Own brands? - http://www.sjwinfo.org Forums
Topic Title: Own brands?
| |  "Own brands?"
, Sat 16 Mar 00:53
I have recently - for that read 'this morning' - switched from Kira, which was prohibitively expensive, to an intermediately priced brand - Boots (that's a reputable drugstore for non UK people:-) own one-a-day variety. Does anyone else take this? Is it as effective as the super expensive stuff?
Convenient to have a three doses in one tablet, I must say :)
Posts: 19 | | Registered: Tue 12 Mar 2002 5:43 |
| |
| | "Re(1):Own brands?" , Sat 16 Mar 03:15
There was some discussion here about the Boots One-A-Day brand the other week. It was noted that the packaging didn't disclose the product concentration, which makes you wonder how much active constituent is actually in there.
Epyx
Posts: 58 | | Registered: Mon 3 Dec 2001 22:11 |
| | | "Re(2):Own brands?" , Sat 16 Mar 03:50
Well, my package says that it contains 300mg SJW, with 900 micrograms of hypericum. Trouble is, I really don't know if this is the same as three tablets of the kira (which said it was .3%) or not. Can anyone help me out? Is 900 micrograms the same as three .3% tablets? :)
Posts: 20 | | Registered: Tue 12 Mar 2002 5:43 |
| | | "Re(3):Own brands?" , Sat 16 Mar 03:57
Well then that's a problem. A 300mg 0.3% tablet like Kira contains 900mcg hypericin. You take three of those daily for a total of 2700mcg hypericin.
The Boots one is giving you only 900mcg hypericin per day. In other words, they are the same dose and concentration as Kira, but Boots should really be advising taking 3 per day, instead of one.
Something is really wrong here.
Epyx
Posts: 59 | | Registered: Mon 3 Dec 2001 22:11 |
| | | "Re(4):Own brands?" , Sat 16 Mar 04:13
Heh .. okay, I hope this is helpful but I have a feeling that it likely isn't going to be :)
Here is a link to the SJW section of the Boots website:
http://www.wellbeing.com/search/search_results.jsp?searchType=2&searchQuery=St+John%27s+Wort
Although information about dosages isn't given here, I noticed that some of the products advertise themselves as 'one a day,' and some, in the same packaging, make no such claim. Therefore, I presume the one a day really are specifically designed to be just that, and the others are three a day.
Just to make absolutely sure, on Monday I will hot foot it back to Boots and do some comparisons. For this weekend though, I am presuming underdosing is likely better than over-dosing :)
Posts: 23 | | Registered: Tue 12 Mar 2002 5:43 |
| | | "Re(5):Own brands?" , Sat 16 Mar 04:22
Oh, I give up! The one a day tablets are the same price per tablet as those not marketed as one a day. Now, what idiot would pay for the three a day tablets at 20pence a tablet, when they can get something calling itself 'one a day,' for the same price? And, if they are both exactly the same strength, why is one called one a day and one not? it simply makes no sense .. same packaging, same price per tablet, same 300mg strength quoted on each but one you take one a day of and one three.
Tied in knots now..
Posts: 24 | | Registered: Tue 12 Mar 2002 5:43 |
| | | "Re(6):Own brands?" , Sat 16 Mar 04:44
Jos, here's my best take at what is happening here. I'm almost positive that "Boots One A Day" is the very same product as "Kira One A Day". The "Made in Germany" bit and the way they both disclose identical concentration and dosage makes me feel pretty strongly that way.
Now many years ago, the early SJW trials used 300mcg hypericin formulations of Kira (actually, it's called Jarsin in Germany). This changed around about 1993 with the introduction of Jarsin 300, which contains 900mcg hypericin. You can see this in this summary table.
I find it really troublesome that both Boots and Kira make what to me is a misleading claim. All that counts is the maths ... no-one is going to convince me that these are somehow magically "concentrated" tabs.
Epyx
Posts: 60 | | Registered: Mon 3 Dec 2001 22:11 |
| | | "Re(7):Own brands?" , Sat 16 Mar 04:49
Heh .. thanks:) I am still stumped though .. should I take three a day do you think? I've just been looking for a number to call and can't find one...
Posts: 25 | | Registered: Tue 12 Mar 2002 5:43 |
| | | "Re(8):Own brands?" , Sat 16 Mar 05:02:
If it was me, I'd take 3 if that is the dosage you've been used to. But you have to feel totally comfortable with that, and getting satisfaction from Boots should be your first step.
Boot's customer care number (from their wellbeing.com website) is 0845 609 0055.
Epyx
[this message was edited by Epyx on Sat 16 Mar 05:04]
Posts: 62 | | Registered: Mon 3 Dec 2001 22:11 |
| | | "Re(9):Own brands?" , Sat 16 Mar 05:26
Thanks - I actually just got off the phone to them. After much jangly 'on hold' music, they told me to ignore the 300mg thing, and concentrate on the 900 micrograms of hypericin. Apparently, the Kira three a day which I was taking - and had lost the box for - is only 300 micrograms. Whew! :)
I will double check this on Monday, of course :)
Posts: 26 | | Registered: Tue 12 Mar 2002 5:43 |
| | | "Re(10):Own brands?" , Sat 16 Mar 14:51
Yep, that would be good to find out. I found an old message on the forum from another UKer who said her Kira was only 300mcg hypericin, and a UK website that stated the same.
I get the strong feeling that Kira in the UK is different to Kira everywhere else in the world. The UK One-A-Day formulation is what the rest of the world gets as standard Kira.
If it's any use, I found a couple more UK phone numbers:
St John's Wort Information Line: 01280 709877
Kira Information Line: 01803 528668
I don't know who runs those lines.
Epyx
Posts: 62 | | Registered: Mon 3 Dec 2001 22:11 |
| | | "Re(4):Own brands?" , Sat 16 Mar 04:00
Yes :( I am not sure what to do now. I don't want to take three a day when it says take only one and I really can't afford to run out and buy the Kira as a replacement. Drat Boots! :) If I can be bothered I will either phone/go down and tackle them in person to try and get this resolved.
Help! Anyone using Boots own?
Posts: 22 | | Registered: Tue 12 Mar 2002 5:43 |
| | | "Re(5):Own brands?" , Sat 16 Mar 05:25
Hey Jos:
I'm also in the UK (London), and before I started taking SJW and was 'doing the rounds' looking for a brand, Boots was (obviously) pretty much the most natural place to start. I was however put off not only by the price of some of the SJW they had (I was still at university then and short of cash), but also the ambiguous nature of the dosage and concentration info. (I hadn't found this forum then).
Anyway, I found it MUCH more helpful to go to healthfood shops (Holland & Barrett/Millenium Health etc)and buy it there (which is what I still do to this day)....they usually have numerous brands for comparison and the shop assistants are often rather good sources of information regarding the products (something that the people in Boots aren't).
I use the Quest Viatmins brand, which seems to work very well indeed...also, from a financial perspective it represents good cost effectiveness at £14.99 for 150 tablets (3 x 333mg a day @ 0.3%) - I also discovered recently that you can buy it directly from them online (with free delivery) at the Quest Vitamins Site.
Hope this helps at all,
David
Posts: 163 | | Registered: Sat 13 Oct 2001 17:39 |
| | | "Re(6):Own brands?" , Sat 16 Mar 05:28
Hi!
Once I have finished these wretched one a day ones, I plan to do just that :) thanks for the recommendation...
Posts: 27 | | Registered: Tue 12 Mar 2002 5:43 |
|
|
|
post new
search
register
FAQ
email/admin
forum index