Quality natural supplements can do wonders for your health

by Webmaster, All4NaturalHealth.com

On this page, I share my thoughts on how I try to pick out quality natural supplements.

If you are looking to purchase natural health supplements of good quality, click here for what, in my view, are a few reliable online sources of effective health supplements.


Introduction

A supplement can be made from all natural, organically grown and clean ingredients, for example organically grown herbs (which are whole foods), and yet not be of top quality.

There are a few possible reasons for this. The herbs may not have been properly harvested, or the soil used to grow them may have been lacking in certain nutrients. Sometimes, the purity of natural health supplements may also be compromised by fillers or contaminants. Or the manufacturing process may have damaged the herbs.

The safety and efficacy of any health supplement is only as good as the ingredients which are used to make it, as well as the effectiveness of the manufacturing process. How, then, do we pick out quality natural supplements, good health supplements?

Quite honestly, there is practically no way anyone can be totally sure. Even if you personally test the soil, scrutinize the company's growing, harvesting and manufacturing efforts, and analyze samples of the supplement, you still cannot be sure that every batch of it would turn out exactly the same.


Basic considerations in searching for quality natural supplements

There are a couple of basic things which I consider when looking out for quality natural supplements.

Firstly, in considering the reputation of a company, I ask some questions, such as who owns the company, and / or who formulated or put together the supplements. Is it a qualified and / or renowned herbalist or naturopathic doctor, or just a regular guy out to make a quick buck?

When looking at a particular supplement, I also look out for additional ingredients, additives and fillers such as starch, sugar, gluten or silica. The less of these substances in the product, the better.


Using the Experience factor to locate quality health supplements

Other than the abovementioned basic points, there is one word to pretty much sum up how I spot quality health supplements - 'experience'. The meaning is four-fold.


History of herb / food

Firstly, I look at the 'history' of the particular food or herb. How long has Man known about its healing properties, and how long has Man been eating it?

Garlic, for example, has been widely studied and used across the world for many years and for many health conditions. I am thus very confident of the proven health benefits of a garlic supplement. On the other hand, for recent health fads with very little history, I would take its miraculous health claims with a large pinch of salt.

In terms of safety, if garlic supplements weren't safe for frequent and high dose consumption, we would likely have known about it. The good thing about taking a herb or food with a relatively long history of human consumption is that we can be more sure that it is unlikely to have detrimental effects on the human body, especially when used long-term. For younger supplement types, however, there would be no evidence of their long-term effects.


History of supplement company

Next is another time-frame - the history of the company in question. How long has it been in existence? Of course, this is not the best gauge of the quality of a company's products. But it does give me an idea. In my mind, I doubt a company can survive and continue operating for decades if it has been shortchanging or even harming its customers all this while.

If its products are not safe, sufficient numbers of its customers would have been 'harmed', and it would have gotten into trouble somewhere along the line.

And if its products are of poor quality, surely its customers would given up on it and it would not have lasted so many years. In every line, only good companies which provide strong products, in this case quality natural supplements, can stand the test of time. Companies which are only in it for a quick buck would come and go quite quickly.


Experiences of others

The third point is the experience of other people who have used the product. This is very important. Quality natural supplements would pave the way to satisfied customers.

If only ten out of a hundred people who have taken a particular herbal cough remedy felt that it had any positive effects, I would be unlikely to try it. On the other hand, if ninety people felt that it worked, then I would say it's probably a quality natural supplement.

Some might say this is only anecdotal information. Indeed. But anecdotal information is also information. If such information is doubtful, I would also question the evidence presented by so-called scientific studies. Often, there are vested interests. And such trials are in reality very difficult to conduct because there are literally thousands of variable factors which are impossible to control.

In fact, isn't it based on such anecdotal evidence and information that the reputations of companies are built?

Are there any clinical trials to show whether Nike shoes or Reebok shoes are better? Or studies to show if Brazil or Mexico is a better and safer holiday destination? I highly doubt so. Reputations are often built based on word of mouth.

For natural health supplement companies, it is quality natural supplements which 'earn' it repeat customers, and it is quality natural supplements which 'cause' word of mouth to 'earn' it new customers.

One thing to add about people's experiences - do try to take the testimonials which are posted on merchants' websites with a pinch of salt. One does not have to be very clever to realize that it is actually very easy to fake such testimonials, especially those with very general comments and / or those given by people with short names like "J.R." or "P.A.".

More reliable sources of such comments would be independent books, websites and discussion forums.


Personal experience

The fourth 'experience' which I am talking about is actually the most important - your own. After having considered everything, the only way to know if something is going to work for you, is to try it for yourself.

Something may be a quality natural supplement for a thousand other people, but that is no guarantee that it will work for you. It may be one of the best diet supplements in the market, or even the best diet supplement around, but that is still no guarantee. Ultimately, you have to try it yourself.

Isn't it a risk then? Yes, it sure is. But you know, we humans make choices and take risks every single day, every moment. Deciding to board a bus, choosing a school, hiring a plumber, entering a building, eating food at a restaurant - some degree of risk is involved in everything we do.


Other possible things to consider when looking for quality natural supplements

There are a few other things you may want to consider when evaluating a company to see if it produces quality natural supplements. Personally, I don't really do this - the 'experience' factor is usually good enough for me.

Are the supplements of pharmaceutical-grade? Personally, I am very fine with food-grade quality natural supplements.


Looking for quality natural supplements - Conclusion

In conclusion, for me, I tend to go for the more 'established' types of natural health supplements, rather than the newer fads.

Also, to ensure that I am going for a quality natural supplement, I evaluate the company in question - in particular, its history and reputation, and what people say about it and its products.

Once I'm satisfied with the above, I then give things a try. Usually, if a supplement works for me, I would be able to feel the positive effects within weeks, sometimes even days.

One more thing I do wish to add, is that there is no necessity for us to find the best nutritional supplement around. All we need, is to find those which work, and work well, for our own bodies.

I hope the information on this page will help your search for quality natural supplements.


Click here for links to, in my opinion, reliable online sources of safe, high quality and effective natural health supplements, including herbal supplements.

Read More: Natural Health Supplements - What to Consider | Nutrition Health Articles - Foods, Diets, Supplements, Nutrients and more | Information on some Herbs | Favorite Herbs, Herbals Formulas and Foods | Body Detox | About Food, Diet and Nutrition | Good Health Habits and Tips | Home Page | Site Search

---

Share YOUR Knowledge and Experiences
or Read Others' Contributions

---

Tweet

	Get Quality Natural Health Supplements at Reasonable Prices. $5 or $10 discount for new customers
Get natural, herbal and homeopathic remedies for hundreds of health conditions and ailments. GO.

New! Comments

Have your say about what you just read. Leave a comment in the box below.

---

Return from this page Quality Natural Supplements - How to spot Quality to Natural Health Supplements - What to Consider

---

Return from this page Quality Natural Supplements - How to spot Quality to All 4 Natural Health... attaining good health naturally... Home Page

---