A-Z high-quality supplements Articles

Since 1965, the German company Flora has been distributing and manufacturing supplements made with quality ingredients and methods. The company has created innovative formulas in categories such as omega oils, digestive enzymes, and bitters.

In Canada, we're lucky that we can walk into health food stores and find shelves of natural remedies for whatever ails us. But natural health products weren't always so readily available. In fact, 40 years ago, many of the natural products that we know and love today hadn't even been invented yet.

Flora Supplements History, Mission, Vision, and Values

Flora is a German company that uses high-quality ingredients and tests them to ensure efficacy for their supplements. Since 1965, Flora has been growing roots in North America. Beginning as a distributor of fine European natural health products, Flora soon began making their own products at their dedicated facility in Washington State.

To this day, Flora supplements is owned by visionary founder Thomas Greither, a third-generation natural health entrepreneur. Greither follows in the footsteps of his grandfather, who founded the world-famous Salus Health Company in Germany in 1916. To this day, the company has helped 100 million people reclaim their health.

A History of Innovation With First-of-Their-Kind Products

In 1992, Flora, together with Elaine Alexander, launched a herbal formula known as Flor•Essence. The supplement was the first of its kind, a liquid herbal supplement. It was designed specifically to be easily assimilated by the body and to supply nutrients at levels that could not be obtained from food alone. Flor•Essence® was the result of years of research and development, as well as extensive clinical testing. The formula proved to be safe and effective for all ages, with no side effects or contraindications.

This same year, together with Udo Erasmus, Flora launched Udo’s Choice®, a label with the first ever age-specific probiotics and veggie-based DHA omegas.

Formulating with Quality Ingredients and High Standards

Flora Supplements strong commitment to quality control is evident in its selection of raw materials. Flora purchases only the highest-grade agricultural and nonagricultural raw materials available (organic, non-genetically modified), using rigid standards and testing procedures.

Flora's quality control department inspects each shipment of herbs and performs tests to ensure the plant material, finished product, and all other aspects meet their high standards.

When formulating their products, Flora supplements believes in using therapeutic amounts of active ingredients.

Flora Inc. is a top-tier manufacturing facility due to its prestigious certifications as an organic producer and processor by Quality Assurance International (QAI), a well-recognized third-party certifying agency, as well as its memberships in the United States Tru-Label Program, Kosher Check, and the non-GMO Verified Program.

Variety of Flora Supplements

At National Nutrition, we have been carrying Flora supplements for many years. Here are some of our (and your) favourites.

• Udo’s Oil: Udo’s Oil was developed by Udo Erasmus and Flora to provide essential fatty acids (EFAs) in their natural state. Udo's Oil is pure, unrefined, and 100% organic, and it delivers omega-3, omega-6, and omega-9 fatty acids in their optimal amounts and ratios for health. Since the mid-1980s, Flora has been a pioneer in cold-pressed and unrefined oils. They use a unique method in their manufacturing process that eliminates any light or oxygen. The enzymes from the seeds are processed at body temperature, so the essential fatty acids stay active. Udo's Choice is the first supplement made from cold-pressed flaxseed oil, sesame, sunflower, and evening primrose seeds, as well as oils from rice and oat germ, plus non-GMO soy lecithin. It is available in a variety of formats, including liquid and capsules.

• Probiotics: We need probiotics because they can help restore the good bacteria in your gut. Probiotics are also known as "friendly" or "beneficial" bacteria, which are beneficial for health when consumed in adequate amounts. Long before probiotics were a household word, Flora, together with Udo's Choice, created probiotics for a variety of needs. Flora and Udo's Choice formulate effective probiotics. Super Bifido Plus Probiotic provides 102 billion colony-forming units and is a beneficial formula for anyone with a sensitive digestive system (for example, with Irritable Bowel Syndrome). Seniors Probiotic contains 24 billion colony-forming units and is recommended for adults and seniors with lower bowel conditions. The company also makes effective probiotics for kids and adults. All Flora and Udo's Choice probiotics are gluten-free, raw, and vegetarian.

• Enzymes: Enzymes are needed in adequate amounts to help stimulate optimal digestion. Enzymes help break down the food we eat into nutrients that can be absorbed by our bodies. When we are deficient in enzymes, it can lead to a host of problems, including bloating and gas, diarrhea, constipation, and heartburn. Flora has several products that contain different types of enzymes for different types of digestion, from daily maintenance to urgent care.

