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Each manufacturer has its own method of extracting plant medicine, which is then used to make salves and tinctures that are sold nationwide. While the method may not make a difference to consumers, it should, each manufacturer says—with all due respect for the others.
Different extraction methods illustrate the contrasting philosophies pulling at the ends of contemporary herbal medicine. One supports the highly scientific method of standardization, which involves measuring and extracting specific compounds believed to be responsible for the herbs’ medicinal effects. The other is the traditional “whole herb” school of thought, which asserts that all of a plant’s compounds contribute to its ability to heal and protect health, and plucking out one or a few compounds means losing that synergy.
“Just because something is standardized or has scientific testing behind it does not mean that it is high standard—scientific validation is no guarantee of quality,” says Feather Jones, founder of Turtle Island Herbs in Boulder and director of the Rocky Mountain Center for Botanical Studies. “Plants are like people. You can’t standardize them.”
Each manufacturer has its own method of extracting plant medicine, which is then used to make salves and tinctures that are sold nationwide. While the method may not make a difference to consumers, it should, each manufacturer says—with all due respect for the others.
Different extraction methods illustrate the contrasting philosophies pulling at the ends of contemporary herbal medicine. One supports the highly scientific method of standardization, which involves measuring and extracting specific compounds believed to be responsible for the herbs’ medicinal effects. The other is the traditional “whole herb” school of thought, which asserts that all of a plant’s compounds contribute to its ability to heal and protect health, and plucking out one or a few compounds means losing that synergy.
“Just because something is standardized or has scientific testing behind it does not mean that it is high standard—scientific validation is no guarantee of quality,” says Feather Jones, founder of Turtle Island Herbs in Boulder and director of the Rocky Mountain Center for Botanical Studies. “Plants are like people. You can’t standardize them.”
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