We live in a time when the more skills and knowledge we have about being self-reliant, the better our chances of surviving whatever the world is doing. One of those things is being able to supply our own DIY medicine, nutrients, and remedies from the resources we can bring together. For us here at Hillside gardens, we grow about 150 medicinal herbs, most of which are wild crafted but many are also collected from various disciplines such as Ayervedic, Traditional Chinese Medicine, Cherokee, and herbalism.
I have made a lifelong study of herbs by growing them and studying their effects and how to use them. With that comes how to deliver them to the body. From that study I have a book in progress on Syrups, one on Kombucha Tea (we add herbs to the tea as a second ferment), various individual or blends of herbs for teas (formally called a Tisane), oils and salves, washes, infusions, tinctures, etc. The one I use the most is in powder formed filling edible capsules. You can make pills without capsules by adding various substances to the powders to bind them, then rolling them into pills. But I find this cumbersome and time consuming. So, I purchase empty capsules in bulk by bags of 1000, usually in boxes of 6 or 7 bags at a time to save money on shipping.
One of my recent consultation clients for Permaculture Design asked me to send her my information so she can make her own on her homestead and this is the result.
I always advise people to not take any individual or blend of herbs or supplements without first doing a full research on their benefits and warnings, and also checking with their health care professionals about any reasons these won’t help or will counter existing conditions or medications before taking.
I have been studying this subject for about 45 years so I feel confident in making my own herbal and plant medicines and taking minerals and vitamins, but if you’re just starting out, take a couple of on-line courses first or work with a mentor who is very knowledgeable. Start out with simple ordinary supplements and see how your body responds. It also helps if you can find someone to teach you muscle testing (kinesiology) to test substances on your own body. Often chiropractors or alternative health care people know this technique. Some things can seem quite benign but when taken in too great a quantity or for too long, or when taking other things that counteract, it can cause side effects. So, do your research and know before you go. Just sayin.
Once you know you want to start filling your own capsules, there are several sizes available. For each size you need a separate capsule filling device, and a supply of those empty capsules. See below for resources to purchase those things.
I usually use size ‘0’ capsules which contain 500 mg, or ‘00’ which contain 750 mg as those work well for me. Some minerals though need much much smaller or larger doses, so again, do your research. Also, if you are taking what is usually considered a trace mineral, copper for example, the dose is in microgram (mcg), not milligram (mg) (see mcg on the commercial bottle for dose size) and the regular size of “0” dose is WAY OVER DOSE and can cause real problems. So pay attention to size of dose. Also some supplements come in several formulas or forms and this can make a difference for what your body needs. Vitamin C can come as a pure ascorbic acid or in a more gentle form of Calcium Ascorbate which I personally prefer. I also like to take a complete, not refined, form of vitamin supplements which in the case of Vitamin C includes riboflavin, and bioflavonoids with Rutin which makes it a complex more in tuned with how a body utilizes a vitamin and which is found in nature unrefined.
So with each one you choose to make yourself, read everything you can find on the internet or go into books or other resources to get the full picture. Your body is a finely tuned organization of systems and pathways of uses of the things you intake, and messing up that balance can cause problems. So know before you go.
Often as is the case with the full spectrum of vitamins, taking only one kind without the others can unbalance your body and then the body has to go into it’s own storehouses to make up the deficit to work. One example I can think of is taking only one of the B complex family of vitamins without taking the whole complex. I take Vitamin B 12 for energy but always take a full B complex tablet with it to avoid unbalancing. I do use commercial vitamins and supplements when I need to. I just am careful what is in them and take care to choose only those companies that don’t fill their product with fillers or harmful substances. (This is another study I have made, it’s its own subject.)
That being said, if you want to save a lot of money on supplements, filling your own empty capsules with such things as vitamin powders in doses recommended when purchasing them already in capsules commercially, can save you plenty. As a way to compare, go to your local vitamin store and see what doses are in the vitamins you choose to fill and see what the usual dose is. It’s a way to get an idea of what size capsule you want to use.
