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There are more than a dozen separate forms of dietary and nutritional supplements. Here we'll discover the most effective types and forms of these supplements available in market.
The Different Types of Nutritional Supplements in the Market
The wide variety of supplements available on the market, the multiplicity of presentations, packages and dosages should theoretically allow everyone to find what suits him.
Supplements are most commonly available in tablets and capsules, but they also exist in other Galenic forms that may be better adapted to certain situations.
In short, there are more than a dozen separate forms of dietary and plant supplements. These are listed in the following pages as well as their composition or ideal function according to each form.
1. Dietary Supplements and Vitamins in Tablets and Capsules
Tablets and capsules are easy to use and store, and they often last longer than supplements in other forms. The size of these tablets and capsules should remain small so that they are easy to swallow. Tablets are usually added with substances called excipients, which serve as binders to the various components, increase their volume and shelf life, and, in some cases, accelerate their dissolution in the stomach.
Capsules are based on gelatin, more and more often of vegetable origin (derived from cellulose, for example), and usually contain fewer additives than tablets.
2. Supplements and Vitamins in the Form of Soft Capsules
They are usually used to condition oils extracted from fish or plants, in a lipid-resistant raw material, but degradable in the digestive tract.
3. Supplements in Powder Form
People who have difficulty swallowing the tablets can use powders to dissolve in a little water or fruit juice, or to mix with food. Crushed seeds, such as psyllium seeds, are often presented in this way.
They can be measured according to your needs, but it is important to accurately measure the quantities to be used, using the measurements-doses provided. Powders consisting of a single nutrient are useful in case of allergy to additives, since they contain less of them than tablets or capsules.
4. Supplements in Liquid Form
Liquid supplements are easy to swallow. Often flavored, they are especially suitable for children. They are presented as a solution, syrup or extract, and packaged in vials or ampoules, as appropriate. Some plant extracts are traditionally offered in concentrate to be diluted.
5. Nutritional Supplements and Vitamins in Tablet Form
Chewable tablets, usually flavored, are convenient when you have trouble swallowing the pills. We can also take them without water. But pay attention to the addition of sugar, which is sometimes important.
6. Lozenges as Dietary Supplements
Some supplements are available in tablets. These slowly melt in the mouth, which allows them to have a local action in addition to their general effects on the body. Presented in this way, zinc contributes for example to the treatment of colds and flu.
7. Micro-Capsules as Supplements
They are packaged in conventional capsules. These microcapsules, or microspheres, dissolve slowly, releasing their contents into the blood in a period of time that varies from 2 to 10 hours. Vitamin C, which the body does not store, is often presented in this form, which perhaps allows a more natural and uniform passage of vitamins into the blood.
8. Chelated Minerals
Mineral supplements are chelated, that is, combined with another substance that can be either an inorganic mineral, or an organic substance or an amino acid. The assimilation of the supplement depends on this second element. When it is inorganic, as is the case with oxides, sulfates, phosphates, chlorides and carbonates, the supplement is usually cheaper, but it is difficult to assimilate. Conversely, ascorbates, citrates, succinates or malates are well assimilated.
9. Nutritional Supplements in the form of Medicinal Plants
It is possible to buy the plants in bulk and make its own remedies. That said, it is generally easier to obtain them in different forms. They are found in the dietary department of large stores, in specialized stores, pharmacies or para pharmacies.
10. Plants in Tablets and Capsules
Tablets and capsules are prepared from dried and crushed whole plants or concentrated extracts of their active agents. The components are pounded, and then shaped into tablets or enclosed in capsules. Some plants (garlic, for example) are presented in the form of capsules, soft capsules or gastro-resistant tablets. These plants pass through the stomach without being attacked by digestive juices and arrive intact in the intestine, where they can be dissolved. This avoids the digestive disorders that the ingestion of plants may cause, and these passes more easily into the blood.
11. Mother Tinctures
These highly concentrated liquids are usually made by macerating the whole plant or only part (leaf, stem, root...) in water and alcohol - which allows to extract the active substances from the plant and concentrate them. All or part of the alcohol is then removed. Tinctures are taken several times a day, in small doses to be measured by the dropper, and are absorbed most often diluted in water.
12. Herbal Teas and Decoctions
Herbal teas are prepared with the dried flowers, leaves or roots of plants. The elements to be infused are available in bulk or in sachets. They are allowed to infuse for 5 to 10 min in general in boiling water, but not in boiling water: this allows a better passage of the active substances in the water and limits the evaporation of volatile substances in the steam of boiling water. It is better to use a very pure mineral water (like the one you put in bottles).
To make a decoction, we use the hardest part of the plant, its stem or bark for example, and let it boil gently for at least 30 min. Herbal teas and decoctions are to be drunk quickly, because, in general, their effectiveness does not take long to decrease, under the action of oxygen from the air in particular.
13. Essential Oils
Essential oils extracted from plants are obtained by distillation of their active concentrates. They are used in massage or in local application; for this, they are usually combined with neutral oils such as sweet almond. Essential oils of plants should never be ingested, with the exception of peppermint, a drop of which deposited on the tongue can be recommended in case of nausea.
14. Ointments and Creams
Applied to the skin, ointments, gels and creams based on oils extracted from plants are used in particular to relieve itching. These products can also help treat bruises as well as various injuries. Creams are usually fluid mixtures of oil and water. Partially absorbed by the skin, the creams allow it to breathe and prevent it from drying out on the surface. They are used to soften or cleanse the skin, and also to relieve rashes, insect bites and sunburn.
15. Nutritional Supplements in the Form of Plant Extracts
To obtain a concentrated extract, the plant is macerated in alcohol and / or water, which is then removed by evaporation, vacuum and cold most often. It can also, after hydro-alcoholic extraction, retain certain substances by ultra-filtration (passage on resin) or by crystallization and filtration. It is in the form of extracts - powder or liquid - that plants are usually most effective. These extracts are developed to contain a sufficient concentration of active ingredients. Among them, alliin for garlic and ginsenosides for ginseng. Then they are packaged in tablets, capsules, capsules or ampoules. Always check the active ingredient content of the extracts you use. You will be able to better control the amount brought by each dose.
When plants are recommended to treat a condition, it is usually in the form of normalized extracts. It is also possible to use the whole dried plant reduced into powder. Cryobrushing is increasingly used, which consists in grinding the dried plant in a nitrogen atmosphere at very low temperatures (-196 °C).
All the components are found in the powder, the granulometry of which is very fine. Some phytotherapists consider that it is only by ingesting plants in this form that one benefits from all their properties. To achieve the same therapeutic efficacy, a greater amount of whole plants than extract is usually needed.
These are the 15 most effective nutritional supplements selected by our nutrition expert. Please like and share it, if you like this article and provided valuable information. You may read natural skin care secrets and other natural remedies in our home remedies section.