• Swedish Bitters: Unlike digestive enzymes, bitters can help stimulate the action of your body's own enzymes. Maria's Swedish Bitters uses the original formula from the book "Health Through God's Pharmacy." The combination of herbs, including aloe, rhubarb root, senna pods, licorice, fennel, angelic and other bitter herbs, helps to cleanse and tone the liver, contributing to optimal digestive and gallbladder function while also improving mental and physical energy.

Flora supplements also makes Florasil for skin health, Flax Omega, Omega Sport, Elderberry Crystals, and wellness drinks formulated with apple cider vinegar.

Buying Quality Supplements

If you’re looking for the best quality and potency in natural health, Flora supplements will have a high-quality product for you. Be sure to stop by the store, either in person or online, to see our wide selection of Flora products.

You may know them for their flagship product, Greens+, but Genuine Health has done a lot more in the last 30 years. Here is the story of Genuine Health.

The History of Genuine Health

Genuine Health started when its founder, Stewart Brown, opened a health food store on Church Street in Toronto. This was in the late 1980s when the AIDS epidemic was taking hold in the community. In his store, Stewart helped people every day who were looking for alternative products to support unpleasant side effects from HIV medication.

One day, a man named Sam Graci came into Stewart’s store with a unique product that he had developed. Sam Graci was a former guidance counsellor who had spent 20 years formulating a product to help support at-risk youth. Sam Graci was raised in the Niagara region of Ontario by parents who owned a produce store, and you could say that he was raised to appreciate the benefits that plants have on our bodies and our brains. In his research, Sam Graci learned that when the kids’ diets improved through the inclusion of more colourful plant nutrients, so did their behaviour and outlook on life.

The product Sam Graci brought in was called Greens+, and as soon as he saw the effect that it had on his store’s customers, Stewart Brown knew that he had to do something to bring this formula to more Canadians.

He sold his store and created Genuine Health to distribute Greens+ across Canada, and the rest is history.

A History of Research and Innovation

As it turned out, Greens+ was a first-of-its-kind product in North America. At the time, a product like Greens+ was unheard of. Health food stores sold single nutrients like vitamin C, and a formula that combined nutrients from plants was a new concept. But people loved it, and soon, Stewart was receiving anecdotal accounts of how Greens+ had improved people’s lives, noting that their energy, digestion, and sleep were improving. Stewart put Greens+ to the test, investing in independent, third-party research and evaluation. To this day, greens+ is the only natural health product that has been validated by nine studies.

Genuine Health has gone on to produce other first-of-their-kind products and categories of natural health supplements.

A Commitment to Science and Efficacy

In its 30 years of active business, Genuine Health has formulated products based on available research and only sought out ingredients that are shown to be the most effective. Lastly, products are tested once they are manufactured to ensure purity and label claims.

Genuine Health Products

From being the first company to introduce protein powder as a lifestyle category to helping pave the way for fish oil supplements in Canada to bringing eggshell membrane to Canadians and developing the first complete fermented protein powder, Genuine Health has helped pave the way for supplements today. Let’s look at some of their top products that we sell at National Nutrition.

• Greens+: This formula combines 23 different botanicals, superfoods, and sea vegetables into a single formula that does it all. For the last 30 years, die-hard Greens+ fans have relied on the product to enhance their energy, detoxification, and digestion, thanks to its rich blend of phytonutrients called polyphenols. Greens+ is available in different formulas to enhance energy, detoxification, and bone health.

• Fast Joint Care+: This is a unique line of products designed to reduce joint pain in as little as five days. Made with a patented form of eggshell membrane that contains a range of naturally occurring proteins that nourish and repair joints. Fast Joint Care+ products are available in three different strengths, from mild joint pain to severe arthritis.

• Fermented Organic Vegan Proteins+: This is another innovative product that our customers love. Launched in 2014, the formula is made with a blend of seven different vegan protein sources, the product is then fermented to reduce digestive upset and improve digestion (these are common complaints when people with digestive complaints take protein powders). The fermentation process also helps to make the protein more bioavailable to the body and can also contribute to gut health. And even though it’s fermented, it still tastes great! The company has since evolved the product to include only organic ingredients, earning it both Certified Organic and Non-GMO Project Verification.

• Genuine Health Probiotic: Genuine Health’s advanced gut health probiotics were released in 2017 and have quickly become a favourite product line of National Nutrition customers. Made with a blend of probiotic strains to help mimic the ratios of lacto and bifidobacteria found in the gut for more efficient colonization of gut bacteria. Plus, this entire line is shelf-stable, making it a great choice for travel.

Other popular product include, Genuine Health protein powders, Genuine Health green, collagen and omega 3's.

Due to their well-developed products, it’s no wonder Genuine Health is a favourite amongst natural health enthusiasts and professionals alike.