Quality, Labels & Product Selection

Names and plant parts

Look for the Latin name and the plant part. Dandelion root and leaf, and German and Roman chamomile, are examples where the common name hides a difference. [1][2]

Check blends

Blends can hide ingredients and caffeine. A "caffeine-free" tea should list every ingredient; pure herbal infusions are generally caffeine-free, but blends can include true tea. [3] Proprietary blends list a total weight without amounts for each ingredient, so you cannot compare them with a study. For "sleep" and "digestive" blends, check each ingredient against its guide, for example valerian (sedating) and licorice (heart and blood pressure cautions). [4][5]

Substitution

NIH notes that many "licorice" products sold in the US do not contain actual licorice. [5]

Standardization

"Standardized", "verified" and "certified" do not necessarily guarantee product quality or consistency. [6] See Extracts & tinctures.

Contamination

The FDA has found prescription drugs in products sold as supplements. [6] We did not find a source we could read on pesticide or heavy metal levels in herbal teas, so we make no claim.

Organic and testing

USDA organic describes how a product was produced and handled; see Natural Ingredients quality. Neither organic status nor a test report shows that a tea works. We do not rank brands and have not verified any certification program.

Storage and shelf life

We do not give shelf-life numbers for dry herbs or prepared drinks, because we have not verified them. Follow the product's own storage and use-by information.