Green Trading

Green Trading is a New Zealand owned, family run company that started in 2012 on a market stall in Titirangi Village, West Auckland. The founders set out to bring the natural and Ayurvedic products they grew up with in India to a New Zealand market.

The range has grown from a handful of Ayurvedic supplements to organic powders, capsules, oils, mushroom powders and household products, and it is sold through health stores around New Zealand.

Most of them are certified organic by BioGro New Zealand, which is the country's main organic certifier, and the rest are made from natural ingredients without that certification.

It varies by product rather than across the range, so check the individual listing. The Ashwagandha capsules, for example, state BioGro certification on the label, and each of our listings carries the certification detail under ingredients.

Either manufactured in New Zealand, or sourced from certified organic farms in India and other growing countries and packed for the New Zealand market. The company visits its growers and suppliers directly rather than buying blind through a broker.

Everything meets New Zealand and Australian safety and quality standards.

Six of the Ayurvedic herbs come both ways: ashwagandha, amla, brahmi, shatavari, triphala and moringa. The capsules are 500mg each in a vegetarian shell, the powders are 250g bags of milled herb.

Capsules win on convenience and on avoiding the taste, which matters with the bitter ones such as triphala and amla. Powder wins on cost per gram and lets you take a larger or smaller amount, and it goes into a smoothie, a warm drink or food.

If you are trying a herb for the first time, the capsules are the simpler start.

Ashwagandha (Withania somnifera), a root long used as a tonic herb. Amla, the Indian gooseberry. Brahmi (Bacopa monnieri), a leaf herb. Shatavari (Asparagus racemosus), a root. Triphala, the traditional three fruit blend of amla, bibhitaki and haritaki. And moringa, the leaf of the so-called miracle tree.

Alongside them sit black seed (Nigella sativa) as oil and capsules, berberine, shilajit as capsules or pure resin, and organic curcumin.

Half to one teaspoon a day is the usual starting amount for the green and mushroom powders, stirred into water, a smoothie, a tea or food. The Ayurvedic powders are traditionally taken with warm water or milk, and amla and triphala are bitter enough that most people prefer them in a smoothie.

Store every powder in a cool, dry place out of direct sunlight, and keep it airtight once opened. The oils keep best out of the light too.

Yes. The whole range is vegan and gluten free, and none of it is tested on animals. The capsules use a plant based vegetarian shell rather than gelatine.

The powders are sold pure, with no fillers, binders, artificial colours or preservatives, which is worth checking against cheaper powders that are often cut with maltodextrin or rice flour.

Three are on the shelf here: chaga, cordyceps and reishi, each a 120g organic powder. They sit alongside the green powders, chlorella, spirulina and wheatgrass.

Half to one teaspoon a day is the usual amount, into a coffee, a smoothie or food. They are earthy rather than pleasant on their own, so most people hide them in something.

Most of the range combines happily, and people often pair a green powder with one Ayurvedic herb rather than taking six things at once.

Two to raise with us first. Berberine interacts with a long list of prescription medicines, so it is one to check before you start if you take anything regular. Ashwagandha is a member of the nightshade family and is generally avoided in pregnancy.

If you are pregnant, breastfeeding or on medication, bring the pack to the counter and our pharmacy team will go through it with you.