By David Winston

There has been a lot of confusing media coverage about herbs and dietary supplements lately. Do they do any good? Are they harmful? Should people keep taking them?

Although there are frequently serious design flaws in the many studies media invariably reports as definitive and accurate, the advice from those articles is usually ‘get your nutrients from food.’ While you would have to eat a lot of food to get the same dosage an extract or vitamin tablet provides, solid extracts are good alternatives that offer the best of both worlds. Solid extracts, also known as native extracts, are highly concentrated foods that pack an unbeatable nutritional punch.

The Nutrition Problem
To illustrate how difficult it is to meet your body’s nutritional needs from food alone, USDA scientists developed a rating scale measuring the antioxidant content of various plant foods, called the ORAC scale (Oxygen Radical Absorbance Capacity). They recommend eating foods that contain at least 3,000 ORAC units a day, although they assess current average intake at about 1,200 units per day. And this is just antioxidants, so clearly the modern lifestyle needs supplementation. Fortunately there are more options today than ever before, with solid extracts growing in availability.

New Solution Supports Health and Farmers
A relatively little known, but very effective delivery form for concentrated nutrients, solid extracts are a jam-like paste that can be eaten straight from a spoon, spread on toast or crackers, or mixed in hot water or tea. This is ideal for people who prefer food-based form supplementation or have trouble with pills. Solids are an excellent form of supplementation for children because they taste good.

Interestingly, the catalyst for increased availability of solid extracts outside of herbalists’ offices began with a Rutgers University partnership designed to sell more blueberries so New Jersey farmers could keep their land in cultivation rather than selling out to strip mall developers.

Various fruits and vegetables can be used or combined to make solid extracts that possess powerful antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and many of other health promoting nutrients.  More offerings are becoming commercially available to address different nutritional needs or areas of systemic weakness. 

Solid Extracts for Specific Conditions
Many solid extracts are fruit based, and contain much higher levels of antioxidants than jams or juices because they are so concentrated. No sugars are added so they have a low glycemic index.

• Blueberries are known for their high antioxidant levels. Numerous studies indicate they also strengthen and protect the eyes, enhance cerebral circulation and help prevent adhesion of bacteria in the GI Tract.
• Elderberries have a very high ORAC value. Studies have shown significant antiviral activity, especially useful during cold and flu season.
• Hawthorn is a trophorestorative or food for the heart and cardiovascular system, with a very long history of use prevent or treat mild to moderate cardiovascular problems.  Clinical herbalists also use hawthorn for children with ADD/ADHD.
• Tomatoes and carrots are rich sources of highly active carotenoids, powerful antioxidants that support eye health.
• Goji berries (Lycium Fruit) and pomegranate are popular sources of antioxidant flavonoids, which studies have shown strongly inhibit carcinogenesis and oxidation of cholesterol.
• Cranberries help prevent urinary tract infections as well as GI colonization by bacteria such as H. pylori, the source of gastric ulcers. These powerful antioxidants also help to prevent atherosclerosis and inflammation.  

Manufacturers are starting to offer products such as Blueberry Solid Extract as a systemic antioxidant to support healthy vision, or combining Elderberry/Blueberry for the Immune System, Hawthorn/Blueberry for Heart Health, Tomato/Carrot for Eye Health, Pomegranate/Goji Berry as an antioxidant or Cranberry/Blueberry to support the urinary tract. 

Solid extracts are not easy to produce correctly and require different expertise and equipment than traditional supplement forms, which is perhaps why they are not yet as widely available. But when the proper scientific support, testing and quality control have been applied to this dosage form, they are a great solution for today’s busy consumers.

Clinical Herbalist David Winston RH (AHG), founder of Herbalist & Alchemist, is an internationally known lecturer, author and ethnobotanist. For 40 years David has been researching, studying, practicing, and teaching Cherokee, Chinese and Western herbal medicine. Now in its 27th year, David’s world-renowned two-year herbal studies program has been educating Herbalists, Physicians, Nurses, Naturopathic Physicians, Veterinarians, and Nutritionists in the art and science of clinical herbal medicine. He has authored four books, including Adaptogens: Herbs for Strength, Stamina and Stress Relief and the recently updated Herbal Therapeutics: Specific Indications. www.herbalist-alchemist.com