We sell lots of powders here at Lost Empire Herbs. This is quite a bit different from the pills and capsules most people take.
While there are certain benefits that come from tasting the herbs, cluing your body into what to do with them, some of them just plain taste horrible.
That’s why we now have pine pollen available in capsules and soon will have a few of our herbs and formulas in them as well.
Still, we wanted to create this post to show you how you can encapsulate powdered herbs yourself.
There are two easy methods both of which are shown in this video, with additional steps below.
The By Hand Method of Encapsulation
- Pour the powder into a small bowl.
- Open up your gelatin or vegetarian capsule, with one end in each hand.
- Scoop up the powder into each side, making sure they’re full.
- Push both ends together so that it’s secure.
- Put pill aside and repeat.
It’s quite simple. It’s just time-consuming if you’re going to do a lot.
Feel free to do this process while keeping your attention occupied with conversation, listening to a podcast or watching a video.
The Small Machine Method of Encapsulation
You can buy a small kit that allows you to do 50 or 100 capsules at a time.
Note that each one is designed for specific size capsules. This may be “O”, “OO”, or “OOO”. Just make sure you have the right size capsules with the right machine or you will be frustrated.
- Open up the machine and insert each end of the capsules into the respective slots, on the top and bottom.
- Add powder into the machine and move around until each capsule is filled evenly. Sometimes there is a tamper so you can squeeze down the powder, then add more.
- Insert the top and close down until the capsules are complete.
In my experience, these things never work quite as well as you’d want them to. But they are functional. Depending on how often you want to create capsules this could be worth investing in. Some of them are relatively cheap as well.
You can find a few of these machines on Amazon such as this one. You can also often find them in organic food stores, especially if they carry bulk herbs.
And now a question for you…
Would you like it if we sourced a good quality and decently priced encapsulation kit and made it available here at Lost Empire? Would you order one?
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Gary Kitchen says
Hi Logan and everyone! I follow and enjoy your podcast and always learn something important. So much to understand taking care of our bodies naturally.
I have The Capsule Machine size 00 24-cells, shown here:
It works well, but I had to learn a few things when using it to avoid wasting very expensive powders. It also takes a dedicated amount of time with no distractions.
Number one when handling gelatin capsules and working with powders, wear latex (powder-free) gloves. If you don’t, moisture from your hands will cause the capsules to stick, the powder & your fingers and the capsules will get sticky. The capsules will come apart or get stuck in the frame. Bare hands – bad idea! I store empty capsules in a ziploc freezer bag to avoid humidity and swelling. Size/tolerances do matter when using the machine!
Second, work on a dinner plate, etc, empty capsules in a dish on the side. Separate & load bottom & top halves into the filling blocks. Spoon & spread powder into the bottom halves. Tap on the table several times, then tamp. Add as needed to top off & repeat. DO NOT overload the caps or they may not close completely. Place top carrier and compress slowly to seat caps. Gently lift top carrier off. Tap excess powder out and recover carefully. Eject filled caps by pushing up on bottom half section. I give them a light squeeze to make sure I have them fully seated.
Overall, it’s a great tool, but it does take time, depending on your dexterity
Troy Davidson says
That would be a great idea.. I would order it. I don’t mind the taste of certain herbs, but like you said it’s the convience of having the caps..
Troy Davidson