Why is understanding herbal products—their extracts and raw herbs—so important? Herbalists prefer to use extracts and the raw herb together in a single preparation. The extracts are produced from the whole herb material.

At Solo, we believe that combining standardised extracts with raw herbs offers several benefits:

Enhanced absorption: Extracts are usually soluble and therefore easily absorbed, working alongside the raw herb.
High concentration: Extracts provide a concentrated dose of active ingredients.
Consistent potency: Extracts contain guaranteed levels of active ingredients in every capsule.
Improved bioavailability: The extraction process breaks down plant cell walls, releasing the active ingredients for better absorption.

Reliable, consistent strengths are guaranteed through this process.

How Herbal Extracts Are Manufactured: Ginkgo Biloba Example

The manufacturing process to produce 40mg extract of Ginkgo Biloba demonstrates the concentration that occurs:

Phase 1
10g fresh leaves are made up of 75% water, so the first process is drying.

Phase 2
2.5g dried leaves consist mainly of fibre and sugars, with small amounts of the active compounds.

Phase 3
40mg extract. The herb extract now contains mainly the active compounds.

Understanding Extract Ratios

Extract ratio / weight 50:1 means 40mg x 50 = 2000mg of whole herb equivalent
Extract ratio / weight 50:1 means 100mg x 50 = 5000mg of whole herb equivalent

A ratio means that a herbal product containing 100mg at a 4:1 concentration indicates that 400mg of the herb was used to produce the 100mg contained in the capsule. Extracts mean you get the plant’s active components without digesting large amounts of plant material.

We hope you now have a better understanding of herbal products.

Solo Nutrition vitamin supplements are formulated to a very high standard. They will absorb to the maximum level possible.