Re: Swansons herbs = fillers....

[Guest guest]

Don: You really answered your own question there. By using magnesium stearate

they can encapsulate and tablet many things they would otherwise have to find an

alternative anti-caking agent for.

The reason they use a saturated fat and magnesium, specifically, bound together

as a magnesium salt called magnesium stearate, is that it is safe.

It's a given that the magnesium component is useful; stearic acid is the most

abundant saturated fat found in the body, so although we don't know exactly how

useful a tiny speck would be we also know it is not harmful. Altogether, our

per-capsule magnesium stearate " dose " is a few milligrams, which, if not

inconsequential, would be beneficial, as both components are good for you.

The one negative animal study fed rats 2500 mg magnesium stearate per kilo of

body weight, with the negative result found to be similar to that found with MCT

(coconut) oil at the same dose. Dig it. Belly discomfort at a 175 gram dose in a

70 kg human is hardly news.

I note there is no LD50; the lab couldn't get the animals to die at any dose.

This negative study soaked cells in stearic acid in a test tube and determined

that it increases cell membrane ridgidity.

<http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/2379942>

Yup, they hit on one of its normal functions. I can't see what they're aiming

for in this one, given it's the main human fat and normally under molecular

control as opposed to concentrated stearic acid in a test tube.

Perhaps the unusual cases are being examined, similar to and evidenced by the

title of another work, " Unusual fatty acid substitution in lipids and

lipopolysaccharides of Helicobacter pylori. " The work may come in handy some day

but rarities don't much interest people who don't fit the category.

When I performed my due diligence I chose to keep magnesium stearate on my list

of acceptable additives.

all good,

Duncan

> Magnesium stearate is one that I had heard is not so good...it is

controversial to some.

> I researched it and decided I would not like it...

> it is an additive that seems to make the powder put in herbal capsules flow

better thru the machinery...and has saturated fat in it...

> the point is why?...

[Guest guest]

Well Duncan, I appreciate what you wrote here...

my question: why?...was maybe more rhetorical...

why could there not be another way that would process

the herbal material w/o any additives...I used to take capsules, but now just

liquid tinctures, which seems better to me...

this particular product has 6 additives.

When it comes to additives, in general I think less is more...

When it comes to processing, less is more in my thinking as well.

There are others out there too who wish to avoid it so the issue is

up in the air for some...I had been in correspondence with a guy who wrote an

article on it saying what you did...small amounts and negligible quantity...

and I asked him if that was still his thinking several years after doing the

article.

he said that tho he considers it not a dangerous thing, he'd be happier if it

weren't used...

and that is sort of where I have landed on this issue.

But 5 more...the function of several of those must be just as filler...

adding volume, weight and taking up more space...likely making it less herb per

capsule and more capsules per recommended dose...perhaps less than necessary for

all this

fluffing the herb...

d

From: Duncan Crow <duncancrow@...>

Subject: Re: Swansons herbs = fillers....

Coconut Oil

Date: Thursday, March 10, 2011, 10:41 PM

 

Don: You really answered your own question there. By using magnesium

stearate they can encapsulate and tablet many things they would otherwise have

to find an alternative anti-caking agent for.

The reason they use a saturated fat and magnesium, specifically, bound together

as a magnesium salt called magnesium stearate, is that it is safe.

It's a given that the magnesium component is useful; stearic acid is the most

abundant saturated fat found in the body, so although we don't know exactly how

useful a tiny speck would be we also know it is not harmful. Altogether, our

per-capsule magnesium stearate " dose " is a few milligrams, which, if not

inconsequential, would be beneficial, as both components are good for you.

The one negative animal study fed rats 2500 mg magnesium stearate per kilo of

body weight, with the negative result found to be similar to that found with MCT

(coconut) oil at the same dose. Dig it. Belly discomfort at a 175 gram dose in a

70 kg human is hardly news.

