Herbal Capsules 101: Everything You Need to Know to Get Started

Herbal capsules are one of the most simple herbal preparations in the herbalist’s toolkit. Not only are they easy to make, but they are a convenient way to incorporate the benefits of herbs into your daily routine. Encasing powdered herbs in digestible capsules offers a discreet and tasteless alternative to other herbal preparations. Whether you’re new to herbalism or looking for practical ways to integrate herbs into a busy lifestyle, herbal capsules can provide an accessible option for natural health support.

While herbal capsules have merit in many situations, they aren’t suitable for every herb, condition, or person. In this post, we’ll discuss the pros and cons of herbal capsules, when to use or not use this preparation, formulation options for herbal capsules, how to determine the correct dosage, and how to make capsules at home.

To Use or Not To Use Capsules: That Is The Question

While each herbal preparation has unique strengths, capsules shine in certain situations. 

First, capsules are an ideal preparation for avoiding the strong, hard-to-mask flavors of some herbs, such as valerian (Valeriana officinalis) root or turmeric (Curcuma longa) rhizome, as capsules bypass the tastebuds almost entirely.

Next, capsules are very convenient and portable, making them perfect for travel or daily use without brewing or mixing. Not only that, but they require no additional preparation once made, saving time and taking their convenience factor up another notch.

Herbal capsules also allow for more precise dosing than other herbal preparations, making it easy to track the amount of powdered herb consumed.

Finally, herbal capsules have a longer shelf life than water-based preparations, like teas and most syrups, or preparations that are often exposed to more oxygen and light, such as poultices or pastilles. Not only does the protective capsule help to keep the dry powder from oxygen exposure, but storing capsules in a cool, dry, dark environment further helps to extend their shelf life and reduce loss of potency.

While the above virtues of herbal capsules make them suitable preparations for many individuals and conditions, some disadvantages should be considered when choosing whether or not to use capsules.

First, powdered herbs can lose potency quickly due to the increased surface area exposed to light, oxygen, and heat. Aromatic herbs with high volatile oil content or bitter qualities, such as chamomile (Matricaria chamomilla) flower and dandelion (Taraxacum officinale) root, or herbs with delicate constituents, such as echinacea (Echinacea angustifolia, E. purpureum, E. pallida) root and valerian (Valeriana officinalis) root, are most susceptible to degradation. This means it’s important to use freshly powdered herbs as soon as possible and to store powdered herbs and capsules properly so they maintain maximum potency. 

Next, capsules are often more difficult for the body to absorb than teas, tinctures, and other liquid extracts.

• Capsules have a gelatin or vegetable cellulose casing that must dissolve in the stomach or digestive tract before the powdered herb can be absorbed, potentially delaying the onset of effects.
• Herbs in powdered form may not be as bioavailable as liquid extracts, which are pre-dissolved and absorbed more directly through the gastrointestinal lining.
• Absorption depends on the efficiency of digestion, which can vary among individuals. Those with various digestive issues may struggle to break down capsules effectively. In addition, some herbs are more bioavailable when paired with a complementary herb, such as turmeric (Curcuma longa) rhizome and black pepper (Piper nigrum) fruit, or a specific type of food, like a healthy fat or an acid. Thus, knowing which plant constituents require pairing with other herbs or foods is essential for better absorption, regardless of whether you’re using capsules or another preparation method.
• Many herbal compounds, such as mucilage, require water or a different solvent, such as alcohol with resins, to extract the desired constituents from the plant material. Absorption of capsules can be reduced without adequate hydration, pairing with an appropriate solvent, or sufficient timing in the digestive tract.

Finally, making capsules at home can be time-consuming, particularly if you don’t have the proper tools. Creating your own herbal capsules requires quite a bit of hands-on time, which can be a turn-off for busy individuals.

So When Are Herbal Capsules the Correct Choice?

Herbal capsules have their pros and cons, and it can often be challenging to know when to use them or not.

To simplify this decision, herbal capsules are a good choice when:

• You want to avoid the flavor of a particular herb.
• Your digestive system is strong and functioning correctly. 
• You’re looking to extract mostly water-soluble constituents from the plant material.
• You’re not looking for immediate action or a quick absorption time.
• You’re looking for a convenient and time-saving way to use herbs.

Let’s look at some examples. 

• If you have a headache and are looking for quick support, herbal capsules are likely not the best fit.
• If you have an ankle sprain and are looking for long-term support for pain and inflammation, herbal capsules may be a better fit.
• If you want to use bitters to support digestion before meals, herbal capsules will mask the bitter flavor and are not a fit unless you dust the outer coating of the capsules with the bitter herbal powders before using them.
• If you are traveling on a business trip and looking for stress support from adaptogens, herbal capsules might be a good fit.
• If you want to benefit from the immunomodulatory alkylamides in echinacea (Echinacea angustifolia) root, herbal capsules are not the right fit, as this constituent is primarily alcohol-soluble. 

If you’ve determined that capsules are a suitable preparation for your needs, you’ll next want to choose the herbs you want to encapsulate.

