How To Make Your Own Capsules

1. What Is Capsule?

Capsules-sourced: fitgirlcode

Capsules are a form of medicine. It mainly consists of capsule shell and capsule powder or capsule liquid. When you take the capsule, it ruptures and delivers the active ingredients inside the capsule into your bloodstream.

Capsule shells can be divided into soft capsule shells and hard capsule shells. Capsules can contain powder or liquid substances.

2. What Types Of Capsules Are There?

A capsule is a stable shell-like structure because the drug is encapsulated in portions into fixed-sized capsule shells. Capsules also come in different types. They are:

Hard Gelatin Capsule

Hard Gelatin Capsules-sourced: pharma-trends

The hard gelatin capsule is mainly made of gelatin and purified water. Its capsule shell is relatively hard, and most of the filling contents are powder or liquid substances. Titanium dioxide is generally used as an opacifier and colorant to make the capsules colorful.

Soft Gelatin Capsule

Soft Gelatin Capsules-sourced: lifevisionhealthcare

The soft gelatin capsule's shell composition is similar to that of the hard gelatin capsule, but its capsule shell is softer. Most of the contents it fills are liquid or oily substances. By adding plasticizers to gelatin, the stability and elasticity of the capsule shell are enhanced.

HPMC Capsule

HPMC Capsules-sourced: cottagehillherbs

HPMC is the abbreviation of hydroxypropyl methylcellulose. It's a vegetarian thing to call you that. Because the gelatin component in its capsule shell mainly comes from plants rather than animals.

Enteric Coated Capsule

Enteric Coated Capsules-sourced: gelita

The enteric coated capsules are a special type of capsule drug made by adding an enteric coating to ordinary capsules. It is designed primarily to release the drug within the capsule into the intestines.

3. How To Make Your Own Capsules?

Firstly, let us learn about making your own capsules by hand:

Making Your Own Capsules By Hand-sourced: Homedoc

Step 1: Separate The Empty Capsules

Have two new containers ready. Break the empty capsules, and put them into the empty containers separately. Distinguish capsule body from capsule cap.

Step 2: Prepare The Ingredients

Prepare the recipe to your liking and mix the ingredients well and distribute them evenly in the bowl. If necessary, grind the ingredients into a fine powder in advance with a mortar and pestle.

Step 3: Set Empty Capsule Body Into Holes Of Trays

Spread the body part of the empty capsule shell evenly on the capsule filling tray, and then insert them into the holes respectively. Remember that the central control part of the capsule shell should face upward, and the powder behind the side should be filled.

Step 4: Filling Materials Into Empty Capsules

Use scoop to fill filling materials into empty capsules. If there is excess residual powder, use a scraper to scrape off the excess filling powder to facilitate subsequent capsule sealing.

Step 5: Cap The Capsules

Fill the capsule caps into the holes of the other filling trays. Pour out excess capsules caps. Fill the filling tray of capsule bodies and caps, and press hard.

Step 6: Store The Capsules Into Containers

Take out the sealed capsules, and put them into the capsules containers. Mark the production date and prevent storage in a cool location.

Making your own capsules by machine:

Making Your Own Capsules By Machine-sourced: AIPAK

Step 1: Capsules Loading

When the empty capsules are loaded into the hopper, they will be transferred into the table. The capsule body will be loaded into the lower station, and the capsule cap will be loaded into the upper station.

Step 2: Capsules Separation

After the empty capsules are loaded into the different station, they will be left dislocation for material filling in the next step.

Step 3: Capsule Filling

After being separated in different station, the capsule body will automatically run into filling station and filled with powders or pellets that you prepared before.

Step 4: Waste Capsules Rejection

The broken, wasted, or unseparated capsules will be rejected automatically by the station once they have been caught by the sensor.

Step 5: Capsule Locking

After been filled with materials, the capsules will be locked and sealed together.

Step 6: Discharge

Filled with materials and been locked capsules will be discharged automatically.

4. What Are The Benefits To Make Your Own Capsules?

To making your own capsules has many advantages. They are:

Customized Capsule Ingredients

Customized Capsule Ingredients-sourced: lonza

To make your own capsules, you can customize a capsule formula that suits you according to the actual situation of your body. If you want to boost your bone health, then you can add more calcium, etc. to the capsule filling.

Save Money

Save Money-sourced: moneylion

In the long run, by making your own capsules, you can save a lot of the money you would have to spend on capsules. There are so many types of capsules on the market now that you may not be able to buy the capsules that you like and suit you. By doing it yourself, you can save a lot of money.