I note there is no LD50; the lab couldn't get the animals to die at any dose.

This negative study soaked cells in stearic acid in a test tube and determined

that it increases cell membrane ridgidity.

<http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/2379942>

Yup, they hit on one of its normal functions. I can't see what they're aiming

for in this one, given it's the main human fat and normally under molecular

control as opposed to concentrated stearic acid in a test tube.

Perhaps the unusual cases are being examined, similar to and evidenced by the

title of another work, " Unusual fatty acid substitution in lipids and

lipopolysaccharides of Helicobacter pylori. " The work may come in handy some day

but rarities don't much interest people who don't fit the category.

When I performed my due diligence I chose to keep magnesium stearate on my list

of acceptable additives.

all good,

Duncan

> Magnesium stearate is one that I had heard is not so good...it is

controversial to some.

> I researched it and decided I would not like it...

> it is an additive that seems to make the powder put in herbal capsules flow

better thru the machinery...and has saturated fat in it...

> the point is why?...

[Guest guest]

The concept is sound, and there are many ways to prepare things that do not

require fillers or excipients. One company proposes to differentiate their

product by NOT using magnesium stearate, but I'm with Ray Sahelian on this one;

the few arguments were unjust and a couple of studies were misquoted, that's

all:

http://www.raysahelian.com/magnesiumstearate.html

all good,

Duncan

>

> > Magnesium stearate is one that I had heard is not so good...it is

controversial to some.

>

> > I researched it and decided I would not like it...

>

> > it is an additive that seems to make the powder put in herbal capsules flow

better thru the machinery...and has saturated fat in it...

>

> > the point is why?...

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[Guest guest]

From my understanding, Magnesium Stearate is a soap. It allows

machines which make tablets and fill capsules to run at a higher speed

because it makes thins lubricated & slide better.

My mother used to tell me of an event in my early childhood. She was

giving me a bath. Floating in the tub with me were half a dozen

little ducks made of soap. She turned her back for a minute. When

she looked back at me, I had bitten the heads off all the ducks and

eaten them. Other than frothy bubbly bowel movements, there were no

other side effects.

Alobar

On Thu, Mar 10, 2011 at 9:41 PM, Duncan Crow <duncancrow@...> wrote:

> Don: You really answered your own question there. By using magnesium stearate

they can encapsulate and tablet many things they would otherwise have to find an

alternative anti-caking agent for.

>

> The reason they use a saturated fat and magnesium, specifically, bound

together as a magnesium salt called magnesium stearate, is that it is safe.

>

> It's a given that the magnesium component is useful; stearic acid is the most

abundant saturated fat found in the body, so although we don't know exactly how

useful a tiny speck would be we also know it is not harmful. Altogether, our

per-capsule magnesium stearate " dose " is a few milligrams, which, if not

inconsequential, would be beneficial, as both components are good for you.

>

> The one negative animal study fed rats 2500 mg magnesium stearate per kilo of

body weight, with the negative result found to be similar to that found with MCT

(coconut) oil at the same dose. Dig it. Belly discomfort at a 175 gram dose in a

70 kg human is hardly news.

>

> I note there is no LD50; the lab couldn't get the animals to die at any dose.

>

> This negative study soaked cells in stearic acid in a test tube and determined

that it increases cell membrane ridgidity.

> <http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/2379942>

>

> Yup, they hit on one of its normal functions. I can't see what they're aiming

for in this one, given it's the main human fat and normally under molecular

control as opposed to concentrated stearic acid in a test tube.

>

> Perhaps the unusual cases are being examined, similar to and evidenced by the

title of another work, " Unusual fatty acid substitution in lipids and

lipopolysaccharides of Helicobacter pylori. " The work may come in handy some day

but rarities don't much interest people who don't fit the category.

>

> When I performed my due diligence I chose to keep magnesium stearate on my

list of acceptable additives.

>

> all good,

>

> Duncan

>

>