Andrographis Extract Capsules: How to Choose by Ratio, Extract and Price
An andrographis label can show three different figures for the same capsule: the weight of extract, the weight of plant it stands for and, on some brands, an andrographolide percentage, and the three are not interchangeable. In plain terms: each of our vegan capsules holds 500mg of a 10:1 Andrographis paniculata extract, made from the equivalent of 5,000mg of dried plant, one capsule a day, 90 capsules for £9.99 [3]. This guide breaks down what each number means, shows the simple maths that links them, and compares our capsule with the other andrographis formats you will meet, so you can read any label for yourself.
Checked against the product label and the GB Nutrition and Health Claims Register, September 2026.
Andrographis extract capsules at a glance
Suits you if you want a single-plant andrographis extract with the ratio printed on the label, in one vegan capsule a day.
Per capsule: 500mg of Andrographis paniculata 10:1 extract, equivalent to 5,000mg of dried plant; no NRV established, because a Nutrient Reference Value (the daily figure UK labels use) exists only for vitamins and minerals [3].
Format: hypromellose (plant-based, vegan) capsule; three ingredients; resealable pouch of 90, which is three months at one a day.
Price per serving: £9.99 for 90 servings, about 11p a capsule, at the time of writing.
ANDROGRAPHIS PANICULATA EXTRACT 500MG · 90 VEGAN CAPSULES
£9.99 · 90 servings · 500mg of 10:1 extract per capsule · equivalent to 5,000mg of plant · hypromellose shell
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Which Andrographis Extract Is Right for You?
If you are comparing brands by the label
Start with the extract weight per capsule. Labels can quote the extract weight, the plant equivalent or an andrographolide percentage, and a big plant-equivalent number can sit on a small capsule. Ours prints both the extract and the plant figure side by side: 500mg of 10:1 extract, equivalent to 5,000mg [3]. Compare the plant-equivalent figure only between products that print the same ratio.
If you want one capsule a day for three months
One pouch is 90 days. The label direction is one capsule daily with water, so the 90-capsule pouch lasts three months from one pack, at about 11p a capsule; it reseals and travels.
If you follow a vegan diet or avoid gelatin
The shell is hypromellose and the pouch front says Vegan Capsules. Hypromellose is a plant-derived cellulose. The three ingredients are Andrographis paniculata 10:1 extract, the hypromellose shell and organic brown rice flour, the carrier that fills the capsule around the extract [3]. There is no gelatin, no sugar and no added colour.
ANDROGRAPHIS PANICULATA EXTRACT 500MG · 90 VEGAN CAPSULES
£9.99 · 90 servings · 1 capsule a day · 500mg of 10:1 extract = 5,000mg of dried plant · organic brown rice flour · hypromellose shell
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What does 10:1 mean on an andrographis label?
The nutrition panel on the pouch says: serving size 1 capsule; servings per container 90; Andrographis paniculata 10:1 extract 500mg (equivalent to 5,000mg); no NRV established [3]. The pouch front adds High-Strength, 500mg per capsule and 10:1 extract. Two numbers, and one can be worked out from the other.
10:1 is the extract ratio. It means ten parts of dried plant were concentrated into one part of extract, so every gram of extract stands for ten grams of plant. Turn it round and the 5,000mg on the label is a plant equivalent, not the weight of the capsule: 5,000mg ÷ 10 = 500mg of actual extract in each capsule. A capsule cannot hold five grams of anything; it holds half a gram of concentrate that was made from five grams of plant.
5,000mg of plant ÷ 10 = 500mg of extract in each capsule. The 500mg is what is in the capsule; the 5,000mg is what went into making it. If a label prints a plant equivalent with no ratio beside it, you cannot tell how much extract the capsule holds.
Andrographis Paniculata Extract 500mg, nutrition panel [3]
Andrographolide is the marker compound. It is the bitter diterpenoid lactone that laboratories measure to confirm that a raw material or extract is genuine andrographis [2]. A label that prints an andrographolide percentage is telling you how much of that compound the extract was prepared to contain. Andrographolide is also the reason the leaves taste so bitter, and a 10:1 extract is correspondingly bitter, which is why it is sold in capsules rather than as a loose powder [2].
How to compare andrographis capsules, tablets and powder
Every andrographis label breaks down into the same four steps: find the extract weight per serving; divide the plant equivalent by the ratio to check it; read the shell line; divide the pack price by the number of servings. The table applies them to our capsule and to the other formats you will meet; prices are at the time of writing.
500mg of 10:1 extract per capsule = 5,000mg of dried plant · no andrographolide % declared · 1 capsule a day
Choose if you want the ratio and the extract weight both printed on the label · hypromellose shell, vegan · £9.99 for 90 servings: about 11p a serving
Any other andrographis capsule or tablet
Plant equivalent ÷ ratio = extract weight (no ratio means the figure is plant or powder weight, not extract) · a % means the extract is standardised to andrographolide
Choose if its label prints the ratio and the extract weight and they divide up · hypromellose or cellulose shell = vegan, gelatin = animal-derived · pack price ÷ servings = price per serving
Andrographis powder or loose dried herb
Labelled by grams of dried plant per serving · no ratio, so the figure is plant weight, not extract · intensely bitter to taste
Choose if you want the plant itself to measure out yourself · check the serving in grams against a 10:1 capsule by dividing by ten · pack price ÷ servings = price per serving
Standardised andrographolide extract
Labelled by extract weight and a % of andrographolide · % × extract weight = mg of andrographolide per capsule
Choose if the andrographolide figure is the number you want to compare · check whether the plant equivalent and the ratio are also printed · pack price ÷ servings = price per serving
A worked contrast shows why the ratio matters more than the capsule size: 500mg of plain andrographis powder with no ratio is 500mg of plant, and 500mg of a 10:1 extract is 5,000mg of plant. Same capsule, ten times the plant. A standardised extract adds a third figure, the andrographolide percentage, which only helps you if the other brand prints one too.
