The criteria used by Health Concerns, SIDI (Standardized Information on Dietary Ingredients) was created by a consortium of researchers, scientists and regulatory experts. This methodology has been endorsed by the American Herbal Products Association (AHPA), the Consumer Healthcare Products Association (CHPA), the Council for Responsible Nutrition (CRN) and the Natural Products Association. As quoted on the AHPA website:
“This initiative will increase productivity and assist in understanding, analyzing, controlling, and documenting the manufacturing process all the way through the supply chain, which will be mandated when the GMPs are posted for dietary supplements”, said Daniel Fabricant, vice president of scientific affairs, Natural Products Association.
As good as these protocols are, they still stress the quantitative aspects regarding product standards and ultimately do not address many important qualitative aspects that are particularly well addressed by Health Concerns. For example, uniformity and consistency with respect to marker compounds is not necessarily related to maximizing clinical benefits. Chinese medicine recognizes and evaluates herbs in terms of their property (si xing) and flavor (wei).
Using astragalus (huang qi) as an example: Astragalus whole roots contain the highest quality material, whereas shavings represent the lowest quality. The roots should be supple and pliable. Roots stored for prolonged periods are brittle and snap easily. The outer surface should be relatively unwrinkled and have a soft, smooth texture and a solid, deep yellow core. The taste is mildly sweet and there is a slight aroma. While traditional herbalists prefer aged roots, some studies indicate that isoflavone and astragaloside decrease as age increases.
Our herbalists have the ability to evaluate the quality and potential for clinical efficacy through the senses, before processing, and our processing is conducted according to tradition.
While I hope to write more about this at a later date, it is important to understand that information about the energetics of botanical formulation, sourcing and manufacturing is not addressed by SIDI. While “pharmaceutical standards” are important, so is the spirit in which the plant was grown and collected, the experience of the formulator and the type of processing. We invite you to open a bottle of Health Concerns formulas and “taste and smell the difference”.
Please consider the experience you have had with Health Concerns products. If you and your patients have been satisfied with the results it is because we have always used the finest ingredients and most advanced processes.