Named by Forbes every year for over ten years as one of the best small companies in the United States, Nature's Sunshine uses pharmaceutical grade - as opposed to the less stringent food grade - Good Manufacturing Practices. Their raw materials are obtained using environmentally sustainable techniques. In addition they employ over 300 quality control tests on their products, beginning with raw materials. You can take an online virtual tour of their manufacturing facility at the website, as well as read about some of these tests, or you can purchase a quality control brochure for more detailed information. Or you can even visit the facility yourself.

Things to Consider when choosing herbal supplements

  • Have the proper plant and proper plant part been used? This requires adequate historical knowledge of herbs and plants, as well as contemporary information
  • Are there adequate procedures in place for identification (and elimination) of dirty or otherwise contaminated raw materials
  • Do the raw materials supply adequate levels of the properly identified active constituents of the plant
  • Is a procedure in place to adequately identify and eliminate raw materials that have been "spiked" with contaminants or fillers such as lactose which is colorless, odorless substance that can take on the characteristics of whatever it is mixed with.
  • Does the company use a cold process method which preserves vital nutrients rather than the much cheaper method of grinding which heats and burns the herbs. Nature's Sunshine uses the very costly cryogenic method which retains all the benficial properties of the herb.

The following is a slightly revised post from a forum to we belong which nicely addresses the question of quality and Nature's Sunshine products:

When someone asks me about NSP versus any other company I tell them that I KNOW about NSPs quality and manufacturing processes but I don't know about any other company's, and they don't make it easy to find out. Try to find out what testing and quality any other company has. You can't. Get a Quality Assurance brochure from NSP and read about the testing we do. . . . [or visit the plant and see for yourself]

NSP does extensive testing to be sure our products are not contaminated with things like radiation, fungus, bacteria, other plants, dirt or rocks. Did you know that random testing of other brands from store shelves have turned up products that were as much as 90% rock dust? That had fungus and bacteria in them? NSP insists our products be clean from our vendors or they get sent back.

NSP uses the correct part of the plant, the correct species of plants, so we get the full effect of the supplements we take. They test each raw shipment for the active ingredients, and potency. . . .

Then I tell them some stories about NSP like:

Take St. John's Wort - the active ingredient is Hypericum, and is found in the flowers of the plant. Most companies cut the plant off at the ground, grind it all up and call it St. John's Wort and it is. They say its a standardized extract and it is. But it doesn't have much of the active ingredient that makes it work for us. NSP uses the correct part of the plant, and the correct species of plants. They know this because every single bit of raw material that comes in is tested with Mass Spectometry and Gas Chromatography.

Take Kava Kava. At one time there was an FDA advisory about Kava Kava being harmful to the liver. Turns out some people in Europe took some Kava and ended up with liver problems. Since this is such a big cash crop for the growers they had a study done and found out that a company in Europe found out they could get the leaves and root peelings of Kava really cheap and made their product from it. Those parts of Kava ARE toxic. NSP uses the right part of the plant to make our product. . . .

Take Noni. In my area the brand Tahitian Noni is very big. I was told by our VP of Quality Control that when NSP started looking for sources of Noni they checked out Tahiti and the samples tested as radioactive. (nuclear bombs were tested in the Bikini Atolls during WWII) So we get our Noni from Hawaii . . .

Take chickweed. Did you know that the largest producer of Chickweed in the world at one time was Chernobyl, Russia? That's right, the one that had the nuclear reactor melt-down. When NSP started getting radioactive chickweed they stopped selling it and took it out of formulas until they could find an uncontaminated source. I've never been able to find out exactly how long it was but we're not just talking a few months. Name me one other company that would do that?

Take Pau d' Arco. One time NSP got in a shipment of Pau d' Arco that was contaminated with Foxglove. (Many herbs grow together and unless you really know what you're doing it's hard to tell them apart) Since Foxglove can be used to make Digitalis (a heart medication) it could be dangerous for someone to take unknowingly. NSP sent the shipment back and the vendor said not to worry because they would have it resold, as is, within 24 hours. . . . .by Amanda Russell, The Herb Store