Did You Want Bugs, Dirt, Mercury and Mold with that Supplement?

There are thousands of brands of supplements to choose from; so why did I choose Nature's Sunshine? I can assure you it isn't because they are the cheapest. I can assure you that it has everything to do with Purity, Safety, Potency, Integrity, and Quality. Every raw material that comes into the Nature's Sunshine Warehouse is tested for impurities and every year incredible amounts of raw materials are rejected by “The Terminator,” Lynda Hammons, Vice President of Quality Assurance and Regulatory Affairs for NSP. Because raw botanical materials are paid for by weight, suppliers will grind up dirt, stems, and rocks to add weight. NSP rejects those shipments. They test for heavy metal contamination, pesticides, herbicides, fungicides and PCB.

A shipment of St. John's Wort was rejected because a sample test showed that it was the wrong species. An incoming shipment of Slippery Elm failed the gel test which means it didn't meet activity criteria. A particular shipment of oat straw was rejected because of mercury and dirt contamination. There was a several month long period when Pau D' Arco was unavailable because every shipment contained mold. Better to have no product than a bad product.

Harvesting can be tricky as well. Peppermint harvested on a shady, cool day has different actives than if it's collected on a sunny, warm day. Good cayenne peppers need very hot days and cool nights. Without cool nights, the peppers don't contain the correct amount of Capsicum to meet NSP standards. Who knew? NSP knew.

Once the raw materials are tested and pass inspection, they move from the holding warehouse to the plant where they are made into supplements. The final product, once made, must then pass about 500 tests, assuring that they meet all specifications, before being allowed out of the plant and into your home and your body.

Nature's Sunshine, they do it right, they do it well.