbs are sourced from our farms in southern Oregon or our trusted partners. The herbs on our farms are cultivated using sustainable, regenerative methods to encourage soil health and protect the ecosystem.

As Certified Organic handlers, we handle organic products in alignment with National Organic Standards. We also apply for organic certification for specific products when appropriate.

RESPONSIBLY WILDCRAFTED

Responsibly Wildcrafted herbs are collected according to specific guidelines in their natural habitats by a carefully vetted network of wildcrafters and brokers. Our wildcrafters are required to adhere to Good Collection Practices to ensure high quality and consistency for our raw ingredients. Herb Pharm limits our wildcrafted sourcing to species with robust populations in order to protect their long-term viability and prevent overharvesting.

PURITY VERIFIED

Purity Verified herbs are cultivated but for various reasons do not have organic certification. In some cases, certification is not possible in the regions where our raw materials are sourced. These herbs undergo very rigorous testing to ensure their quality and compliance with our specifications. Whenever possible, growing operations have been inspected to meet our standards.

The lesson in all of this is to be very careful sourcing your supplements. Buy only from trusted brands and preferably NOT off Amazon as Chinese companies have even been known to create fake, duplicate labels and sell sugar pills as supplements – yes, that’s TRUE!

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