Difficulty swallowing capsules

[Anderson]

Does anyone know what to do when a person has difficulty swallowing capsules?

Since herbs should be taken on an empty stomach and cannot be mixed with food it gets difficult for some people to swallow capsules with water.

I know one can just put the herb powders under the tongue and then swallow with water but in the case of Chaparral that can't be done since it will stain the teeth according to James.

[James]

(03-31-2014 06:44 AM)Anderson Wrote:  Does anyone know what to do when a person has difficulty swallowing capsules?

Since herbs should be taken on an empty stomach and cannot be mixed with food it gets difficult for some people to swallow capsules with water.

I know one can just put the herb powders under the tongue and then swallow with water but in the case of Chaparral that can't be done since it will stain the teeth according to James.

Chaparral does not stain the teeth, it sticks to the teeth. Chaparral is very resinous and resins and water do not mix. When the powder gets wet it becomes a sticky tar-like substance. Same reason I always mix chaparral with other herbs first. This helps prevent the chaparral from sticking all together as a big tar ball and maintains surface area. I usually combine it with pau d' arco and/or andrographis.

For people who have a hard time swallowing capsules they can try filling their mouth as full of water as possible then tilt their head forward so the capsule floats to the back of the throat then swallow the water in one big gulp.

[Anderson]

Would it be ok to swallow the capsules with a banana for example or would it interfere with absorption?