Avoid Allergies

Avoid Allergies-sourced: beckerentandallergy

Many people today are allergic to ingredients in medications, and you can't tell which specific ingredient in a medication you're allergic to. By making your own capsules, you can avoid medication allergies by knowing exactly what's in them.

5. What Are The Ingredients For Making Your Own Capsules?

By understanding the ingredients used to make capsule shells, it will be easier for you to make your own capsules later. The ingredients for making your own capsules are:

Gelatin

Gelatin-sourced: hkvitals

The main function of gelatin is to make capsule shells. Gelatin is usually derived from animal sources or cellulose-based collagen hydrolysis. There are more and more vegetarian capsule shells appearing.

Plasticizer

Plasticizer-sourced: wotaichem

If you are making a soft capsule shell, you will need to add a plasticizer to the formula to change the flexibility, elasticity or rigidity of the capsule shell. The amount of plasticizer used depends on the type of gelatin material, size of the capsule shell, etc.

Water

Water-sourced: pixels

Water is an essential raw material for making capsule shells. It ensures the flexibility of the capsule shell. The amount of moisture that needs to be added depends on the desired gelatin viscosity.

Colorants

Colorants-sourced: meilleurduchef

Titanium dioxide is generally used as a colorant to change the properties of the gelatin coating, thereby deepening the color of the capsule shell.

Flavor or Sweetener

Flavor or Sweetener-sourced: redsflavors

Flavors or sweeteners can help mask the taste and smell of the medicine. Common soft-gel flavors and sweeteners include vanillin, essential oils, and sucrose.

Preservative

Preservative-sourced: ases

Preservatives help maintain the quality and viability of the gelatin in soft-gel products. It ensures the safety of soft capsules for regular long-term storage. Common preservatives include sorbic acid, sodium benzoate, potassium sorbate, etc.

6. What Are The Tools And Equipment For Making Your Own Capsules?

The tools for making your own capsules by hand:

Empty Capsules

Empty Capsules-sourced: XPRS Nutra

You can choose empty capsule shells of different shapes, sizes, colors and materials according to your needs. Depending on the needs of special groups, you can also choose empty capsule shells made from non-GMO and plant sources. They're easy to digest, dissolve quickly, and are vegan.

Filling Materials

Filling Materials-sourced: supergreentonik

Prepare the ingredients you will need to fill your capsules ahead of time. You can choose from powders, granules, herbs, oils, or liquids.

Capsule Filling Tray

Capsule Filling Tray-sourced: PATCO

The capsule filling tray is suitable for size 0 empty capsules to fill up to 500-650 mg. It can fill 100 empty capsules at one time. With good quality assurance, this tray can be applied for all professional grade lab use, university, personal use, sample testing, and etc.

Scoop

Scoop-sourced: Nechtik

Scoop is used to transfer filling materials to capsule filling tray. Through capsule filling tray, the filling materials can be filled into the capsules evenly.

Storage Container

Storage Container-sourced: PATCO

You may need a pill organizer or dark glass container to store filled capsules.

Equipment for making your own capsules by automatic capsule filling machine:

Automatic Capsule Filling Machine-sourced: AIPAK

If you have requirements for the quality and output of capsule filling, then the automatic capsule filling machine is very suitable for you. It is suitable for filling pharmaceutical powder capsules. It has high operational stability and high precision, meeting the requirements of the two-in-one filling process.

Its technical content has reached the domestic advanced level and is an ideal equipment for filling capsules with drugs.

7. What Are The Containers To Store Your Capsules?

After making your own capsules, it is important to know how to store your capsules. You may choose the containers below to keep your capsules fresh and effective.

Dark Glass Jar

Dark Glass Jar-sourced: uline

Glass jars are the best choice for storing capsules. It seals the capsule inside the container, preventing exposure to oxygen and sunlight. Choose a glass jar with a wide mouth so you can easily fill or remove the capsules.

Opaque Plastic Bottle

Opaque Plastic Bottle-sourced: uline

Opaque plastic bottles can prevent capsules from deteriorating and oxidizing due to the influence of sunlight, humidity, and oxygen. Plastic bottles are convenient for you to carry, handle, transport and store.

Vacuum Bag

Vacuum Bag-sourced: carex

If you won't be using the capsules soon, you can store them in a vacuum-tight container or vacuum-sealed bag. By extracting the air from the packaging bag and container, oxygen is completely cut off to maintain the freshness and shelf life of the capsules.

Conclusion

After learning how to make your capsules, you also know that there are a lot of benefits to having your capsules both for your health and your business in the future. Following our ways, try to make your capsules right now. If there is more you want to know, do not wait and come to us anytime!