Powders and Granules: Questions and Answers

There seems to be growing fondness for the use of extract powders or granules to prescribe Chinese herbs by practitioners. They are convenient to use, patient compliance is better, and they seemingly lend themselves to tailoring (jia jian). I have noticed this in the student clinics of Chinese medicine colleges, in continuing education classes, and in my doctoral program. I have been curious about these products for some time. Last April, I was fortunate to be able to travel with the Mayway Tour (http://www.maywaytour.com/) to Anguo, PRC to Mayway Hebei, the GMP facility where Mayway's herbs are identified and processed and many of our products are made. I was able to see extract powder production first-hand and ask a lot of questions of the production manager, Han Gang, about the details of the production of extract powders. Since then, I have spoken to analytical, food, and flavor chemists; plus I have engaged in some research and applied my own knowledge of chemistry and common sense. Enjoy the following, which is a developing list of FAQs regarding extract powders/granules.