I have noted here my favorite connections for capsule filling machines, bulk capsules and bulk powder supplies, all best prices on the internet. But these prices can change so do your own comparisons before buying large amounts of anything. And there are other companies I have not listed here so Google when doing your own research. I have just tried to save you some time by giving you what is currently what I’m using 12-2023.
Capsules: Bulk Empty Capsules (this company also sells larger and smaller varieties.
Capsuline capsuline.com Best prices around. I buy them in bags of 1000, usually size ‘0’ for 500 mg, or “00” 750 mg.
Capsule Filling Device (machines). You need the filling device for each size.
Leadlife capsule filling machine all sizes $31.99 100 capsules. I have both, each filling 100 capsules at a time. https://www.leadlifehealth.com/products/100-holes-capsule-filler-size-000-00-0-1-2-3-manual-filling-machine-for-vitamin-capsule?variant=41590308208833https://www.leadlifehealth.com/products/100-holes-capsule-filler-size-000-00-0-1-2-3- 100 caps
Bulk supplies of powders, herbs, supplements etc. – in this order of my preference:
Pure Bulk bulk powdered supplements – not herbs https://purebulk.com/
enzymes and other supplements
Bulk Supplements https://www.bulksupplements.com/products/
order by alphabet on the website.
Starwest Botanicals http://www.starwest-botanicals.com/category/bulk-organic-herbs/#g https://www.starwest-botanicals.com/–
Iherb.com another good site HerbalCom 803 E. Lincoln Way, Ames, IA 50010
24 Hour Phone Orders: (888) 649-3931
Bulk Apothecary herbs/spices http://www.bulkapothecary.com/herbs-spices/?sort=alphaasc&page=15
Herbal Com – https://www.herbalcom.com/index.cfm?CFID=468682&CFTOKEN=31233223&jsessionid=8e30f7001728bc964116e6202d3f15165f43
Frontier Herb Co
http://www.herbalcom.com/store.php3?list=cats&session=915b37d7bac54ef83bc8188f032e231a
Mountain Rose Herbs
https://www.mountainroseherbs.com/catalog/herbs/bulk
Bulk Herbs and Spices www.Bulkherbsandspice.com
good prices on many favorites including graviola, essiac tea, etc. BulkHerbsandSpice.Com
8596 NC Hwy 306 S – Ste 3
Arapahoe, NC 28510
When you make your own supplements you know what is in them, as opposed to purchasing already encapsulated supplements which usually include fillers, and components that block absorption. I like the pure sources above and have used them for years successfully
Be careful to always label your bottles of once encapsulated substances including what is in them, and the dose of each pill. All filled capsules look very much alike. I either generate a formal label on my computer which includes the name of it, the benefits, the counter indications (warnings, etc.), the dosage information, and when they were encapsulated. I like to use clear capsules but you can purchase a variety of styles from Capsuline. They are edible. Some are vegan and don’t have animal products. For myself I don’t care.
Being an herbalist of many years I encapsulate a very wide variety of substances for the health of myself and my family, and have saved untold thousands of dollars by making the effort to fill capsules. I grow many of the herbs myself. These I dehydrate and fine grind them to a powder and use this to fill my capsules. But you can purchase the botanical substances as well as the minerals and vitamins from the bulk companies above.
If you currently are taking supplements or herbs, read the commercial labels. You will find substances in the ingredients like magnesium stearate. The research I have done on this substance is that is actually blocks the absorption of the main ingredient to the body. Other fillers such as microcrystalline cellulose is actually sawdust. These are just a few of what you will find listed. By purchasing the pure unadulterated powders or growing them organically yourself, you know what is in what you are taking. For some people’s health this can be a critical differentiation worth the investment in time and learning to do it yourself. For myself it has been vital.
I wish you health, strength, knowledge, and self-reliance, all key survival elements in one’s life. Check out many of the other articles in my blog for a fuller journey along the route to greater health and individual power. Knowledge is power after all.
Diann Dirks, 12-25-23
The Garden Lady of Georgia 