Capsules Or Tablets: Which Is The Better Option For Manufacturers

As the owner of an herbal supplement manufacturing company, you will face a lot of choices about your products that the average manufacturer may never have to contend with. You are providing a product to consumers that will be treated much like a medication, which brings about a lot of aspects relative to pharmaceuticals to think about with your products. One major questions herbal supplement manufacturers face is whether tablets or capsules are the best forms for their supplement. The truth is, there are advantages and drawbacks of each, but there are a few things you should know about why capsules tend to be the most common choice. 

Capsules are easier to swallow than tablets. 

Ask most consumers, and they will be happy to share that they would prefer to take a capsule over a tablet. A tablet is basically just pressed ingredients, so as soon as it hits the moisture of the tongue, it can start to dissolve and break down. Unfortunately, this rapid breakdown can make it unpalatable and difficult to swallow a tablet unless it is coated with some extra ingredients to protect it from moisture temporarily. Capsules, on the other hand, do not break down immediately, so they are easier to swallow. 

Capsules tend to be more resilient to pressure than tablets. 

If a tablet is put under pressure, it can break down pretty easily. For example, if someone places a dose of your herbal supplement in tablet form in their pocket to take with dinner, there is a high likelihood that those tablets are going to be damaged if pressure is inadvertently applied to them. Capsules, however, are made with shells that are somewhat flexible in nature. Therefore, they will not break down so easily and can be safely carried without concerns of them breaking down. 

Capsules may dissolve faster than tablets in the system. 

For the ingredients inside of a capsule to start to dissolve, the outer capsule only has to break down, which usually does not take that long. Since the contents inside of the capsule are already in powdered or liquid form, once that outer shell is gone the ingredients of the supplement are going to dissolve. Tablets do break down rather quickly in the stomach, but because they have to dissolve slowly, it can take longer for them to break down completely. Therefore, capsules tend to be the better option for most supplements. 

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