I’ve made my own supplements for over twenty years. Last evening, I decided to make some more herbal supplements. I make them for some of the herbs that I purchase in bulk. I’ll take them if I don’t feel like consuming them in a tea or adding to a meal. Last evening, the herbs that made their way into my vegetarian gel capsules were all bitter herbs and while I do drink this blend (or other bitter herbs) as bitter tea or consume bitters in my food, at times, I like adding them to capsules also. 😉
One of the many fabulous things about making your own herbal supplements is you know exactly what’s going into what you create, it’s cheaper, the herbs I purchase are much better quality since I get it from a trusted source (and harvest my own), and you get more of the actual herbs in each supplement because… there’s no filler. 😉 I’ve been creating my own supplements for over twenty years. I use The Capsule Machine, it holds 24 capsules. The capsules used are vegetarian. I use the largest size, 00. The only thing left for me to do is grind the herbs and… put them together.
I’ve taken quite a few herbology courses and as I mentioned in an FB post, that I wrote a few weeks ago, my “go to” Herb Bible is Planetary Biology.
(I’d recommend it to anyone interested in learning more about herbs. I met the author back in the late 1990s.
By the way, I’ve had this book in my possession for over twenty years.
Many nutritionists, herbalists, and other health experts believe that far too many modern industrialized humans are deficient in bitter substances, which in part contributes to our epic rise in digestive related illnesses, inflammatory conditions, immune challenges, diabetes, and more.
Some of you might already know the importance of consuming bitters, but others might be thinking… why do I consume bitter things? Bitters are great for your liver, it stimulates digestion, controls sugar cravings, and an entire host of other benefits.
Of course, understanding, respecting herbs/spices, and their benefits are something that I’m passing on to my daughter. God has placed created many natural things in our world that we can use to enhance or heal ourselves of a variety of ailments. I’m honoring him, by utilizing what’s available to me.
In other news…
This evening, we’re making gluten-free chocolate chip cookies. Actually, they’re in the oven now and my daughter has already taken a few pictures.
Resources
5 Reasons Why You Should Eat Bitter Foods and Herbs
Items Used
Herbs
The Capsule Machine
Hi Opal,
If you ever have the time, do you mind telling me what kind of herbs you use in your supplements, and where you source them from? I love this idea, and always love learning more about different herbs.
Do you have any favorite supplemental herbs?
Thanks!
@Olivia, I really love Mountain Rose Herbs. I do purchase a lot of my herbs in bulk. I use them for teas, supplements, tinctures, cooking, and Soapmaking. You can learn more about them here.
https://www.mountainroseherbs.com/principles/organic-agriculture
I’d say favorites are turmeric and cumin. I use them almost daily in cooking and I consume turmeric in teas and in my water.
I use a variety of herbs (as well as spices and flowers) in supplements a few are oatstraw, wormwood, sheep sorrel, slippery elm, casacara sagrada, pau d’ arco, senna, and an entire host of other herbs. I have much respect for them and have learned so much about them and continue to learn more. I’ll write more in an upcoming post. By the way, I really enjoy your site. When it comes to what we eat we seem to be very similar. We mainly eat a whole food plant based diet. Recently, I’ve been experimenting with gluten free recipes.
We’re without power in our area, it’s going on the second day, my daughter and I are enjoying this time immensely. She’s sketching and I’m reading and knitting. Our food has been cooked on our woodstove.
Aynaria recently posted..Vegan and Gluten Free: Homemade Chocolate Chip Cookies
@Opal, Thank you so much for the reply! Most of those herbs you mention I’ve never heard of, so I’m looking forward to doing some research on them.
And thank you for the kind words about my site – I’m just getting started, but it’s a quite fun to document what we’re cooking. Thank you for looking at it!
I hope you enjoy your time without power! My husband and I have started a habit of powering down from computers and phones every Sunday, and it’s so refreshing. And cooking on a wood stove – I imagine it must taste delicious!
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@Olivia, Well you are off to a great start with your website. 🙂
We are enjoying the time away from electricity. We do have a generator and so are food is fine, but we haven’t used it for too much else.
We do the same thing. On the weekends we take a break from technology. It’s such a delightful way to step back and enjoy the simple things that life offers and spending time with others.
Currently, I’m brewing chamomile and mint on our woodstove. I’m making it very strong and my daughter and I will consume the drink about an hour before bedtime. We don’t sweeten the tea. I’ve found when I do, I typically have a restful sleep. Also on the woodstove is a pot full of wormwood, senna, and black walnut hulls. This is a powerful cleansing tonic. It’s extremely bitter, but I’ve gotten used to the taste. We also use a similar herbal blend for our two dogs. We sprinkle a tiny amount over their food and I’ll add it to the dehydrated treats that I prepare for them. It does a great job of riding them of parasites.When our power is back online, I’ll take pictures and write about the herbs I’m using in detail.
I usually drink mine in tisanes 🙂 I really enjoyed this post 🙂
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@Jennifer Bliss, That’s how we drink ours, but calling it “tea” get less confused expressions when I talk or occasionally write about them. When people come to our home, they typically leave with some of our loose herbs (quite a few grown at our home) and are shown how to prepare them. 🙂
Aynaria recently posted..Vegan and Gluten Free: Homemade Chocolate Chip Cookies
Anytime better than those off-the shelves ones at the pharmacies. I take them fresh.
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@suituapui, A friend, that was from Madras, India, would get their supplements prepared fresh. That always appealed to me. We did also. Mom regular went wild foraging and would choose herbs/weeds growing on our property. My cabinet is filled with herbs, no over the counter medications.
Aynaria recently posted..Vegan and Gluten Free: Homemade Chocolate Chip Cookies
Awesome article! Had no idea you can make your own supplements.
@John, Indeed you can. It takes some time, but there are no fillers in my supplements.
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