Simples vs. Blends

Herbal capsules can be made as simples, using one specific herb, or as blends, using multiple herbs formulated together.

While simple herb capsules often focus on addressing targeted needs, formulated herb capsules allow increased bioavailability in some cases and for synergy as the combined effects of the chosen herbs enhance their overall efficacy.

Some examples of simple herbal capsules might be freeze-dried nettle (Urtica dioica) leaf for seasonal allergy support or hawthorn (Crataegus spp.) berry for long-term vascular support. In contrast, popular capsule blends might be a nootropic formula with bacopa (Bacopa monnieri) aboveground parts, gotu kola (Centella asiatica) leaf, and lion’s mane (Hericium erinaceus) fruiting body/mycelium for brain support or an adaptogen formula with ashwagandha (Withania somnifera) root, rhodiola (Rhodiola rosea) root, and tulsi (Ocimum tenuiflorum) aerial parts for stress support.

You can follow any method you prefer when formulating herbs for your blends. If you’re looking to learn about specific formulation methods, Herbal Academy’s Tea Blending 101 Mini Course and Tincture Making 101 Mini Course teach how to use the ABC formulation method, and the Mastering Herbal Formulation Course teaches how to use the basic and expanded Triangle Formulation Method. 

Once your capsules are formulated and prepared, you’ll need to know how many to take at a given time.

Dosage Considerations for Capsules

Due to differences in extraction, absorption, and delivery, herbal capsules require large dosages. For example, it’s common to take 3-6 capsules (or more if using smaller capsules) at a time to get the entire daily dosage. 

This is because capsules contain dried, powdered herbs, which are less efficient at releasing constituents as the body must break down the plant material during digestion before absorption can happen. Additionally, capsules include non-absorbable plant material, such as plant fibers, which dilutes the concentration of beneficial compounds. Since teas and tinctures are in liquid form, they start absorbing in the mouth and stomach for quicker and more complete delivery, while capsules must dissolve in the stomach first. Capsules trade potency for convenience and tastelessness, requiring more significant amounts of the herb to achieve similar effects.

Now that you know why you should expect larger doses from herbal capsules, let’s look at the four steps that will help you determine the dosage. 

Determining Herbal Capsule Dosage

First, you’ll need to research the daily suggested dosage for the herb(s) you are using. For example, the daily suggested amount of powdered ashwagandha root is 2-6 g/day (Winston & Kuhn, 2008). If you were taking this herb as a simple, you might choose to start with 3 g/day and see how that suits you. You can always bump your daily dosage up over time if you feel you need more.

When encapsulating a blend of herbs, you’ll need to research the daily suggested dosage for each herb in the formula and determine how much of each herb you want to use. Once you have a total amount for each herb, you will add all the numbers to get your daily dosage.

Let’s look at the nootropic blend mentioned earlier. We can find that the daily suggested dosages are as follows: 2-6 g/day for bacopa (Pole, 2012), 3-4 g/day for gotu kola (Kuhn & Winston, 2008), and 2-5 g/day for lion’s mane (Powell, 2014). Due to the synergistic effects between these specific herbs, we can reduce the amount of each herb, using 3 g bacopa, 2 g gotu kola, and 1 g lion’s mane, resulting in a total of 6 g/day of this blend.

Next, you’ll need to determine the capsule size you want to use. Capsules are available in various sizes, each holding a specific volume of powder. The amount of herb a capsule holds depends on the herb’s density and grind quality. Here’s an approximate guide:

• Size 000: Holds about 800–1,200 mg of powder. Largest size, harder to swallow for some.
• Size 00: Holds about 500–700 mg of powder. Commonly used for homemade capsules.
• Size 0: Holds about 400–500 mg of powder. Easy to swallow, ideal for smaller doses.
• Size 1: Holds about 300–400 mg of powder.
• Size 2: Holds about 200–300 mg of powder. Smallest commonly used size.

Once you know which size capsule you’d prefer, you’ll want to calculate the number of capsules needed. To do this, divide the total daily dosage of the herb or blend by the amount your chosen capsule size can hold. If you get an uneven number, simply round up or down based on standard rounding rules.

In our ashwagandha example, we need 3 g/day, the same as 3,000 mg/day. If we want to use size 00 capsules, which hold 500-700 mg, we’ll need 4.28-6 capsules daily, which rounds to 4-6 capsules each day. In our nootropic formula example, we need 6 g/day, so if we’re using size 00 capsules, we will need 8.57-12 capsules daily, which rounds to 9-12 capsules each day.

When determining capsule dosage, remember that the powder volume varies based on the density and grind quality of the plant material. This means that some powders will pack down in a capsule more densely than others. For some powders, 3000 mg/day might fit into six capsules, whereas others might take 10 or more capsules to fit that exact dosage. This is often seen when making herbal powders at home when commercial-grade grinders aren’t available. 

To figure out the exact amount of powder that fits into each capsule, weigh out a day’s dosage on a small scale and see how many capsules you can pack the powder into. Then, divide the total number of capsules by the daily dosage to see how many mg of powder is in each capsule. This can help you hone in on a more precise dosage.

