What’s the best way to take liquid herbal extracts?
We’ve made it simple for you by providing an easy-to-use bulb to dispense the suggested serving size. Simply shake the bottle, squeeze once, drop, drink, and you are on your way!
Always follow the use instructions on the bottle. For liquid herbal extracts that are taken by mouth, add your serving to at least 2 ounces of water or juice, as indicated on the label. Extracts are generally best taken between meals for better absorption.
How long before or after eating should I take liquid herbal extracts?
Liquid herbal extracts are best taken up to 30 minutes before eating or 2 hours after eating (unless otherwise directed).
What does one full squeeze of the dropper mean?
One full squeeze of the dropper means to squeeze the rubber bulb one time. With the glass pipette in the liquid in the bottle, squeeze and release the bulb once. This is one serving.
Can I take more than the suggested serving size?
We recommend following the instructions on each label. We don’t advise exceeding the labeled use instructions.
Can I use your products every day? What does “not for long term use” mean?
It varies by the product. Please see the individual product label for specific use instructions and cautions. For products marked “Not for long term use,” take a week or two off every 6-8 weeks (unless there are more specific instructions given on the product label).
How many liquid herbal extracts can be taken at once?
There is no fixed rule. We generally recommend taking no more than 5 single extracts together or 3 compounds. This is partly to help focus your herb use on key areas of concern.
How should I store my Herb Pharm liquid herbal extracts?
Our products are self-preserving, so they don’t need to go in the fridge. Store them at room temperature year round. Keep them away from direct light and heat (like a stove, oven or radiator).
Can I give your products to my pets?
We love our furry friends, but our products are specifically developed for human use.
For high-quality herbal pet supplements, we suggest Animal Essentials.
I added my liquid herbal extract to water. Now it’s milky, cloudy or bubbly looking. Is it OK to use?
Yes! There’s nothing artificial (just plant wellness) in every bottle. Some resinous herbs don’t mix well with water, so they get cloudy. (This is a good thing – a sign of quality!) This can happen with herbs like Turmeric, Milk Thistle, Propolis, Myrrh, Guggul, Boswellia, Lomatium, Yerba Santa, Grindelia and Elecampane.
Note: If the herbs leave a ring in your glass, clean it with alcohol or rubbing alcohol, then rinse well.
Ingredients and Materials
What is the shelf life of your products?
Most glycerin-based products have a best by date of around 3 years, while the alcohol-based ones are dated around 5 years.
Refer to the bottom of the bottle or edge of the label for specific dates.
That’s a batch date code to help us maintain quality. You’ll see it either on or near the bottom or side edge of the label or on the bottom of the bottle.
For products manufactured before our computer system change, the initial 6 digits are the batch number that identifies the lot. Following is the recommended Best-By Date. The last 4-digit date code shows when it was manufactured. The first number represents the year (8 represents 2018). The letter represents the day of the week (Monday = M, Tuesday = U, Wednesday = W, Thursday = R, Friday = F, Saturday = A, Sunday = N). The last two numbers represent the week of manufacture.
Example: A product with the batch number 412382 and date code 7R14, was manufactured on Thursday, April 6, 2017.
Under the new system, the first 4 digits show the year the product was made. Following that is the batch number that identifies your product’s specific lot. The last 4-digit date code indicates the date it was manufactured. That date code is interpreted the same as before.
Example: A product with the number 2020-05412-0F32, has a batch number of 05412 and was manufactured on Friday, August 7, 2020.
Our herbalism is always backed by science. The herb to menstruum ratio is the weight of herb (in grams) to the volume of menstruum or solvent system (in milliliters) used to extract the herb. A 1:5 extract, for example, is 1 gram of herb extracted in 5 mL of menstruum.
Our herbalism is always backed by science. The extraction rate is another representation of the herb to menstruum strength ratio. Our extraction rates are labeled on a per serving basis, so this tells you how much herb was used to make a single serving of extract.
We only use Certified Organic palm-free vegetable glycerin. Glycerin is not a sugar and, although classified as a carbohydrate, it does not affect blood sugar.
The amount of alcohol in a liquid herbal extract can vary from 20% to 90% depending on the herb. No matter where an herb falls in that range, it’s actually a very small amount you ingest per serving. For example, our liquid Echinacea extract is about 50% alcohol by volume. Three servings would yield less than 1/4 teaspoon of alcohol. The amount in one serving is roughly what you’d consume in half a banana.
