Herb Supplements

October 13, 2006 2:48 PM

Reputable US herbal supplement manufacturers.

My MD recommended that I take a supplement with saw palmetto. He advised me that supplements manufacturers aren't anywhere near equal and that I should seek a reputable producer. Uncharacteristically so, he was unable to recall a specific brand. I've done some cursory research, but didn't find anything conclusive.

So, hive mind, how about it?

posted by plinth to Health & Fitness (5 answers total)

FWIW, my gf is into herbal supplements, and she buys the Rainbow Light brand supplements (for me), which she says are good.

I just looked at my "Men's One Multivitamin" bottle on my desk and it contains Saw Palmetto 2:1 Extract (150mg).
posted by mphuie at 3:20 PM on October 13, 2006

My wife worked at Herbs of Light and they are in the top tier of quality in the USA, without a doubt and the first I would recommend to anyone (she no longer works there and we recommended them long before she started working there).

Others that I know are quality, from my years of working in a health food store: Herb Pharm.

The above two I know do liquid tinctures which keeps more potency.

If you can't find those/ don't want liquid try to find New Chapter or MegaFoods which sells powdered capsules. You can't go wrong with any of those four brands.
posted by iurodivii at 4:04 PM on October 13, 2006

If you frequently buy vitamins and/or supplements, you might want to consider purchasing a membership to ConsumerLab. They test a wide variety of supplements using stringent criteria for things like strength and purity. You can read more about their standards here.

I just looked up their report on saw palmetto extract and saw several brands. If you're not a health nut and/or would rather not spend more $$, reply back here and I'll send it to you as a .pdf.
posted by invisible ink at 6:40 PM on October 13, 2006

I'm subscribed to an email list for herbalists, many of whom grow (or "wildcraft") their own stuff or get it from people who do. They often claim that the dried stuff you buy in the stores is crap, that it has lost its potency. They recommend that you use the fresh stuff or, if that isn't an option, they agree with iurodivii that tinctures are the way to go.

One of the online resources these folks hold in very high regard is called herbcraft.org and there you can find a list of outfits that sell fresh herbs and/or tinctures.

I myself have never bought from any of these companies, but am planning to give one a try in the near future.
posted by Clay201 at 3:16 AM on October 14, 2006

These are companies that've been around awhile.

Good:
Rainbow Light
Solgar
Solaray (which tested for purity)

I know for a fact Kal outsources, which is not good.
posted by dragonsi55 at 6:45 AM on October 14, 2006