Saturday, November 17, 2007

Are capsules a good choice for supplements?

I was curious so I emtpied out my capsules to see how many would be the equivilant to 1 TBSP.

It took 29 capsules and my TBSP was not completely filled and my guess is 2 more capsules would have filled it.


I have 3 different oil filled capsule bottles and here are the directions

Evening primrose-take 1 soft gel 3-6 times per day....that is not even a tsp

Vitamin a from fish liver oil
take 1 daily

Cod Liver Oil 1-3 caps daily with a meal

But here is plain cod liver oil in a bottle that you take in tsp
Amazon.com: Twinlab Norwegian Cod Liver Oil, Unflavored, 12 Ounces (Pack of 3): Health & Personal Care

They recommend 1-3 tsp daily.
3 tsp is close to that TBSP whcih took 30 capsules.

Herbal supplements are the same way. You get so little of herb for your money adn the dose is way too low.

So my thoughts upon this experiment is that if to try to get your supplements or herbs in teh most whole way possible. If you need capsules remember this experiement and ask your doctor is you should up your dosage. The doc may not know if they are not trained in supplements, but really 1 cap compared to 1 tsp is a huge difference and probably a waste of money on some of these products.

2 comments:

Ananda said...

In addition - taking that large of a dose in concentrated capsule form is extremely dangerous. You are bypassing our natural process (digestion!) and going straight to the the liver for maximum strain and minimum nutrition. not how we were intended to ingest herbs if you ask me. i would make an exceptipn for capsules filled with freshly ground milk thistle seed :)

Growing in the Green said...

Thanks for that addition Ananda.:)