Why We Switched from Capsules to Tinctures After Five Years

We began with capsules because they are familiar. They are easy to pack. They tuck neatly into a routine. For many people, capsules are a friendly first step with herbs.

And then, year by year, we kept noticing something quiet: what people needed most was not more intensity. It was more consistency. More relationship. More ability to meet the herbs where they were, on a real day, in a real body.

After five years of working with capsules, we switched to tinctures. This was not a dramatic pivot. It was a slow choice, made from thousands of small observations, and a desire to support the kind of daily rhythm that Traditional Chinese Medicine has always cherished.

This article is an educational look into that choice. Not as a universal rule. Simply as the reasoning behind our line, and the practical differences we found along the way.

What This Means

Switching from capsules to tinctures was ultimately about one thing:

Making herbs easier to weave into daily life, with less friction.

Capsules can work beautifully for many people. They are discreet and straightforward. But they also create a fixed relationship with dose and timing. You take them, and you wait for your body to meet them through digestion.

Tinctures are more like a small conversation. You taste them. You can adjust them drop by drop. You can take them in a moment that already exists in your day. For some people, that flexibility changes everything, not because it is stronger, but because it becomes doable.

If you want the broader comparison, start here:

• Tinctures vs Capsules: What the Difference Means for the Body

The Body’s Relationship to the Topic

In TCM, we return again and again to the idea of steady support. The body is not a machine that needs a single perfect input. It is an ecosystem that responds to rhythm, nourishment, rest, warmth, and time.

When people struggle with consistency, it is rarely because they “lack discipline.” It is often because the form does not match the season of their life.

Capsules can feel easy when:

• meals are regular
• digestion is stable
• routines are predictable

Capsules can feel harder when:

• appetite is variable
• digestion feels sensitive
• mornings are rushed
• swallowing pills feels unpleasant

Tinctures can feel supportive when:

• you want a flexible dose
• you want to take herbs without needing a full meal moment
• you want a ritual cue that you can feel

Tinctures can also be challenging if:

• taste is a major barrier
• you prefer not to take alcohol-based extracts

We did not switch because one form is morally better. We switched because tinctures better supported the way most people actually live, especially when they are tired, tender, or stretched thin.

Why Form Matters (if applicable)

Form matters because it changes the experience of taking herbs, which changes whether the relationship lasts.

Here are the three reasons we moved toward tinctures.

1) Flexibility, especially for sensitive systems

With capsules, the unit is the capsule. That can be comforting, but it can also be rigid. If a person wants to start small and build slowly, capsules can feel like stepping stones that are too far apart.

With tinctures, you can begin with a smaller amount, then gently adjust. This is often a kinder entry point for people who want to move gradually.

2) Ritual, not another task

People do not need one more thing to manage. They need something that can become part of an existing rhythm.

Tinctures naturally invite a pause:

• pick up the bottle
• breathe once
• take the drops
• drink a little water

That pause is not just aesthetic. It is often the difference between “I did it twice and forgot” and “I did it most days for months.”

If you want a simple way to build that kind of steadiness, this is a gentle companion:

• Creating a Daily Herbal Ritual

3) Extraction and experience

Tinctures are extracts. Capsules are powders. Both can be meaningful ways to work with plants, but the experience differs.

With tinctures, the plants are already in liquid form. For many people, this feels easier to take regularly. It can also make it easier to pair with a daily anchor, like brushing teeth or boiling water for tea.

If you enjoy nerding out on the “how much gets where” side of things, we explore it here:

• What Bioavailability Really Means in Herbal Medicine

A Simple Way to Begin

If you are considering making a similar switch, try this for one week. Keep it gentle and observational.

Step 1: Choose one formula and one daily anchor

Pick one place in your day that already exists:

• after breakfast
• after lunch
• right after you wash your evening dishes
• when you turn off the lights

Then choose one formula to pair with it. In our line you will see options like Flow, Belly, Rest, Peace, and Protect. Each is designed for steady companionship rather than urgency.

Step 2: Start smaller than you think you need

This is not about “more.” It is about “often enough to be consistent.” If starting small makes it easier to return tomorrow, that is a good beginning.

Step 3: Notice, then adjust

At the end of the week, reflect on:

• Did you remember it more often?
• Did taking it feel simple, or did it create resistance?
• Did the taste become familiar, or did it stay unpleasant?

Your answers will tell you more than any general rule.

How to Use This in Daily Life

If you want tinctures to feel like part of your life, not a project, here are a few approaches we return to again and again.

Keep the bottle where your hands already go

The most effective routine is often a visual one.

• on the counter near your mug
• beside your toothbrush
• near your kettle
• beside your journal

If you have children, pets, or a household where storage needs to be mindful, choose a safe place you will still see daily.

Pair tinctures with water

Many people find it easiest to take tinctures with a sip of water. Some prefer to add the drops to a small amount of water. Do what feels gentle for your body and your senses.

Let your routine be seasonal

One of the quiet gifts of tinctures is that they can flex with life. Travel weeks. Busy weeks. Weeks where your digestion wants simplicity. Weeks where you need a small ritual to come back to yourself.

When your life changes, let your routine change too. Consistency does not have to mean rigidity.

How this connects to our formulas

We created Flow, Belly, Rest, Peace, and Protect as tincture formulas because we wanted them to be easy to return to. Not as a big event, but as a small, repeatable practice.

If you are exploring, choose the one that feels most aligned with your current season, then give it time to become familiar. If you want more context on choosing a form, revisit:

• Tinctures vs Capsules: What the Difference Means for the Body

Gentle Closing

We switched to tinctures because we wanted herbs to feel like a daily relationship, not a complicated routine.

If capsules are working for you, that is meaningful. If tinctures feel like they might fit better right now, you do not need to overhaul your life to begin. Start with one small anchor, one gentle dose, and a willingness to notice what your body says over time.

When you are ready to keep reading, these are natural next steps:

• Tinctures vs Capsules: What the Difference Means for the Body
• What Bioavailability Really Means in Herbal Medicine