capsules vs pills

[Taol]

Hey I have a question for centralforce.

I know that you recommended pills in the past, and now Im faced with a bit of a dilemma.

Some things are only purchaseable in capsule form and I was wondering what you think about that and if you would even recommend those at all, and if not then why not?

Thanks for any replies that may be given

 

[centralforce6661]

The answer to this question depends on the illness that you are treating and, if you are talking about Chinese Herbs which I assume you are, what the formula is that you are taking.

Traditionally, Chinese Herbal Medicines were prepared as a Decoction (like a tea, herbs boiled in water and you drink the water) which was denoted by the word Tang at the end of the formula name.

They may have also been prepared as a powder which was taken orally or even used externally which was denoted by the word San at the end of the formula name.

Sometimes the decoction was too offensive to give orally and so they developed Tea Pill which is basically concentrated decoction mixed with molasses to form a small, hard ball bearing 'pill' which is the pill that I am referring to.

So, if the formula you want to take is called xiao yao SAN then capsule form (often filled with powder) is a perfect match.

If it is Si Ni TANG a decoction is preferable but it can also be taken as a WAN which is a teapill.

Having said that, ultimately if you take it as a powdered capsule, what is in the capsule may not simply be raw herb powders but often it is granules which is effectively the same as a teapill.

If the only method available to you is capsules, then this should not be a problem.

 

[Taol]

Yes I did see a website said to sell tea pills but when asking about it they said they stop the selling of tea pills (but its still on their website.. ) and will use capaules instead. However other than the name there is no insight as what goes in there.

So I did try looking it up and the ingredients for in a capsule seemed to be alightly different than for a tea pill. Is that common?

I understand that every herb has a task and that combining them creates different results so I do not quite understand why they would change the formula. If you ask me, that would create an entirely different thing wouldnt it?

 

[centralforce6661]

A tablet (pian) may contain fillers such as silicate etc. much like common pharmaceutical tablets do.

These should not affect the formula as they are fairly inert.

If the herbs are different to the original formula, this could be one of a few things, either:

- Some of the herbs in the original formula are now restricted or illegal for use in that country,

- One or more of the herbs has been replaced with a less toxic genus or deleted for its toxicity,

- The interpretation of the herbal formula has come from another source/text which includes a slightly different composition.

- The formula is a variation aimed at a particular health condition which has been stated on the label,

- The formula is a different one altogether, and you have confused the Chinese pin yin names such as the following example:

Si Ni San or Counterflow Cold Powder and Si Ni Tang or Counterflow Cold Decoction look almost identical in Pin Yin and English names however they are completely different and opposing formulas, one of which works through the actions of Chai Hu (Bupleurum), Zhi Shi (Citrus Aurantii Immaturus), Bai Shao (White Peony Root) & Zhi Gan Cao (Honey Fried Licorice Root) to move constrained Liver Qi and free up the flow to warm the limbs.

Si Ni Tang however uses the actions of Fu Zi (Aconite, now illegal in many countries), Gan Jiang (Dried Ginger Root) and Zhi Gan Cao (Honey Fried Licorice Root) to warm the channels in the case of Yang collapse and restore warmth to the limbs.

So there are many factors which might affect the ingredients list however you are correct - alteration of the constituent herbs can change the formula quite drastically.

Please note however that some herbs are considered acceptable substitutes for others and do not change the herbal formula's ability to alter disease state except for the strength. One notable example is when Ren Shen (Panax Ginseng) is unavailable or too expensive, often Dang Shen is used instead (Codonopsis Piluosa) as this has a similar effect, only the strength is diminished in comparison with Ginseng.