[mochaccino]

Right now I take all my herb capsules and teas 20 minutes before a meal. I take my oils and vitamins immediately before I start eating, or right after I finish.

I'm starting to think I should change the timing of my supplement doses, especially in relation to meals. Another member, Luisa, recently told me that she only gets swelling from GR tea when she drinks it 30 minutes after a meal. That really got me thinking about the effects of herbs in combination with food. I know some herbs behave completely differently when taken with or without food. Others can't be taken with a full meal, but should still be taken with something that encourages digestion, like milk, juice, or a small cup of yogurt. Before starting BE, I even saw a few supplements that said on the label that they should be taken after a meal rather than just "with a meal", like what Luisa suggested.

I'm not sure of the optimal way to take each of my herbs. I'm gonna list all of them, and maybe you can tell me when and how to take them based on your own experiences or research. If you only have info about one or two of these herbs, please tell me about the ones you know about. When ever I ask super complicated questions, I noticed most people don't respond unless they can answer almost every single question. I don't mind if you only know about one herb! Keep in mind, I'm not asking about dosages, I'm just asking about timing in relation to meals, and anything else related to digestion.

Here are the supps I'm wondering about:
Capsules: FG, SP, WY, Wild oat extract, EPO, fish oil.
Teas: GR, spearmint, fennel.

[mochaccino]

oops... wrong thread

[luisa]

Hi Mochaccino,

I try to take my herbs the way Isabelle does. Some of the herbs need processing by the liver and are thereofre to be taken with something that goes straight to the liver like milk or yogurt (I believe this relates to hops and PM but these are not in your list). Isabelle recommends taking FG 20 minutes before a meal to improve insulin sensitivity (we have diabetis in my family so this is how I take FG as well but I do not know if it is the best way for NBE or not).

I used to take SP first thing in the morning. SP used to clear my skin really good and I saw the results within 24 hours so the way I took it obviously worked. Not sure about the other herbs.

[mochaccino]

I've started taking most of my herbs with milk. All my other herbs I take immediately after a meal, rather than immediately before, like I used too. I also decided I'm going to divide all my herbs and supps into only 2 doses per day (early morning and night) instead of 3. I see no reason why this would be a problem, it's much more convenient, and they might even work better this way.