In choosing the best herbal products, if you are lucky enough to have your own herb patch where you can make sure of the excellence, you must get and buy your herb collection from a reliable store or mail-order shopping business. Just like any plant, there are some factors that can affect the effectiveness of herbs, such as harvesting method, growing conditions, drying and storage processes, even the exact time of the year and day when the herbs were picked up. Usually, the freshness of the herbs can deteriorate just from the very moment it is harvested.
When choosing for the best herbal products, make sure you store your herbs in airtight containers and it will be much better if you will use glass and make sure to put it on a place wherein direct heat and sunlight is always present. Herbs in large and chunky pieces have long shelf life compare to fine and powdered herbs. Two years is the estimated time of storing leaves and flowers and then roots and barks for about three years. Since there is no exact expiration date, you have to use the herb’s aroma, color and taste to test if the herbs are still good to use.
In choosing the best herbal products, even a dried herbs can still have its aroma and color but if for instance you can no longer detects the aroma nor the taste of a certain herbs, then it is far better to throw it than to use it and then get unpleasant results. When choosing for the best herbal products, it is also advisable to do some research through references and through the internet.
Here are some useful tips for you about choosing the best herbal product:
1. Check for GMP Compliance. GMP happens to be the best and most respected standard that all companies must comply with. They have the most strict and highest standard when it comes to quality that is why any medications and supplements that undergone their test are definitely effective and risk-free.
2. Choose the herbal products that have standardized and pure ingredients only. If there are some ingredients that you’re not sure whether it is natural or not, better not buy it for your own safety.
3. Always ask for Certificate of Analysis (COA). It is the COA who make sure that the ingredients of the herbal products are all natural and that the manufacturer had done lab test on it to make sure it effectivity and safeness.
4. Study the label very carefully. It must have all the natural ingredients, the manufacturer’s name and address, number of pieces of capsules or tablets and the total amount of active ingredients.