The Importance of Organic, Ethnobotanical Supplements in Today’s World

With all the hype surrounding organic supplements in the health-food industry, you might be wondering whether it’s all just a sales pitch or whether we really do need ethnobotanical supplements in our diets. After all, wasn’t a balanced diet enough to keep us healthy for thousands of years? The facts of the matter might surprise you, but the case for appropriate, organic supplements is actually stronger than ever.

Botanical Supplements: When the Nutrients in Food Are No Longer Enough

Food provides the basis for human nutrition, just as it has since humankind first walked the earth. Food today, however, is not what it was two hundred years ago, let alone a thousand years ago.

According to the World Watch Institute, the nutritional content of the same foods has decreased by 10-50% since the mid-nineteenth century. That means that two slices of wheat bread today will only provide you with the mineral content of one slice of the same wheat bread in 1842 — no wonder we’re eating more calories and putting on weight!

What Happened?

If food was so nutritious before, what lowered the nutrient level so much that we now need to take organic supplements? The answer is simple: profit. Why add organic manure into the soil if a tractor can spread chemical fertilizers over a much larger area? Why let the soil rest if super-phosphates can keep the ground produce year after year without rest? Why bother with companion plant rotations when pesticides can do away with the bugs overnight?

With the pressure to produce more than ever in a shorter amount of time, some traditional small farms have been overtaken by big agribusiness and the soils have suffered under the hand of intensive monocropping. The resulting crops are larger, more standardized, and much less nutritious per calorie than traditional crops.

A Higher Tax on Health

At the same time as we are ingesting more calories and fewer nutrients, the toxic load on humanity has skyrocketed. Air pollution from factories and cars, heavy metals in our water supplies, and the direct inhalation and ingestion of chemical sprays and cleaning products make it more difficult for our bodies to absorb vitamins and minerals without the use of organic, botanical supplements. Add to this the stress of an increasingly competitive, globalized marketplace and it’s no wonder that we’re feeling sick and tired!

Bridging the Gap

To replace the lost nutrition in our food supply and help our bodies contend with the higher toxic load of today’s world, many people have started to turn towards holistic living remedies such as organic supplements like plant-based vitamin capsules and whole food powders. Botanical supplements provide a concentrated source of whole food-derived nutrients while extracts and tinctures are used more for therapeutic purposes.

How Do You Choose the Best Organic Supplements?

Firstly, by purchasing organic supplements rather than conventional ones, you’re already helping to decrease the toxic load on your body and giving yourself the best chance of benefiting from the product. Secondly, botanical supplements are much easier for the body to absorb when compared to synthetic ones as they maintain the naturally occurring chemical ratios present in the whole plant.

Beyond the organic and wholefood-derived factors, you’ll want to look for organic supplements that have been lab-tested for their levels of active compounds, are labeled accurately, and do not contain harmful fillers. For example, a “natural” chlorophyll powder might contain organic chlorophyll that is padded out with sugar and artificial colorings to make it more appealing to consumers.

Two Supplements You Can DIY

If you want the cleanest organic and botanical supplements for the lowest price, why not try making your own? Many of the foods we eat (or discard) can be used to make biocompatible supplements.

Calcium-Rich Eggshell Powder

To boost your calcium intake for naturally stronger bones and teeth, eggshell powder provides a cheap and easily-assimilable source of this key mineral. Starting with free-range, organic eggshells, boil the shells for ten minutes, dry them out completely in the sun or in the oven, and pulverize them using a coffee grinder or hand mill. Store the powder in a dry place and add a teaspoon daily to your meals in three divided doses. Be prepared—organic supplements made from eggshells can be a little crunchy!

Citrus-Peel Vitamin C Powder

For those who have been wondering what to do with those leftover orange and lemon peels, homemade Vitamin C powder could be the ideal solution. To prepare homemade organic Vitamin C supplements, peel your citrus rinds into fine strips (using a specialized hand-peeling machine if available) and dry them in the sun for a few days or in a food dehydrator for 6-9 hours. When completely dry, process the peel into a fine powder with a coffee grinder or hand mill, and you’re finished! This powder makes a delicious addition to smoothies, salads, and home baking. Take one teaspoon of Vitamin C powder daily and increase the amount to two teaspoons in times of sickness and increased stress.

Consult Your Healthcare Practitioner

Before starting on any organic supplements or tinctures, it is wise to see a qualified healthcare practitioner for clinical lab testing and a therapeutic-strength diet and supplement program. Many botanical supplements interact with prescription medications and some may not be suitable for women who are pregnant or breastfeeding. By working with a health professional, you will be able to take only those supplements that you really need and save money on those you don’t!

Organic Living Made Easy at Kratora

At Kratora, we stock the purest, all-natural kratom and kratom alternatives from around the world and sell them in their dried and powdered forms for safe transportation and handling. These roots, herbs, and plants are grown in nutrient-rich soil in their native habitats, many are wild-harvested by locals, and all of them are dried and packaged immediately for maximum freshness.

You can read the product descriptions and browse our blog to learn more about these traditional ethnobotanicals and their many uses in natural health today!

Please note that the US FDA has not approved kratom to be sold for human consumption, sold for external use only. None of the products sold on our website are intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease or medical condition.

Want to learn more about kratom quality and value? Start here:
Why Buying Cheap Kratom Can Be Dangerous