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Contents
Capsules VS Tablets 3
Why You Should Make Your Own Capsules 5
Suggestions For Ingredients 7
Procedure 8
Tools & Materials 9
Contact & Further Resources 9

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 Capsules Vs Tablets
The production of tablets requires considerable investment in manufacturing
equipment. Often several machines are required, e.g., powder mixers and
granulators, tablet presses, and tablet coating machines.

The production of tablets is also expensive in terms of manpower and

machine running costs, on account of the number of process steps involved.
By contrast the manufacture of products in the form of capsules can be a
relatively simple, low-cost and straightforward process.

Capsules have certain advantages as solid dosage forms when compared

with tablets:

• They are attractive in appearance

• They are slippery when moist and are therefore easy to swallow with a glass
of water
• Fewer ingredients are required in addition to the active pharmaceutical
ingredient
• The shells are inert and quickly digest in the gastrointestinal tract
• They are low-cost
• They are easy to handle, transport and store
• The outer surface can be coloured or made opaque (e.g., with titanium
dioxide) to give protection from light.
• The shell masks the taste of the ingredients, making administration of
unpleasant drugs more palatable.

There are some disadvantages:

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 • Drugs or ingredients that are hygroscopic, can absorb water from the capsule
shell, making it go brittle, and therefore poor for long term storage.
• Capsules are readily soluble in water at 37°C, and must therefore be stored
in a dry atmosphere at a lower temperature.
• Alcoholic solutions and oils can be filled in capsules but aqueous solutions
cannot because of reaction with the gelatin casing which can be rendered
brittle.

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 Why You Should Make Your Own
Capsules

Home-made products can be much more affordable than store bought

supplements and vitamins. All you need are empty hard capsules made of
gelatin or vegetarian substitute, a capsule machine and the herbs, vitamins or
raw supplements that you wish to add to the mix.

Capsules, when sealed, protect the user from any bitterness of the encased
ingredients. One of the main advantages of capsules is that they enable the
user to take the herbs and other ingredients in their raw natural state, without
any unpleasant taste that may be associated with the formulations. Taking the
powder or herbs in their natural state is a much more effective and an
efficient way of getting all the benefits without the side effects.

For example, organic turmeric powder has a bitter flavour which many find
unpalatable in high concentrations. This is unfortunate as it has been shown
to be effective in improving digestion, reducing inflammation, improving skin
condition and/or reducing joint pain. Turmeric is a native spice of India and
Indonesia and has been used for thousands of years for its health benefits.
Bulk organic turmeric powder can be purchased for around $40 per kg, which
is enough to make 1000 x 1g capsules. Contrast this with store-bought
capsules that are retailed at $18 for 60 x 1000 mg tablets. The mark-up
between such raw material and capsule is 750%, making the process of filling
your own capsules a very attractive proposition. It is certainly not difficult to
make your own capsules, and will become easier with a little practice. It may
well end up being a fun activity that also gives personal satisfaction knowing
that you can make the products yourself.

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There is also a certain amount of mystery associated with the development of
supplements. Labelling packages with all of the proteins encased in a
particular supplement may often add to the confusion associated with sports
supplements. There is also a perception that supplement companies are
large organisations backed with teams of white-coated chemists, producing
formulas that are subject to rigorous scientific testing. In fact, the supplement
industry, unlike the pharmaceutical industry, is not well regulated and the
production of supplements and filling of capsules is not at all difficult. The
process of filling hard capsules is one that can be carried out at home,
delivering products at a fraction of the cost of store-bought mixtures. Indeed
many sports supplement suppliers are small home-based companies that
purchase raw supplement powders in bulk, package them in capsules, and
then target their marketing to appeal to the sports, fitness and health-
conscious individual.

It only requires a small investment to purchase in a manual desktop capsule

filling machine. Together with some basic measuring utensils and equipment,
this is all that is needed to make supplement capsules in the kitchen at home.

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 Suggestions For Ingredients
Below are some suggestions for supplement ingredients. There is a wealth of
information available online for other supplements.

Elderberries. These berries are high in antioxidants, which are said to help
protect against cell damage caused by stress, poor eating habits as well as
environmental toxins. Elderberries are rich in amino acids, Vitamins A, B, C,
carotenoids, calcium, flavonoids, iron, and riboflavin.

Bee Pollen. This is rich in amino acids, protein and other vitamins and
minerals. The granules are claimed to help people with asthma, depression
and even treat allergies.

Wheatgrass. This contains essential amino acids as well as being a natural

protein source. Wheatgrass is claimed to boost energy levels, improve
complexion, reduce facial lines and lower blood pressure.

Celery seed powder. Celery is an excellent source of antioxidants and

beneficial enzymes as well as vitamins and minerals such as vitamins K, C
and B6, potassium and folate. Celery also contains a compound called 3-n-
butylphthalide that has been reported to have lipid-lowering action. Research
suggests that celery has many other beneficial compounds. The seeds
appear beneficial in being able to reduce blood pressure, lower high
cholesterol, reduce inflammation, help prevent ulcers, boost digestion/
reducing bloating, and help to improve liver health.

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 Procedure

The method of using a manual capsule filling machine is very simple, as

follows:

1. Open the empty capsules and place the lower halves (the ‘body’) in the
holes of the bottom plate of the filling machine. Often machines have spacers
that are inserted between the base plate and the plate with holes into which
the capsules are fitted. These need to be set so that the lower body of each
capsule is flush with the top of the plate that holds the capsule bodies.

2. Pour the liquid or powder into the body of each capsule, ensuring an even
distribution of powder using a spreader plate.

3. Take out the spacers and gently tap the plate with holes downwards so that
each of the capsule bodies protrudes from the top of the plate.

4. Place the top half (‘cap’) of each capsule onto the lower half but do not
press down firmly until all are in place. Once all the tops are in place, they
can be pressed down gently (often a click is heard when they are all
completely fitted.

5. If the machine has an upper plate into which caps can be loaded, fit these
into the upper plate, and then flip the plate over and align it with the bottom
plate, ensuring that all capsules halves are perfectly aligned.

6. Press the top plate firmly to secure the top of each capsule with the
corresponding lower half.

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 Tools & Materials
• Gelatin Capsules/K-Caps Vegetarian Capsules
• Capsule Filler
• Ingredients

Contact & Further Resources

We have a article database that tackle many of the problems beginners
are likely to face in tableting. This can be found here.

We also have a video section with of tutorials and how-to videos which
can be found here. We are working on adding more videos every
month.
If you’re unsure about anything, you can contact us here.

All images, diagrams, illustrations and content in the ebook are

copyright protected and any use of the images and contents are
prohibited. Please visit our website to learn more.

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