Are Supplements Better in Liquid Form?

In today’s supplement market there are a wide variety of supplements to choose from. Many consider the choice of what the supplement does for wellness, but this is only one aspect. Another key factor is what type of ingestible is it – This has a huge impact on effectiveness and absorption rate.  Today we are going to talk about why supplements are better in liquid form.

Different types of Herbal Supplements

Currently, the main types of herbal supplements on the market are powders, capsules, liquids and tablets.

Powders

In essence, they’re nutrients, chemical compounds, vitamins, and minerals in powder form that are used to boost or enhance whatever it is you’re missing in your everyday diet intake or what you’re looking to add to your diet for your overall wellness. This is great for something like a protein powder where you need a large amount that won’t fit into a capsule.

Capsules

For more concentrated herbal powders, or herbs that low doses are required, they are often put into capsules for convenience.

Tablets

 Tablets are solid supplements made into a particular shape and size. They contain the medicinal components blended with an additive to help it retain its shape. Tablets are widely known as they are the traditional forms of oral dosages.

Liquids

Liquid supplements include tinctures, extracts and soft gels. They are not as common as the top two, and this is mainly because of flavor. However, as far as efficacy and their fast-acting capabilities liquid supplements are the best.

4 Reasons Supplements are Better in Liquid Form

1. Liquid supplements are More Easily Digested

While pills and tablets may be more popular because they have no flavor, they take quite a long time for the body to break down. They must first be fully digested by the gut and only then can the body start to assimilate – this slows down how quickly effects take place significantly. On average it takes 20-30 minutes just for the body to just break it down, and this is before it even starts to absorb the nutrients.

Liquid dietary supplements, however, bypass the digestive process and enter the bloodstream rapidly. This makes them the most effective way for the body to absorb the medicinal properties from the herbs. It only takes about 1-4 minutes for the body to assimilate liquid supplements. In fact, the Physician’s Desk Reference states that 85-90% of nutrients in liquid supplements are absorbed in 22 to 30 seconds.

2. Liquid supplements Have a Higher Potency & Bioavailability (absorption rate).

One of the most common differences between liquid supplements and the other options is liquid supplements maintain the integrity of the herb that is being extracted. A lot of powders, capsules, and tablets are isolated “active constituents” that have been extracted from the plant it came from.

However, potency is the result of the interaction of many constituents within each herb. Many studies have discovered that an isolated compound (like vitamin c, for example) is significantly less effective when it is isolated versus let’s say eating an entire orange. For a supplement to be truly effective, it must contain a full spectrum of bioavailable constituents to promote the maintenance of health and support the body’s own healing process. And, liquid herbal extracts deliver more bioavailable constituents than any other herbal supplements. Studies suggest up to 98% of liquid supplements get absorbed by the body.

Looking for that tincture that reaches the 98^th percentile? Well, there is one subcategory of liquid supplements which has the highest bioavailability. That category is called Spagyrics. Spagyric liquid extracts even extract the mineral salts from the plant which boosts absorption rate, potency, and bioavailability even more. LEARN MORE ABOUT SPAGYRIC EXTRACTS HERE

3. Liquid Supplements are As Natural As It Gets.

Not only are liquid supplements incredibly bioavailable, but they also are the most natural way to ingest herbal compounds in a concentrated form. For one, liquid supplements often use fresh herbs, and even when using dried herbs the solvent used to extract helps preserve the integrity of the medicinal compounds for much longer than a powder, capsule, or tablet.

Plus, other supplements often use binders and fillers to hold them together. These can vary from totally benign to some really unhealthy chemicals. Liquid supplements, however, don’t use any of these. Just the herbal extract and that’s it!

4. Liquid Supplements are Easier to Take.

A survey by Harris Interactive reported that 40% of American adults have difficulty swallowing pills, even though most have no problems with food or liquids. This makes taking capsules and tablets challenging for almost half of adults, this isn’t even factoring in almost all children who can’t take pills at all.

So, why are capsules, tablets and powders so commonly used? Flavor is one main reason. Liquid supplements taste like the herbs that are inside, and some of them can have a strong flavor. But if you are wanting to take something for its use – liquid supplements are going to be the easiest!

Final Thoughts & Summary of Advantages

Capsules and tablets may be the most popular type of supplement on the market, but they aren’t more effective. And more and more demand for liquid supplements is growing as people continue to want better quality, faster acting, and effective products for their wellness needs. As far as flavor goes, if you find the right manufacturer or retailer for your liquid supplements this won’t always be a problem.

• Liquid absorption rate is up to 98%
• Fewer doses are required to receive the same amount absorbed into the body
• Liquids are easier to swallow, particularly for seniors & children
• Liquids are quickly, if not immediately absorbed into the bloodstream, resulting in an immediate effect
• Unlike pills, liquids do not require binders or fillers, which cause an additional delay in digestion.
• Liquids do not clog sewers, cesspools, or septic systems– up to 98% of liquids are absorbed, while only 10-20% of pills are absorbed, leaving roughly 80-90% of pills ending up in our waste system.

Sources:

Liquids vs Pills | Medicare Europe (medicare-europe.co.uk)

What To Do When You Can’t Swallow Your Pills – Neighbors Pharmacy

 Written By:

Nicole Wallace