We use 190 proof alcohol, which is does not have any residual sugar.
Every product is easy to use, with a convenient range of serving sizes on the label. We recommend that you start at the lower end of the range for maintenance or follow the higher end of the range for more immediate benefits. We offer this flexible usage to help you take control of your own wellness.
Production Process
The alcohol used in our herbalist-grade products is the same ethanol produced by fermentation that you find in beer and wine. Alcohol is an excellent solvent for many phytochemicals, especially those that have limited solubility in water. It is also an excellent preservative, allowing liquid herbal extracts to maintain quality for many years. Read more about the science behind making liquid herbal extracts.
Every herb is processed individually, to achieve the best results. Astragalus, Reishi, Licorice and Buckthorn are made with heat to extract more of their beneficial compounds. Our infused oils are also made with very low heat, or in the case of St. John’s Wort, sunlight.
Safety and Precautions
No side effects are expected or typical with any of our liquid herbal extracts. All of our products carry cautions printed on the product label where appropriate.
We believe in herbalism, backed by science. We consider our serving sizes, as found on the label, to be safe. The plants in our products have a high safety profile when used appropriately. As always, we recommend following the Suggested Use on the label and not exceeding that amount.
If there is no drug interaction listed on the label, then to the best of our knowledge there is not adequate support for a potential interaction caution. However, we always recommend that you speak with your physician about any supplements that you want to take.
We use the Botanical Safety Handbook, second edition, as our authoritative safety reference.
This depends on the herb. Appropriate pregnancy and nursing cautions are found separately on our labels. If there is not a pregnancy or nursing specific caution on the product label, we are not aware of specific issues if it is taken when pregnant or nursing. We use the Botanical Safety Handbook, second edition, as our authoritative safety reference. As always, please reach out to your health-care practitioner for more information and personalized support.
We consider our serving sizes, as found on the label, to be safe. The plants in our products have a high safety profile when used appropriately. Sensitive or mature individuals may want to reduce the amount used, especially to start. You can always start with a few drops several times per day to get a sense of an extract and see how you respond.
Our Kids line has a high safety profile when used according to the labeled instructions with weight-based servings. We do, however, sell some products that are not appropriate for children. If there is any question whether an herb or product may be appropriate for a child, please call our Customer Service team at 800-348-4372 for specific minimum ages and servings.
Yes, we use only appropriate amounts of diluted, food grade essential oils that are generally recognized as safe and commonly used as food flavorings.
Shopping Online
Nature works on its own time. Our commitment to growing and sourcing only the best herbs means that we might temporarily go out of stock. We apologize for the inconvenience, but we’ll never compromise our commitment to quality. We’re serious about plant-based health!
We are currently working through our stock challenges with a focus on items with the greatest demand. As we work through this process, items will gradually return to an in-stock position, based on overall demand and popularity. Please check back in 6-8 weeks for an update.
Our customer service team is available from 7 am to 4:30 pm PST, Monday to Friday and would be happy to help. Just call us at 800-348-4372 or email sales@herb-pharm.com.
If your order hasn’t shipped, adjustments may be possible.
Due to unprecedented increases in fraudulent online activity, we were forced to block the largest contributing locations and/or email domains. If your order is not able to be processed, please reach out to our customer service team via phone and we would be happy to assist you.
That’s a great question. Unfortunately, due to cGMP (current Good Manufacturing Practices) guidelines, we can’t bring any used materials back to the facility. You can recycle them with your household glass or at a recycling center near you. Or, try upcycling the bottles!
To open a wholesale account, please create a user account online and indicate that you are either a wholesaler or professional by selecting this option during the sign-up process. An Herb Pharm team member will be in touch to confirm your information and approve your wholesale account.
We currently accept Visa, MasterCard and American Express. When your credit card is authorized, funds are put on hold until the transaction is completed. When the order is shipped, the payment is processed.
We offer free shipping on orders over $49. For full shipping information please visit our shipping and returns page.
Do you ship internationally?
We currently only ship within the US (including Alaska and Hawaii). We don’t ship internationally at this time. Iherb.com carries many of our products and ships outside the U.S.
Is your packaging eco-friendly?
Helping people live in sync with nature means doing everything possible to protect the planet.
