We understand your potential concern with these ingredients. Hopefully, our answer can provide you a little more clarity for these ingredients' necessity and that they are not a risk.
Our product contains 100% saw palmetto extract, and this extract is an extremely potent concentration of free fatty acids. It is the active and most essential ingredient in saw palmetto. All clinical studies were conducted around these active nutrients. The concentration of free fatty acids is extremely high, requiring the appropriate form of encapsulation. The capsules we used are essential in maintaining the proper encapsulation of these nutrients without degradation, leading to rot and leakage. The capsules we use are the most stable form for delivering the potent content of these ingredients. We also need to deliver these nutrients to the region in the digestive system where they can be absorbed.
Tapioca, rice, or pullulan capsules would not adequately sustain or deliver the concentration of nutrients from pure saw palmetto extract. If you look at our capsules, they are, in fact, pure oil extract. Many other products come in crushed berry form, powder, or crushed berries, containing only 9% free fatty acid concentration, which can be encapsulated in anything and have no nutritional value. One of our capsules of free fatty acid content is equivalent to 9+ of the powder or crushed berry forms.
We understand your concern and desire for clean labels with pure natural ingredients because we are very much a part of this movement, and it is a driving force behind the products we offer. The organic quality standards of our spirulina and chlorella could also attest to this.
With that said, much information regarding some ingredients is a bit misleading. All studies related to carrageenan are associated with the degraded form. In fact, this form is dangerous, but it is not dangerous when it comes to non-degraded forms. Also, the amount used in the capsules is so minuscule compared to any food source—the same as the modified corn starch. One capsule contains exponentially less modified corn starch than a handful of processed food containing the ingredient. In this case, we could not possibly deliver the nutrient content found in our extract without such capsules. It is a give and take that has to be made to enjoy the benefits of such a concentration of a potent botanical extract. Sometimes, a small bit of science can help us better reap the benefits of mother nature's fantastic healing properties.
