Using Herbs in Juicing
Answered by: Susan Eagles
Question from: Jenny
Posted on: December 28, 2001

I am going to open my own fruit juice and smoothie shop. I intend to import some supplements.

I read books and did research on the possiblity of adding some supplements into drinks. My question is:

Those that are sold on the web in liquid form like the tonic for women and tonic for men can just be added in. How about powder or root form, like propolis powder, ginseng powder, echinanea root? Can they also be added? You will also recommend that I read up more for myself but is there any guideline that I should follow?

I am also selling wheatgrass and I have advice on what fruits it is to be mixed with. I do plan to consult before selling. It is a person’s health we are talking about when they consume a drink from my shop, so I need to double sure and responsible.

In "The Juicing Bible", written by Pat Crocker and myself (available at Richters www.herbs.com or www.richters.com), we describe how to add herbs and supplements to juices. Specific herbs and supplemental ingredients are listed for over 80 common health conditions. The herbs are written up at the front of the book, with any health cautions noted. The cautions are extremely cautious! All suspect conditions are reported to ensure that those juicing will not cause any harm. Specifically, Ginseng has the following cautions listed: avoid in fever, bronchitis, emphysema, high blood pressure , cardiac arrythmia; avoid in pregnancy, hyperactivity ; do not take with coffee.

Amounts and instructions are listed for adding powders, dried herbs and tinctures to juices for each herb. Some herb powders may be whisked into the juice. For other herbs, we recommend making a tea from the dried herbs, and adding the strained tea to the juice.

I recommend that you also use a herbal reference book to check on doses and conditions. Thomas Bartram’s "Bartram’s Encyclopedia of Herbal Medicine", available at Richters, is an excellent reference.

If you are purchasing herbal formulas from the web, make sure that they are made by a reputable source, and check all of the ingredients, ensuring that you understand their use and are satisfied that they are safe.

A child’s dose is much smaller than an adult dose. In general, the dose is half the adult dose for a child age 9-12. Though doses are usually given as an amount to be taken three times a day, you will want to be conservative with your herb doses in a juicing shop.

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