Our jiaogulan is carefully harvested by hand and directly laid out in withering troughs. This stage is crucial in determining the quality of the final product. During the process of withering, the farmers meticulously monitor the leaves to ensure that they are spread out and not bunched together so that the leaves dry uniformly. Additionally, the leaves must be flipped over regularly while drying. If the leaves are placed to dry either in uneven layers or left lying on one side, a build up of warmth and water vapour can turn the leaves an unpleasant brown.
After withering, the leaves are heated according to traditional Chinese preparation methods. In contrast to other Chinese herbs, jiaogulan is not roasted in pans, but rather quickly steamed. This stage reflects the farmers' experience, as they expertly judge the timing and proportions required for steaming. In the next stage, the plants are dried in the open air on bamboo sieves, then rolled. Rolling gives the jiaogulan its characteristic crimped and curly appearance and helps to bring out the aromatic essential oils contained in the leaves and stems. After another drying phase indoors, the jiaogulan is sorted into different quality grades.
In the last stage, the 4:1 extract of the dried jiaogulan leaves is produced exclusively with water and without any chemical solvents. The concentration of valuable ingredients in the "immortality herb" can thereby be quadrupled.
For the capsule shells we use custom-made HPMC capsules that, unlike most other HPMC capsules that can be found on the market, are 100% free from controversial additives such as carrageenans and PEG. We do not use gelatine or pullulan and completely avoid the use of release agents such as magnesium stearate, which is often used in the production of capsule and food supplement powders. We use environmentally friendly amber glass jars for the packaging of this product.