We have gotten a few emails about our granules. Sometimes people buy from other companies and the taste and texture of the granules are different. Making Granules is relatively new and many of the issues of them have yet to be worked out. Our main distributor is run by Eric Brand and his father, Charlie. Eric has written a book about using granules.

Basically herbs get processed in slightly different ways depending on the processor. Each herb needs a “binder” or some type of starch for the constituents of the herb essence to stick to. Some use potato, some soy, some the bulk of residue herbs as this binder. Sometimes the ratio is 5:1 and sometimes its up to 10:1. The smaller ratios can be more potent but also more susceptible to clumping over time. Some herbs also need a bigger ratio to be stable. So this is the short answer as to why there are different colors and textures to the granules.

Our distributers buy from a company called Treasure of the East which is a big company in China which ships to Taiwan and Japan which both have higher standards than the USA.

So as long as you buy from a reputable company – which is basically anything you can buy in the states from a well-known company on the internet- you don’t have to worry about impurities. The problem comes when you buy from an internet company based in China or go to the smaller shops in a Chinatown, USA. Sometimes their herbs may be “less than pure”. Impurities are a big issue in China and both that country and the western countries are cracking down heavily on bad practices. Let us know what you think.