Standardized supplements

There was some talk on one of the threads about the unreliability of supplements. Someone mentioned that sawdust was found in a supplement.

When looking for a supplement if you look for the word Standardized extract or standardized, this is what that means:

Standardized extracts are guaranteed to contain a specific quantity of a known marker compound, and are laboratory tested to insure consistent potency.

This sentence is standard for those supplements that meet this criteria. The bottle or jar will also have information on the exact % of the substance in each capsule or tablet.

Then there is this, which I am not as familiar with:
Standardized Full-Potency Herbs

Standardized Full Potency (SFP) Herbs are developed through a unique process that integrates the ideologies of both traditional herbalism and standardized herbal technology. To ensure consistent and reliable phytonutrient levels, a consistent amount of these important active plant compounds are extracted. Then, these enhanced, "standardized" compounds are blended with all the components that occur naturally in the whole herb. The result is a potent, premium-quality standardized herbal extract with all the synergistic and beneficial qualities found in nature.



This will keep the sawdust out of your supplements, if you choose to take any.

Claudia

I personally prefer not to have an extract, because it's hard to tell if there aren't very vital elements that are you not getting, that you would have gotten if you had consumed the item in its natural state. If the whole plant, or leaves or roots are ground than that would most likely be akin to the whole substance. I do take astragalus root extract, as I have no idea where to get the whole root.

Anyone with any other helpful information would be welcome.