How They're Made
Teapills
A tea is continuously brewed with the herbs until enough water has evaporated to form a paste. This paste is blended with herb powder to form a 'dough'. This dough is then cut and rolled into very small balls (smaller than a pea), and coated in an edible wax to help with freshness and swallowing.
These are effective and easy to swallow, but a typical dose is 8 at a time, so a bottle can run out faster than anticipated.
Tablets
The herbs are mixed in their powder forms and compressed using heat and pressure. There is usually no wax coating, and are no bigger than a kidney bean.
These are usually easy enough to swallow, but can be a little dry. It is possible to break them apart or chew them. Chewing releases flavor, so that potential benefit of having a tea is possible to experience.
Type of Pill by Brand
The largest supplier of herbal formula teapills is the Plum Flower brand. They have been producing their teapills for nearly 50 years, and their consistency with product quality is time-proven.
While most of Plum Flower's offerings are teapills, they also offer formulas in tablet, granule, and raw herb forms as well.
Most other suppliers of herbal formulas produce their formulas in tablets. However, in recent years, there has been increased interest in having powdered and encapsulated formulas, and herb suppliers are responding.
Brands such as Great Nature are known for their tablets and encapsulated formulas, and continue to release some of the most effective and most potent herbal formulas on the market.
A Side by Side Comparison
Plum Flower teapills
Pros:
- Very small size makes it very easy to swallow, even for kids.
- Excellent availability, with the widest selection of herbal formulas.
- Industry-standard quality and reliability (treatment efficacy).
Cons:
- Very small size means you have to swallow 8 teapills per dose.
- May have a milder effect.
- Each bottle (at standard dosage) lasts only about 8 days.
Great Nature tablets:
Pros:
- Tablet shape is tapered at either end, making it easier than other tablets to swallow.
- Each bottle (at standard dosage) lasts about 2 weeks.
- Excellent quality and minimal processing.
- Tablets include herbal extracts, increasing overall potency.
- Possible to taste if chewed.
Cons:
- - Generally more expensive per bottle.
- - Tablet size may be difficult for small children to swallow.
History and Options
Tablets and teapills were developed as an easy way to take herbs in today's modern society, but in ancient times herbs were taken as a tea. Herbs were originally and can still be taken as a tea made from boiling the actual roots, stems, flowers, and tubers etc. It is still possible to take herbs in this form - it is referred to as "bulk." Message us directly if you would like to take herbs in this form. The boiling and straining process is typically time consuming, but it's a great way to connect with your formula and gives opportunity to inhale the steam from the pot and enjoy the aroma in general.
Tea can also be made into "granule" form. This is done by boiling the herbs, dehydrating the liquid, and powdering it with a binder such as potato starch. This form is more convenient than bulk boiling, but still yields a tea. Simply add water to your powder. Message us directly if you are interested in taking herbs in this form.