Product Questions

We now carry Plum Flower brand Certified Organic herbs (when available).

Our products do not contain pharmaceutical drugs. All ingredients are listed in the ingredient panel.

Teapills are herbs that have been extracted in water, condensed, shaped and dried into a little herb tea ball. They do not require cooking, and are easy to swallow.

Although in some cases it may be due to proprietary Plum Flower™ cutting and processing methods (see question below), most likely it is due to the herb being of a different species.

Plum Flower™ Premier Quality Herbs are processed using proprietary methods that allow us to avoid the prevalent use of sulfur dioxide fumigation, a preservative also used to artificially “enhance” the appearance of herbs.

Most herbs and formulas are gluten free except Yi yi ren/Coix lachryma/Job's tears, Mai ya/Hordeum vulgare and Shen qu/Massa fermentata. However, herbs that are processed with wheat bran, rice wine, and rice vinegar may have trace amounts of wheat proteins. Please check the product detail page to see if any herb has been specially processed. We test for gluten in-house, so you may request information on every batch. For wheat allergen information, visit our FAQ on allergens.

The spoons we provide with our extract powders are 1 gram spoons. However, due to the varying densities of extract powders, it can only be used as an approximation. For more precise dosing we suggest using a gram scale to determine the actual weight of a spoonful.

We are not allowed by the FDA to make medical claims about our products or custom formulas. Please contact your practitioner for a better understanding of how to use your formula.

Yes, the hypromellose used in our veggie caps is sourced from southern pine.

Yes all of the capsules used in our products are vegetarian.

Our ginsengs were grown for a minimum of 5 years and are organic.

These are special pre-made formulas in granule form.

Activated carbon is used to prevent upset stomach.

Wax is used as a protective coating to smooth and naturally preserve the pills without adding preservatives. The wax is called China wax and is recognized as safe for food by the FDA.

It's common to notice a strong alcohol smell when you first open a bottle of teapills. This is perfectly normal and nothing to be concerned about. During the final stages of pill formation and coating, ethyl alcohol is often used to aid in the drying process. While most of the alcohol evaporates during this stage, small amounts can remain trapped on the coating of the pills when they are bottled and sealed.

Heavy metals are found naturally in the soil and can be found in all plants including U.S.-grown organic fruits and vegetables. We test our products to ensure that they are within safe levels as determined by the U.S. Pharmacopoeia.

Teapills are concentrated decoctions, similar to a dried herb tea. The 8 pills are equivalent to drinking one cup of decoction.

100 grams of extract powder produces approximately 250 capsules and varies depending upon the density of the powder(s).

Plum Flower™ herbs are not treated with sulfur dioxide, which preserves, but also bleaches. Our herbs show their dried, natural colors.

Our capsules contain 400 mg of extract powder. The size is 500 mg.

Under the Dietary Supplement Health Education Act of 1994 (DSHEA) dietary supplements must not contain any information in the labeling or marketing of the product that makes health claims. Mayway complies with DSHEA regulations so you will notice that our website, labels and marketing materials do not have any health claims. We ask that practitioners who use our Mayway dispensary service refrain from putting any information on the label that could be construed as a medical claim. Information on DSHEA regulations can be found on the FDA Website.

Herbs are natural, and there may be a range in color of the plant depending upon where it is grown and the harvest season. Also, specifically for extract powders, factors such as starting herb characteristics, extraction yield, and amount of excipients may cause color to vary slightly from batch to batch.

We currently have 19 of our most popular formulas in larger bottles. They are usually frequently used or are appropriate for long-term use.

There are a number of reasons why certain herbs may not be available. Please see this comprehensive article on herbs that are restricted along with the reasons for these restrictions: Restricted Herbs and Resource List

Higher grades are almost always a larger cut coming from a more mature plant. However, smaller cuts are not necessarily inferior-depending upon the herb they can also be from the same plant.

To make our extract powders as pure and effective as possible, our Plum Flower™ Extract Powders contain little to no fillers or additives. This may cause them to clump or harden on occasion, especially if the herb or formula is naturally sticky or high in sugars.

A shelf-life is not established. Our testing shows that our extract powders can last for at least 12 months after opening if stored in a cool dry place.

The talc in our products is not the same as that used in beauty products. Ours is hydrated magnesium silicate, which is commonly used in pharmaceutical and food products to improve product flow. It is generally recognized as safe by the FDA. To avoid confusion we have updated labels to show "hydrated magnesium silicate".

A Best by Date is indicative of the shelf life of a product. The shelf life is the length of time that herbal products are given before they are considered unsuitable for sale, use, or consumption. The stability of a product is dependent upon a host of factors: the product form; the nature of the individual ingredients and their rates of oxidation; the packaging and storage conditions, etc.

Some herbs are very high in sugar content. In order to keep them free flowing, we make them into granules.