These days, the herbal medicines are becoming very popular and one has an option to choose from a wide variety of herbal products. With so many options in front of you, it is usual to get confused about the choice. It is difficult to decide, which form of herbal products will be more useful to you. One important aspect to consider here is to how to choose between whole herbs or standardized and natural herbal extracts. This is a critical decision to take as even the experts don’t know the pros and cons of each. So, here in this article, we are going to have a look at the key differences between the two, so that the readers can take and informed decision about the same.
Whole form of Herbs
The Herbs in the whole form are herbs, dried and preserved in the alcohol or some other solvent. All the constituents of the plant are contained in whole herbs and they have been used as it is from hundreds of years in many cultures. The origination of modern medicine is also based on the use of Whole Herbs. The use of whole herbs have proved useful in the past and their use is validated by the safety and efficacy they show.
A lot of variation in the quality of the final products can be seen in the case of Whole Herbs. This is due to the differences in Soil, in which they are grown, the time of harvest, the weather etc. all play an important role in the quality of the product. The plant’s age at the time of harvest is also important and plays important role in the nature of the product. Thus, a lot of end product variations can be seen in the case of Whole Herbs.
Standardized Herbal Extracts
In case of the Standardized Herbal Extracts, special components of the herbs are extracted and their quantity is maintained to a fixed level. Hence the effect of the Standardized Herbal Extracts are more specific and they guarantee a particular function when entered in the human body. The whole herbs may have a variety of effects and functions in the body as they are composed of number of components. However, in case of pure herbal extracts, the effects are very specific as the extracts are based on specific components of the plant. The Aloe Vera Extract powder, Ashwagandha Extract powder and Centella Extract Powder are the common examples of the Standardized Herbal Extracts.
Which is better?
Based on the idea of modern drugs, a particular concentration of the specific component of the herb is maintained in the extract. This helps to determine the quantity of extracts to be taken and it adds a sufficient level of potency to the herbal supplement. Hence, if you are looking to treat a particular ailment, you should go for Standardized Herbal Extracts and hot whole herbs.
Also, in case of Standardized Herbal Extracts you know the exact dosage of the supplement, so that you’re the supplement may have an adequate effect on your body. This will also help you to get rid of the extra side effects.
Thus, we have seen in detail, the key differences between the Pure Herbal Extracts and whole herbs. If you are targeting a specific benefit, it is always good to go for natural Herbal Extracts rather than the Whole Herbs.