What is Andrographis paniculata?
Andrographis paniculata is an annual herbaceous plant of the Acanthaceae family, widely cultivated in India and Southeast Asia and known in India as kalmegh [1]. It is an upright, branching plant that grows to roughly half a metre to a metre, with narrow, lance-shaped leaves and small white flowers marked with purple. Its other name, the King of Bitters, comes from the intensely bitter taste of its leaves [1].
Supplements are usually made from the leaves or the whole aerial part of the plant, which is harvested, dried and extracted. You'll see on the front of our pouch that our extract is concentrated at 10:1 [3]. The plant's most characteristic compound is andrographolide, the bitter marker that laboratories use to identify genuine andrographis [2].
Andrographis Extract sits in our Andrographis range within the Herbal Supplements category, where you can see the other single-plant capsules we sell.
How to take and store andrographis capsules
The label direction, in its words: take 1 capsule daily with water [3]. With 90 capsules in the pouch, one pack lasts 90 days. You can take it with a meal or at any time that suits your routine.
Storage: store in a cool, dry place out of direct sunlight; keep out of reach of young children [3].
READY TO TRY ANDROGRAPHIS EXTRACT?
500mg of Andrographis paniculata 10:1 extract per capsule, the equivalent of 5,000mg of dried plant, in a vegan hypromellose shell with organic brown rice flour: one a day, 90 servings for £9.99 at the time of writing.
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Andrographis Extract FAQs
1. What does 10:1 mean on an andrographis label?
It is the extract ratio: ten parts of dried plant were concentrated into one part of extract, so each gram of extract stands for ten grams of plant. On our label the 5,000mg figure is that plant equivalent; divide it by ten and you get the 500mg of extract that is actually in the capsule.
2. How much andrographis is in one capsule?
Each capsule holds 500mg of Andrographis paniculata 10:1 extract, the equivalent of 5,000mg (5g) of dried plant. The remaining contents are organic brown rice flour as the carrier, inside a hypromellose shell.
3. Are the capsules vegan?
Yes. The shell is hypromellose, a plant-derived cellulose, and the pouch front says Vegan Capsules. The three ingredients are the andrographis extract, organic brown rice flour and the hypromellose shell; there is no gelatin.
4. How many andrographis capsules should I take a day, and when?
The label direction is one capsule daily with water, which makes the 90-capsule pouch a three-month supply. There is no set time of day, so choose whichever meal makes it easy to remember.
5. Why does the label not give an andrographolide percentage?
Because this extract is described by weight and ratio rather than standardised to its marker compound. Andrographolide is the bitter compound laboratories measure to confirm an extract is genuine andrographis; a standardised extract is prepared to contain a stated percentage of it and prints that figure. Ours prints 500mg of 10:1 extract, equivalent to 5,000mg of plant, so you can compare it with any other label on those two numbers [3].
6. Why does this guide describe the label rather than what andrographis does?
Because the Great Britain Nutrition and Health Claims Register is the only list of what a UK food supplement may claim, and it holds no authorised claim for andrographis, Andrographis paniculata or andrographolide [4]. What you’ll find on the label is a simple statement of what’s inside: 500mg of 10:1 extract, equivalent to 5,000mg of dried plant, in one vegan capsule a day [3].
7. Can I take andrographis capsules with other medicines?
The label advises you to consult a doctor before use if you have a medical condition or are taking any medications. It also states that the capsules are not intended for children, or for women who are pregnant or breastfeeding [3].
8. Why is andrographis called the King of Bitters?
Because of the taste of its leaves. Andrographolide, the plant’s characteristic compound, is intensely bitter, and a 10:1 extract concentrates it, which is one reason andrographis is sold in capsules rather than as a loose powder.
Choose Andrographis Paniculata Extract 500mg Capsules if you want a 10:1 extract with the ratio and the extract weight both printed on the label, in a vegan hypromellose shell with organic brown rice flour, one a day.
Choose the plain powder only if you want to measure the bitter dried plant out yourself; a 10:1 capsule carries ten times the plant of the same weight of powder.
Order Andrographis Extract 500mg today: a three-month pouch of 90 vegan capsules for £9.99, about 11p a capsule.
References
[1] Mehta S, Sharma AK, Singh RK. Ethnobotany, Pharmacological Activities and Bioavailability Studies on ‘King of Bitters’ (Kalmegh): A Review (2010-2020). Combinatorial Chemistry & High Throughput Screening 2022;25(5):788-807 (cited for botany only: annual herbaceous plant, family Acanthaceae, known as kalmegh, cultivated in India and Southeast Asia). PubMed. View Source
[2] Sareer O, Ahmad S, Umar S. Andrographis paniculata: a critical appraisal of extraction, isolation and quantification of andrographolide and other active constituents. Natural Product Research 2014;28(23):2081-2101 (cited for andrographolide as the bitter diterpenoid marker compound used to verify authenticity only). PubMed. View Source
[3] Alpha01. Andrographis Paniculata Extract 500mg, 90 Capsules: nutritional information panel, pouch front, ingredients, suggested use, storage, caution and price (accessed 2026-09-17). View Source
[4] Department of Health and Social Care. Great Britain nutrition and health claims (NHC) register, GOV.UK (no entry for andrographis, Andrographis paniculata or andrographolide; accessed 2026-09-17). View Source
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