Our bodies are made up of basically six things: vitamins, minerals, protein, carbohydrate, water and fats. Since we are made and fueled by all six of these nutrients, the quality of our health depends on the quality of all six of these nutrients. These nutrients are essential to health and life. Let’s compare our bodies to an automobile. If it is made from good quality steel, aluminum, rubber, etc., we will have a good car. If we add premium fuels, get regular checkups, and exercise it occasionally (don’t leave it parked all the time), it will give us good service. Compare this to our body. If we make it from poor quality food, fuel it with junk food, never see a physician for checkups, never give it exercise… do you get the point? We take better care of our cars than we do our bodies. We need optimal nutrition for optimal health. This includes both healthy food and whole food supplements. Herbs, unlike the six things we are made of, are not essential to life, but they can help an optimally healthy body to be even better. Some herbs are for use every day, while others are for use occasionally as needed.

Let’s continue with the car and the human body analogy and apply it to herbs. Car polish isn’t required by our cars. However, it will look a lot nicer and last a lot longer if it is protected by polish. A fuel additive isn’t required, but it will run more smoothly with the additive. Anti-friction oil additives, while not essential, will help the car’s engine oil to work even better. An undercoat isn’t essential to the operation of the car, but it will rust more quickly without it. You see, herbs help the various body systems to perform even better. They are used for such things as natural calming, building energy, increasing the activity of the immune system, and even in alleviating symptoms of various diseases. The good ones have a history of thousands of years of safe, effective use.

How do we choose quality herbs?

Many of us have been leery of herbs because they’ve gotten a bad reputation from a few unscrupulous companies who touted them for everything from curing baldness to weight loss while we sleep. Herbal testing technology called TLC, or Thin Layer Chromatography, has given us a foolproof test for quality. TLC measures the purity of the herb and is our assurance, as consumers, of the real thing. If the product’s label or accompanying literature does not state that it has passed this test, then the product is open to question. Also, a consumer should be sure that the herbs have no artificial flavors, sweeteners, colors or preservatives.

Another test is even more sophisticated. It is called High Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC). This test generates a very elaborate computer printout which identifies the various compounds found in the herb. For example, it can be used to analyze the amount of garlic’s most active component, allicin. It is also used with ginseng to determine the proper amounts and concentrations of the ginsenosides. A company that uses this type of analysis is using the best science and technology to bring us the very best products on the market.

Remember that there are hundreds of companies putting out inferior, low potency, adulterated herbal products. Therefore, always shop for quality and scientific proof behind the product.