A Buyer’s Guide to uva ursi — from field to finished powder

If you’re sourcing uva ursi powder for nutraceutical, tea-cut, or R&D use, here’s the straight talk. I’ve walked enough herb warehouses to know: consistency and credible testing matter more than glossy brochures. The product here is Bearberry leaf (Arctostaphylos uva-ursi), processed in HEBEI, CHINA—specifically NO.12, XIJIAN STREET, SHIJIAZHUANG CITY. And yes, it can be done right, with transparent analytics and sane MOQs.

What you’re actually getting

Product name: Bearberry leaf. Typically milled to tea-cut or fine mesh for uva ursi powder. The hero compound is arbutin, with tannins, gallic acid derivatives, and a characteristic green-brown hue. Shelf life is ≈24–36 months in cool, dark storage (real-world use may vary by packaging and humidity). To be honest, many customers say they choose lots based on arbutin + microbial numbers, not just price.

Item	Spec (typical)	Method/Standard
Arbutin content	≥7.0% (leaf powder); custom up to 20% extract	HPLC; Ph. Eur. Uvae ursi folium
Particle size	80–120 mesh; tea-cut 4–8 mm	Sieve analysis
Moisture	≤8%	Loss on drying
Microbial limits	TAMC ≤10^5 CFU/g; Yeast/Mold ≤10^3 CFU/g	USP <61>/<62>
Heavy metals	Pb ≤3 ppm; As ≤2 ppm; Cd ≤1 ppm; Hg ≤0.1 ppm	ICP-MS; in line with Ph. Eur.

Process flow (condensed, but real)

Materials: whole bearberry leaves, field-dried, then low-temp oven finish to stabilize. Methods: cleaning → destemming → metal detection → milling/extraction (if concentrated) → blending → sieving → in-process HPLC spot checks → final QC. Testing standards: Ph. Eur. Uvae ursi folium, USP general chapters, ISO 22000-driven HACCP. Service life: 2–3 years sealed; shorter once opened in humid rooms. Industries: herbal teas, dietary supplements, traditional medicine, lab R&D, and some cosmetic R&D for arbutin-related work.

Use cases (and a note of caution)

• Tea blends seeking tannic, traditional urinary-tract herb profiles.
• Capsules/tablets standardized for arbutin (e.g., 10–20%).
• R&D extraction trials, stability studies, and teaching labs.

As always, uva ursi powder is not a substitute for medical advice; follow regional regulations on claims and dosing [1][2].

Vendor comparison (condensed)

Vendor	Transparency	Extract Options	Certs	Lead Time
HEX Herbal (Hebei)	COA + HPLC files; farm origin stated	Leaf powder; 10–20% arbutin	ISO 22000; lot-level micro/heavies	7–15 days FOB
Trader A	Generic COA; mixed origins	Powder only	Basic GMP claim	14–25 days
Boutique Lab B	Excellent batch dossiers	Custom titers up to 30%	ISO + third-party audits	20–30 days

Customization and real-world feedback

Customization: mesh size, arbutin standardization, ethanol/water extraction preference, pesticide screening scope (EU or USP panels), and packaging (foil bag vs. fiber drum). Surprisingly, midsize brands ask most often for ≥10% standardized uva ursi powder with tight micro. Customer feedback? It seems that low-odor batches with clean HPLC peaks reduce formulation headaches.

Case notes from the field

• Tea brand in the EU cut customer returns by 40% after switching to a lot with verified arbutin ≥7.5% and lower astringency (gentler drying curve).
• Contract manufacturer hit a 98% batch pass rate using standardized 20% arbutin uva ursi powder and a fixed ethanol:water extraction ratio—less assay drift, smoother tableting.

Trends and compliance snapshot

Trend-wise, buyers want traceable leaf material, stricter pesticide panels, and stable arbutin. EMA and WHO guidance remain the anchor references, with Ph. Eur. assays and USP micro chapters common in QA playbooks. For food-grade processing, ISO 22000 frameworks are increasingly table stakes.

Citations

1. EMA/HMPC Assessment report on Arctostaphylos uva-ursi (L.) Spreng., folium.
2. WHO Monographs on Selected Medicinal Plants: Arctostaphylos uva-ursi.
3. European Pharmacopoeia (Ph. Eur.) Monograph: Uvae ursi folium.
4. ISO 22000:2018 Food safety management systems; USP <61> and <62> Microbiological Examination of Nonsterile Products.