Sadly, many of the herbs we sell here at Lost Empire Herbs are a bit on the weird or unknown side for the average man and woman. But what are you supposed to do with often-times-bad-tasting powders and tinctures?
In fact, just the other day I received this comment from Jared: “Dude, how the heck to do consume the Phoenix and the Spartan without vomiting? LOL”
That’s what this video is about…to give you the basic rundown on how you should use your Lost Empire herbs.
On Capsules:
We live in a pill and capsule world. You know how to take capsules, so that is not really what this page is about. But a few more details. As of writing, the following herbs are available in capsules, with more coming in the future.
For the many herbs that are not in capsules, the process of encapsulating them yourself can be found here. This is one way to get around the taste completely.
On Tastes:
There are some good reasons to taste your herbs as described here. Essentially, the taste can clue your body into what to do with it.
As for the taste, recognize that your tastebuds can change. Although something may taste awful to you now, if you take it every day, you may come to find it’s not so bad, maybe even begin to enjoy it.
Despite the intense bitterness of Tongkat Ali several customers have told us they have come to crave that flavor.
On Dosage:
Dosage varies widely amongst different herbs. For instance, Tongkat Ali is just 100mg twice per day. Meanwhile, a megadose of Pine Pollen can be three tablespoons or ten grams. That’s a hundred-fold difference.
Every herb has a recommended dose on the label. A quick reference can also be found on our product glossary here.
This is often a range too. It is recommended to start on the low end of the range. Notice any benefits or a lack thereof, then feel free to increase the dosage. You can also go outside of this range too.
For more details on why dosage is very variable read this post.
For Tinctures:
The preferred delivery method is sublingual. This means squirting the tincture under your tongue and holding it there for approximately 30 seconds. As the cell walls are thin in this area, it allows the tincture to absorb straight into your bloodstream. Note that Pine Pollen Tincture specifically is a high alcohol percentage (70%). It is going to burn a bit so be forewarned. The reason for this is that high alcohol is best for extracting the hormonal components. All other tinctures are a lower alcohol percentage so they won’t burn as much.
While not ideal, tinctures will still work if you squirt them into water or other liquids.
If you are sensitive to alcohol you can squirt the tincture into boiling water. Alcohol has a lower boiling point than water so much of it will evaporate off.
We often use the term “dropperful”. This refers to half of the pipette being full and is equal to approximately 30 drops or 1.5 mL. It is a dropperful in the sense that when you squeeze the bulb that is how much liquid is drawn into it. Typically you can’t actually fill the entire thing no matter how you try. Sometimes we’ll also use the term “squirt.”

For Powders:
If you are taking a small dose (a half teaspoon or under) you can throw the powder straight into your mouth and then wash it down with water or another liquid. If you take a larger dose, this is not recommended as the powder can become a choking hazard (not that you’ll choke so much as end up coughing the powder everywhere).
A trick that works for the bitter-tasting powders such as Tongkat Ali, or anything else a half teaspoon or less, is to get water in your mouth first, throw the powder on top of this, then swallow it down similar to a capsule. Water, powder, water. This can be seen at the seven-minute mark in the video above.
The simplest way to take powdered herbs, including in bigger doses, is to mix them in water and then drink. Note that some herbs are more soluble in water than others, meaning they dissolve better. Others will clump up to some degree. Stirring vigorously and then drinking quickly helps with this. Besides water, herbs can also be added to juice, tea or coffee.
You can use a blender to make a shake or smoothie and add in one or more herbs to this. In general, having food with herbs, especially a fat source, tends to help aid in absorption.

For Combinations:
Unless otherwise noted all herbs can be combined. When combining herbs it is good to know how they taste because some combinations may go together better than others. Some may not go together well at all. While some herbs may help mask the flavor of others.
It is useful to note the good tasting herbs such as Goji Berry Powder, Seabuckthorn, Beet Juice Powder, and Black Maca Powder. These can be used to make various herbal combinations tastier.
Similarly, sweet or sour juices can also mask or cut flavors. Many people like using grapefruit juice, orange juice, cranberry juice or lots of other options for this purpose.
For more information about the specific herbs you’ve purchased from us, you can refer to the product detail pages. Tips on dosage, taste, and use are usually found near the bottom of the page. In addition, we usually have a video discussing the herb that offers similar tips.
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do you have a recommended dosage for the sleep enhancing bundle. Or do you just follow the regular dosage for each of the three herbs?
Regular dosage for each herb is a good starting place.
I read somewhere that powders should be put under the tongue so they are more readily absorbed into the bloodstream.
That is one technique you may want employ. Our powders are designed to be absorbed through the digestive tract so if you are going to hold them under your tongue, we hope you swallow them after.
Hi, I did not notice a link “to How to take herbs” with my first order .. where should I look for it?
It will come in your email. Feel free to direct any questions you have to [email protected]bs.com
Do you sell Schisandra Berry in pill form? I already have it in powder form.
Not yet.