Finally, consider how frequently you need to take each dose. Some herbs are best taken in divided doses throughout the day, while others may be effective in a single dose. For both of our examples, adaptogens and nootropics are best when taken 2-3 times per day. This means you’ll take the total number of daily capsules and divide them by how many times a day you want to take them. For ashwagandha, you might take 2-3 capsules 2x/day, and for the nootropic capsules, you might take 3-4 capsules 3x/day.

Now that you know how to determine the dosage for capsules you make at home, let’s talk about how to make them.

Making Herbal Capsules at Home

When making herbal capsules at home, the first thing you’ll need is powdered herbs. While you can purchase herbs pre-powdered, you can also make powdered herbs at home using dried plant material and a coffee grinder or high-speed blender. Oftentimes, this will result in a fresher powder than store-bought powders, which have been previously powdered and stored for some amount of time.

Simply grind or blend the herbs on high speed for 20-30 seconds, followed by a 10-second break between grinding to prevent the plant material from overheating and better preserve the plant properties. When finished, you can sift the powder in a fine-mesh sieve to separate larger plant fibers from the finer powder if you wish. When making your herbal powders at home, remember that it can be challenging to thoroughly powder hard plant parts, like roots, barks, and berries, or get finely powdered herbs without a commercial-grade grinder.

Once you have the powdered herbs on hand, you can make herbal capsules using a few different methods.

Hand Encapsulation

The simplest, most cost-effective method is hand encapsulation. For this method, all you need is powdered herbs, a digital kitchen scale, a bowl, and capsules. 

Begin by determining how many days’ worth of capsules you want to make. If the daily suggested dosage is 3 g/day, and you want to make a 4 day supply, multiply those two numbers and use a digital kitchen scale to weigh out the appropriate amount of powder needed, which is 12 g. Next, open capsules one at a time and begin filling them by sticking them into the powder bowl and scooping as much powder into the capsules as possible. It can be helpful to press the top and bottom of the capsule together to pack as much powder as possible into each capsule. Dust the capsule off and set it aside in another bowl.

Machine Encapsulation

Machine encapsulation is an excellent choice if you want to make a larger supply of capsules. You can purchase encapsulation machines of various capacities. Most at-home versions will make 30-40 capsules simultaneously, but some can make up to 400 or more at once! 

For most capsule machines, you’ll need to take the capsules apart, placing the larger side of the empty capsule into the holes in the machine. Next, you’ll pour a small amount of powder over the capsules and use the tamper to press the powder into them, repeating this until the capsule is full. Next, you’ll lower the level of the machine slightly to expose the rims of the filled capsules, allowing you to put the capsule tops on firmly. 

No matter which encapsulation method you choose, you’ll want to have some dark, airtight storage containers available to hold your capsules when finished. Be sure to label the container with the name(s) of the herbs in the capsules, the daily dosage, and an expiration date, and store the jar in a cool, dark, dry location for up to 1 year.

Herbal Pastilles

The last “capsulation” method doesn’t involve using a capsule at all but utilizes powdered herbs. Herbal pastilles, sometimes called rolled herbal pills, can be made and used similarly to herbal capsules. 

Herbal pastilles are small herb balls that can be chewed, sucked on, or swallowed whole. They’re very easy to make, only require powdered herbs and honey, and are very similar to herbal electuaries, only requiring less honey. While you can use alternative sweeteners, like maple syrup or glycerine, the pastilles might not hold their shape as well as they will with honey. Like capsules, they take some time to make as they have to be hand-rolled, but they are sometimes worth the effort. 

If making pastilles instead of capsules, you’ll follow the same steps to determine dosage: weighing out the desired powder dosage for the number of days you need, adding enough honey to make a thick dough, and rolling balls small enough to swallow. Finally, count the total number of pastilles and divide it by the number of days you accounted for. You’ll need to use this number of pastilles daily to get the daily dosage in. You can divide this into 2-3 daily doses, just like you did with the capsules. Pastilles should be stored in a labeled airtight container in a dark, dry, cool location and used within 3-6 months.

In Conclusion,

Herbal capsules are a versatile and practical way to incorporate herbs into daily life. By understanding their strengths, limitations, and how to use or make them effectively, you can unlock their full potential. Whether encapsulating a single herb or crafting a custom blend, capsules offer a discreet, portable, and personalized approach to herbal wellness. 

Are you ready to try making herbal capsules? We can’t wait to see what you come up with! 

If you want more information about common herbal preparations used in herbalism, check out the Making Herbal Preparations 101 Mini Course. This course is an excellent entry point into the wild and wonderful world of herbalism.

REFERENCES

Kuhn, M.A., & Winston, D. (2008). Winston and Kuhn’s herbal therapy & supplements. Wolters Kluwer.

Pole, S. (2012). Ayurvedic medicine: The principles of traditional practice. Jessica Kingsley Publishers.

Powell, M. (2014). Medicinal mushrooms: A clinical guide (2nd ed.). Mycology Press.

Winston, D., & Kuhn, M. (2008). Herbal therapy and supplements (2nd ed.). Lippincott Williams & Wilkins.