Most of our products are packaged in recyclable amber glass bottles to shield the product from UV radiation (such as sunlight). Our compostable packing peanuts and foam panels are made from a renewable resource, and they disintegrate in water. (That’s a fun activity for little ones!) Our printed shipping boxes contain 50-65% post recycled material with water-based ink and are safe for curbside recycle bins. Our non-printed corrugated cardboard is made from 45% - 60% post recycled materials.
Once a tracking number has been assigned to your order, you’ll receive an email confirmation directly from UPS. If you haven’t received confirmation, please check your spam folder.
We do! You can purchase our products on our website, in stores near you or in the official Herb Pharm store on Amazon.com.
We make the most trusted liquid herbal extracts in America. We want you to be happy with the products you purchase. If you’re not satisfied, we want to make it right. Return the product within 30 days of purchase, for a replacement or refund of the sale price. Please call Customer Service at 800-348-4372 for a return authorization number before returning your purchase.
Herbal Questions
Liquid herbal extracts are a format of herbal supplements that use a liquid extraction solvent (also called a menstruum) to extract beneficial compounds from herbs. We use a combination of alcohol, palm-free vegetable glycerin and/or distilled water as the liquid solvent in our products.
Before they’re added to the menstruum, herbs are typically ground or finely chopped to extract more of those beneficial compounds. After the extraction process is complete, the spent herb(s) get filtered out. Then the liquid gets bottled on its own or with other extracts to make a formula. What’s left is a liquid herbal extract!
Our products are always crafted for swift, effective absorption to work in harmony with the body. A broad-spectrum extract or whole herb extract is one where the entire desired plant part is extracted, and the final product represents this whole herb. The phytochemical profile is not quantified. A standardized extract can be any one of several types of extracts, including a whole herb extract, where one or more of the natural constituents is quantified and declared on the label. In some instances, standardized extractions are manipulated to maximize the standardized constituent to the exclusion of other constituents in the herb and thereby may no longer represent the same broad spectrum seen in whole herb extracts.
Our Hemp products are full-spectrum extracts, meaning it is a crude Hemp extract that contains a broad complement of phytochemicals and has not had anything removed. Although this is similar to the above, we use the term full-spectrum for these products as it is more commonly used within the Hemp industry.
Both have their advantages. Alcohol-based tinctures tend to be slightly superior to glycerin extracts due to the extracting properties of the alcohol. However, we offer a wide range of comparable glycerites for children or those with alcohol sensitivities.
Herbs work in harmony with your body. They are considered to be active due to the secondary phytochemicals they contain. These phytochemicals are usually made as defensive chemicals by the plant, as opposed to the primary chemicals that are used as macronutrients by the plant and in our food.
Part of the beauty of herbs is that there are so many different preparations available. What works best will depend on the quality of the starting herb, how the preparation was made and the individual response of the consumer.
Our liquid herbal extracts are powerfully effective, delivering the broad spectrum of every herb. They’re easy to use and highly digestible, working swiftly and efficiently, in perfect harmony with our bodies.
We were founded in 1979 by Sara Katz and Ed Smith, two community leaders in Western Herbalism. Herb Pharm is a traditional Western herbalism focused company, taking our influences from the Eclectics and North American herbalism. While we do manufacture some herbs that have origins in Ayurveda (traditional Indian herbalism) and traditional Chinese herbalism, we do not make or use these products in the traditional ways of those cultures but want to provide the herbs to our customers in liquid extract form if that suits them. We are grateful to all those that have come before us and paved the way for herbalism in all its forms. We also want to recognize oral wisdom and traditions of Black and Indigenous cultures and their influence on us and others. For more information about the best-known herbal modalities, please check out our blog post on this topic.
Our liquid herbal extracts are easy to use, swiftly absorbed and highly effective. Response time to herbs can be as fast as 30 minutes or may take 2-4 weeks depending on the herb, the situation and the person. Herbs are not “one size fits all.” Occasionally an herb isn’t a match for you, and you’ll want to find another one.
We source our herbs ethically from growers and wildcrafters the world over to ensure quality and to preserve herbal knowledge and resources for future generations.
We grow what we can on our Certified Organic farms in southern Oregon and source what we can’t from a trusted network. On our own farms, we have 255 acres where we grow over 75 species of herbs. We source herbs from where they grow best, spanning six different continents!
