Herb quality cannot be over emphasized. It is critical to effective herbal therapy that the proper plants are picked in the proper season and used fresh. High quality herbs will retain all the characteristics of the whole herb: aroma, color, taste and effect. Whenever possible the plants used should be organically grown or locally abundant herbs can be specifically wildcrafted to avoid contamination (such as with pesticides).

Many commercially available bulk herbs contain residues from agricultural chemicals, fumigation and irradiation. Organic cultivation allows the manufacturer of herbal extracts to maintain access to high quality botanical ingredients. A recent advance in herb technology and research (fresh freeze-drying) allows maintenance of the natural potency of most herbs by preserving all the biologically active constituents of the fresh plant. In many instances, improved or unique therapeutic action has resulted from the fresh freeze-drying process.

Herbal extracts have been used in many forms and strengths as galenicals, tinctures, fluid extracts, etc.: these are water and alcohol extractions made from fresh or shade-dried plants. Some extracts include the addition of a little vegetable glycerin. A few herbs are also extracted in 100% organic olive oil for external use. Herbal extracts offer the advantage of being more readily available to body than powdered herbs. These plant extracts are effective preparations which are well tolerated. They may be taken alone or in a little water or juice.

An herbal combination is chosen to specifically address the entire complaint of an individual. The herbs that best address their particular symptoms are chosen over similar plants. Several plants or their extracts can work together in a balanced fashion. What one herb lacks another can provide, so that the combined action improves what can be accomplished by a single herb. Some herbs in the combination would help relieve the symptoms while others act to correct the cause of the symptoms. Though sometimes called a "shotgun" approach, combining herbs can be very effective when the goal is to resolve the cause of the problem. Otherwise, there may be no long lasting benefit.

Alcohol is second only to water as a solvent (extracting fluid) for making herbal extracts. Herbs are composed of a wide variety of chemical components to which their benefit is attributed. Some of these components are more soluble in water and some are more soluble in alcohol. This explains why the alcohol content is different from herb to herb. Resins in Myrrh or Cayenne are best extracted in alcohol and will have a higher alcohol content. Other herbs such as Marshmallow or Slippery Elm are best extracted in water.

Alcohol is not only important for extracting components of herbs, but it has the ability to preserve the extract from spoiling. Even when water is the best solvent, the extract must contain 15-30% alcohol to maintain stability and prevent spoiling. The alcohol content on labels indicates what percent of the liquid is alcohol not how much herb is in the bottle. Each ounce of an herbal extract represents the soluble components of 7.5 to 30 grams of herb no matter if the alcohol content is 25% or 85%. The concentration level is determined by the nature of each herb.

If a label states the concentration as 1:4 then each ounce represents the soluble portion of 7.5 grams of that herb. A label declaring a 1:1 concentration represents 30 grams of the soluble herb. The average daily dose of an herbal extract is 45-90 drops. Overall herbal extracts average 45% alcohol. Therefore, the average total daily consumption of alcohol is a mere 40 drops. We advise other high quality alternatives such as fresh freeze-dried encapsulated herbs when even these small amounts of alcohol are not appropriate.

Since alcohol is indispensable for making high quality herbal extracts, more emphasis should be placed on the kind of alcohol used to make them. Commercial grain alcohol is made with corn.

Most of this country's total annual agricultural chemicals go toward the cultivation of corn. These agricultural chemicals are a serious and persistent threat to the air, soil and ground water which support all life forms. Do you want the alcohol in your herbal extract to contribute to the further pollution of our planet?

Until recently, the production of glycerite (Alcohol free extracts) met with limited success. Several innovations have helped to alleviate these short comings. Glycerites can be extracted directly with glycerin in some instances but traditional knowledge recommends alcohol extraction initially and then removal of the alcohol under vacuum. The Eclectic Medical period (1854-1937) provided clinical successes using this method with equipment developed by John Uri Lloyd. The Lloyd Extractor, a pharmaceutical cold still is described in the Remmington Practice of Pharmacy. In addition, the stability of some glycerite extractions is enhanced by a lower pH and therefore ascorbic acid (Vitamin C) should be added to sensitive botanicals (i.e.. Echinacea).

Flavoring of glycerites is enhanced by the inherent sweetness of glycerin. Natural flavoring of raspberry or orange can augment the compliance and increase the biological effectiveness in people adverse to the taste of alcoholic extracts.

If you have food sensitivities or allergies to corn avoid extracts made with grain alcohol. Although grain alcohol is highly refined it still carries the allergen of corn and due to the rapid absorption of alcohol, the allergic symptoms appear in a few minutes.
For example, many people use a White Willow extract to relieve a headache. Since the majority of the US population has some allergic reaction to corn, it is possible that alcohol made from grain will increase the likelihood of aggravating the condition. This same caution can be given to the use of extracts for most conditions (i.e. corn is known to aggravate arthritic symptoms, bladder, etc.)