What is the value of adding standardized extracts to herbal formulas?

We believe that the combination of both the standardized extract and the whole herb creates a more balanced formulation that combines the best of both traditional herbal knowledge and modern scientific research. We add the standardized extract only when we are assured of efficacy and safety of that specific extract. Each herb is assessed on an individual basis to investigate these two important factors:

• Efficacy: Most of the current scientific studies on herbal medicines have been done using standardized extracts. There are some standardized extracts for which clinical evidence is not compelling (perhaps because the wrong marker constituent has been chosen). Conversely, there are herbs, such as ginkgo, in which the research results for the standardized extract is impressive. In these cases we have added the extract in our product.
• Safety and Quality: Since the process of extracting an herb concentrates a certain constituent and reduces the other potentially synergistic constituents, the herb is transformed from an herb to a phytochemical. This results in a supplement which is very different from the traditional herbs that the human body has co-existed with over the millennia. Many herbalists believe that the loss of the synergistic constituents may compromise the safety and quality of the herb. Indeed, many standardized extracts do not have the same shelf life as their whole herb counterparts. We share this concern at Oregon's Wild Harvest and have selected only the standardized extracts that we can be assured are safe and stable as well as efficacious.

It is our mission to study whole herbs scientifically and compare them to standardized extracts. We are conducting studies in local academic and clinical institutions using our whole herb products

What are the benefits of adding the whole organic Milk Thistle?
Silymarins (and related compounds) are difficult for the body to absorb and use if they are in their isolated form. Perhaps this is why nature has packaged them with the supporting constituents such as the flavonoids, amino acids, proteins and fats that are naturally present in this miraculous seed. We believe that our product is more balanced and effective than a product that supplies standardized extract alone.

It has taken us many years to procure a reliable supply of high quality fresh Milk Thistle seeds. The seeds are black and shiny when we receive them in comparison to most Milk Thistle seeds available commercially which are grey and dull in comparison. This is because they are not fresh. Our QC personnel follow a written specification that the Milk Thistle seeds we receive are fresh.

How is the standardized extract special?
The powdered extract used in this capsule is manufactured without artificial ingredients (no carriers or preservatives) or harsh solvents (for example; hexane).