Herbs & Plants
Browse herbal supplements from single herbs to standardised plant extracts, in capsules, powders and tinctures. We explain what extract ratios mean, which forms suit which use, and what UK rules allow us to say.Read more →
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Choosing between whole herbs, extracts and tinctures
What is actually inside a herbal supplement
A herbal supplement is a plant, or one part of a plant, in a measured dose. The part matters. Root, leaf, bark, seed and berry each carry different compounds, so milk thistle seed and milk thistle leaf are not the same product. A label that names the plant part and the dose tells you more than one that only names the plant.
Three preparations cover almost everything in the botanical section of our full supplement range. Whole herb powder is the dried plant, ground and put into capsules. An extract concentrates the plant using water, alcohol or CO2, then dries it into a powder. A tincture keeps the plant in liquid, so you dose by drops and can move up or down slowly.
Extract ratios and standardisation, in plain words
Two numbers decide how strong an extract is.
- The extract ratio, written as 10:1. Ten grams of dried plant were used to make one gram of extract.
- Standardisation. The maker guarantees a fixed percentage of one marker compound, for example 5% withanolides in Ashwagandha.
Standardisation is the more useful of the two. It fixes the amount of the compound you are actually paying for. A high ratio on its own says nothing about which compounds survived the process. Whole herb powder is cheaper and closer to traditional use, but you need a larger dose for the same amount of active compound. Neither is better in general. They answer different questions.
Price gaps in this category come mostly from extract strength and from branded raw materials. A branded extract costs more because the maker pays for the trials and the batch testing behind it. That is worth paying for when you want to match a dose used in research. It is not worth paying for when a plain, well dosed powder does the same job.
Why we keep the language careful
Health claims for plant ingredients are still unresolved in UK food law. Almost none are formally approved. So any shop promising you a specific result from a herb is going further than the rules allow. We would rather give you the plant, the part used, the extract strength and how it is traditionally taken, and let you judge.
How we choose the herbs we stock
We look at three things: the plant part and preparation, the dose per serving, and whether a combination makes sense. We prefer a standardised extract when the marker compound is well defined, and an honest whole herb powder when it is not. We skip products that bury a herb inside a proprietary blend, because you cannot see the dose. Herbs act slowly, so plan to judge most of them after two to three weeks of daily use. Every product passes our compliance team, we test batches ourselves and independent labs spot-check them. See how we select brands and products.
Who this collection suits
This page suits you if you already know which plant you want and need to compare forms and strengths, from single herbs such as turmeric extracts with curcumin to multi-herb formulas. If you are starting out, take one herb at a time for a few weeks. Then you know what is doing what, and you add a second only when the first has earned its place. Tell your GP or pharmacist which herbs you take, especially if you use prescription medicine or have an operation coming up.
Frequently asked questions
What are herbal supplements?
Herbal supplements are food supplements made from plants: roots, leaves, bark, seeds, flowers or fruit. They come as dried whole herb powder, as a concentrated extract, or as a liquid tincture. Unlike vitamins and minerals, your body does not need them to function. People take them for one specific plant compound. That is why the plant part and the dose per serving tell you far more than the plant name on the front of the pack.
Which herbs do people buy most often in the UK?
Turmeric, ashwagandha, milk thistle, ginger, echinacea and saw palmetto make up a large share of UK herbal sales. Most are bought as standardised extracts rather than plain powder, because the dose is easier to compare. Milk thistle capsules are a good example: the useful figure on the label is the silymarin percentage, often 80%, not the milligram number printed largest.
Which form should I choose: powder, extract or tincture?
It depends on how precisely you want to dose and how much you want to spend.
| Form | What it is | Best suited for |
|---|---|---|
| Whole herb powder | Dried, ground plant | Traditional use, lower cost |
| Standardised extract | Fixed % marker compound | Comparing and repeating a dose |
| Ratio extract | Concentrated, e.g. 10:1 | Smaller capsules, higher strength |
| Tincture | Plant in liquid | Drop dosing, building up slowly |
If you want a repeatable dose, choose a standardised extract.
What does 10:1 extract mean on a label?
It is the extract ratio. Ten grams of dried plant went in, one gram of extract came out. So 500 mg of a 10:1 extract started as roughly 5 grams of plant material. It is useful shorthand, but it has a limit: the ratio says nothing about which compounds ended up in the finished powder. A stated percentage of a marker compound, such as 95% curcuminoids, is a firmer number to compare across brands.
How long do herbal supplements take to work?
Most need consistent daily use before you can judge them. Two to three weeks is a fair first checkpoint, and some need six to eight weeks. Herbs are dilute compared with medicines, and the effect builds rather than switches on. If nothing has changed after two months at a sensible dose, the honest answer is that this herb is probably not doing much for you, and it is worth trying something else instead of raising the dose.
Can I take several herbs at the same time?
You can, but you learn less. Start with one herb for a few weeks, then add another. That way you know which one is responsible for any change, and which one to stop if you do not get on with it. Also check for overlap: multi-herb formulas often already contain the single herb you were about to add, which can push your total daily dose higher than you intended.
What is the difference between a herbal supplement and a registered herbal medicine?
A herbal food supplement is regulated as food. A registered herbal medicine carries a Traditional Herbal Registration marking on the pack. That scheme is run by the UK medicines regulator, which checks quality and safety, and allows wording based on at least 30 years of traditional use rather than on new clinical trials. Both can contain the same plant. The difference is the legal route and what the packaging is allowed to say.
Are herbal supplements safe alongside prescription medicine, surgery or pregnancy?
Not automatically. Plant does not mean harmless. NHS guidance is to tell your doctor about any herbal product you take before an operation, because some can affect blood clotting, blood pressure or anaesthetic, and you may be asked to stop in the weeks beforehand. The same applies alongside prescription medicine, where interactions are possible. Safety data in pregnancy and breastfeeding is limited, so ask your midwife, GP or pharmacist first.
