We use only 100% Gluten-free, Vegetable Cellulose "00" capsules for all of our encapsulated products. We offer both bulk powder and capsules. Obviously our bulk bottles are bulk powder, not capsules, but the capsule weight is included to give you a way of judging the recommended dosage.

Collinsonia - Botanical Powder -- Approximately 600 mg. each capsule. 1/2 teaspoon of powder is about equal to one capsule. Powder can be consumed by sprinkling it over your food or mixing it with a syrup such as maple or chocolate. You could also mix it with orange juice. The citric acid in the orange juice will help to mask any unpleasant powder tastes.

Other common names: Stone Root, Richweed, Hardhack, Horseweed, Knob Root, Knot Root, Horse Balm, Rich Leaf, Knobweed, Oxbalm

Collinsonia was used by generations of settlers and Native Americans alike as a "cure-all" and remedy for treating kidney and bladder stones. It is a potent diuretic that is said to relieve virtually all urinary tract disorders. Herbalists have long relied on it to reduce excessive water retention and alleviate diarrhea, colitis, digestive complaints and varicose veins.

History:
Collinsonia is a native North American perennial that may be found in the damp woodlands of Canada and the United States. The hard, knobby rootstock is brown-gray and sends up a quadrangular stem that bears oval, serrate leaves terminating in branches of greenish-yellow flowers that bloom from July to October. Collinsonia thrives in moist soil in partial shade and reaches a height of four feet. The whole plant exudes a strong lemon fragrance and a pungent, bitter taste, which has earned it the common name, Richweed; and its English and botanical name, Collinsonia, was bestowed upon it in honor of the man who discovered it, Peter Collinson.

Generations of Native Americans and settlers alike in the mountains of Virginia, the Carolinas, Kentucky, and Tennessee used the leaves in lotions and washes to heal wounds, cuts, and bruises and considered the root, which appears to have potent diuretic properties, a reliable treatment for "the stone," which is believed to be the root's traditional use for removing gravel from the bladder and preventing the formation of kidney stones. It is also thought to be the origin of one of the herb's common names, Stone Root.

Collinsonia was also an important household remedy for headaches and constipation, and during the nineteenth century, Collinsonia continued to enjoy further use by physicians in the United States. It is still employed as a reliable diuretic by veterinary surgeons. Collinsonia is collected from the wild in autumn, dried, and used in herbal medicines. Some of the constituents in Collinsonia include resin, mucilage, starch, tannin, wax, volatile oil and an alkaloid.

Beneficial Uses:
Collinsonia is considered a powerful diuretic that has been highly valued in all complaints of the urinary organs. By promoting increased urine flow, the herb has helped to relieve excessive water retention and dropsy. Moreover, it helps to relieve a variety of urinary tract complaints, including cystitis, benign prostate hypertrophy, vaginitis, urinary irritation, catarrh of the bladder and leucorrhoea.

Further supporting Collinsonia's role as an important and potent diuretic, it has long been used as a reliable herbal remedy that increases urine flow, helping to flush the bladder and kidneys of gravel and other urinary sediment, which thus prevents the formation of kidney stones.

Collinsonia is said to be an astringent and antispasmodic that has been very useful in the relief of diarrhea, hemorrhoids, dysentery, colitis and diverticulosis.

As an overall tonic, Collinsonia is believed to help strengthen capillaries, the minute blood vessels that connect the arteries and veins, and as such, may be helpful for the cardiovascular system. This factor may also account for the herb's use to relieve varicose veins.

Collinsonia has been employed as a home remedy for headaches, rectal pain, and also as a digestive aid that was used to relieve gastroenteritis and other problems connected with the digestive system.

Used externally, Collinsonia has been included in poultices to heal wounds, bruises, sores and cuts and has also been added to mouthwashes and gargles.