John wrote:
> I know for example that Echinacea in tablet form, doesn't
> appear to work as well as Echinacea in tincture form.

From years of working in a health food store, my own personal experience with supplements, and several years of testimonials from my customers, it seems to me that herbal formulas really do vary greatly in potency.

The liquid tinctures (also called extracts) seem to be the strongest and most easily absorbed, presumably because there's less digestion required with a liquid. Be sure to read the label though since dosages vary greatly from one brand to another.

The next strongest form would probably be capsules. (If you're a vegan or concerned about mad cow disease because of the gelatin in the capsules, more and more companies are starting to make "vegi-caps" made from plant-based cellulose instead.) The drawback with capsules is that they can't be compressed like tablets are, so the recommended dosage is usually several a day, unless the herb's active chemical components have been standardized to a certain percentage in each capsule.

Tablets might very well be the worst possible choice, especially if you have digestive problems or low stomach acid. I tend to prefer capsules whenever possible because I've actually seen my tablets getting flushed away down the toilet, completely unchanged since I'd swallowed them the day before...

And finally, herbal teas would probably be the mildest, least potent form of all, unless you steep them for hours or days on end (like making a tincture without the alchohol). The drawback with any liquid form though, as John pointed out, is that you have to *taste* it, and most medicinal herbs are definitely not very palatable. (BTW, if you think fenugreek tastes bad, try some goldenseal, probably the most bitter herb known, or liquid lomatium, which tastes like rotten celery, or valerian root, which tastes just like a cat litter box smells...!)