Topic Title: sc27
| |  "sc27"
, Sat 6 Apr 23:35
Great web site... thanks everyone :-)
Yet another brand question...
Is anybody using NewChapter's SC27 10% hyperforin? My local health store highly recommended it, but I didn't see hypericin listed on the packaging at all.
I've read too many articles listing hyperofin as the major "mood lifter" and I think I've read too much at this point :-)
Any help is appreciated...
Posts: 5 | | Registered: Tue 26 Feb 2002 12:21 |
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| | "Re(1):sc27" , Sun 7 Apr 16:28
SC27 sounds like a great product. The claim of "10% hyperforins" is very alluring, although is a one-a-day tablet, so 10% is the level you'd expect.
It's a pity that they don't disclose the level of hypericins. Although hyperforin is often claimed to be the major mood therapeutic, there's no conclusive proof of this, and hypericin content is still considered important.
The good news is they claim to use "highly stable" hyperforins, so in other words they have used a stabiliser (very important because hyperforin degrades quickly on the shelf).
So give it a shot and let us know how you go. As Jos said elsewhere, give it at least 6 weeks to get into your system and stabilise.
Epyx
Posts: 144 | | Registered: Mon 3 Dec 2001 22:11 |
| | | "Re(2):sc27" , Wed 10 Apr 06:22
I am totally confused by the hypericum/hyperforin thing ... the brand I am using - Kira - doesn't even seem to list a hyperforin content. Does this mean it doesn't contain any?! How does hyperforin work?
Posts: 94 | | Registered: Tue 12 Mar 2002 5:43 |
| | | "Re(3):sc27" , Wed 10 Apr 21:29:
Long-winded answer ensues 
Herbal manufacturers need a way to create standardised doses of their products. In the case of SJW, the balance of active ingredients changes depending on factors like which part of the plant is used, what soil it was grown in, climate, time of harvesting, method of extraction etc.
So how do you flatten out all these variables and give the consumer a predictable dose in each tablet? Well, in a way, you can't. The best you can do is pick one important compound and blend batches to get the right level ... then you just hope that the rest of the good compounds are present in similar proportions. They usually choose hypericin for this because it was previously thought to be the active principle.
These days, hyperforin is thought to be very important and some newer products standardise on this. Some even standardise on both, which is a neat trick and no mean feat.
So in answer to your question, just because the label doesn't mention hyperforin, it's probably still there. A small problem is that you aren't guaranteed potency. For Kira, Lichtwer(the manufacturer) recently tested and found that hyperforin ranges from 1-6% in their product. They are thinking of standardising to 4% in future.
Some products can contain virtually no hyperforin, as was recently found in this report on German preparations. Hyperforin is very unstable and can degrade quickly on the shelf unless stabilisers are added. Such stabilisers are present in brands like Movana and Perika.
By the way, it's easy to get "hypericum" and "hypericin" confused. Hypericum is the botanical name of the whole plant and basically a fancy Latin name for SJW; hypericin is a compound present in SJW.
Epyx
[this message was edited by Epyx on Wed 10 Apr 21:58]
Posts: 156 | | Registered: Mon 3 Dec 2001 22:11 |
| | | "Re(4):sc27" , Fri 12 Apr 02:03
Thanks :) I feel slightly more enlightened now ...
Posts: 107 | | Registered: Tue 12 Mar 2002 5:43 |
| | | "Re(4):sc27 - another long winded question" , Thu 11 Apr 00:11
That's a great article. Now, if we could only find the US equivalent :-)
Have you heard of any comparisons between extracts and freeze dried capsules and/or tablets otherwise? Somebody suggested to me that extracts are more potent - didn't really make sense...
There are also products out there that are "standardized" in terms of the total amount of hypericin, but the capsules deviate from the standard 300mg. There's one by Gaia Herbs - liquid extract filled into capsules; supposed to be really good. It ensures 2.7mg of hypericin for every 3 capsules, but there's only 540 mgs of total substance. That puts the hypericin at 0.5%
This is all very confusing. I guess it boils down to trial and error after all :-(
Posts: 6 | | Registered: Tue 26 Feb 2002 12:21 |
| | | "Re(5):sc27 - another long winded question" , Thu 11 Apr 00:28
Put it this way: virtually every clinical study has used standardised extracts. For me personally, I'd only feel comfortable taking one of those. A liquid extract would be fine, as long as you felt that the stated potency was genuine.
It certainly is very confusing. You end up having to do the maths for each brand and satisfy yourself that you are getting the right dose of hypericin.
By the way, some people actually take both forms. They take the standardised extract for potency, and they add chopped up herb to cover the spectrum.
Epyx
Posts: 158 | | Registered: Mon 3 Dec 2001 22:11 |
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