Although herbal extracts come in many forms, they have one common feature. Extracts represent naturally occurring phytochemicals (plant-produced compounds) that have been removed from the inert structural material of the plant that produced them.

The main advantage of using extracts over raw herb is that once extracted from the plant matrix, the phytochemicals bypass the need for digestion and are far more readily absorbable.  Liquid extracts also offer greater convenience than consuming an herb in its raw form.

Herbal extracts are very simple to make and convenient to take. Instead of having to drink a whole cup of tea, you can take a dropperful or 2 of a highly concentrated dose of an herbal extract. Herbal extracts are very convenient for acute situations that require hourly doses. It’s easier to take a few droppers of medicine hourly than it is to drink 1/2-1 cup of tea hourly, especially if a person is not feeling well.