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Korean Job Discussion Forums
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spir4l
Joined: 25 Jan 2010
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 Posted: Tue May 31, 2011 9:39 pm Post subject: Essential Oils & Vitamins in Seoul |
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Hello everyone,
I was wondering if anyone knew where I might be able to purchase essential oils in Seoul. I live in HBC and work in Gangnam, so anywhere near these areas would be nice, but I would have no problem traveling to buy them.
I was also wondering about vitamins and other supplements. I know that Costco carries some, but I don't have a membership and would rather not buy in bulk - though, if it is my only resource, then that is that. Anyone know of anywhere to buy supplements like Fish oils, Royal Jelly, along with the common multi, Bs, and E?
I tried to do a forum search on the topics, but the search feature never seems to work, regardless of which computer I use. I apologize if this topic has been asked many times before.
Thanks for any info.
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R. S. Refugee
Joined: 29 Sep 2004
Location: Shangra La, ROK
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| Posted: Tue May 31, 2011 9:51 pm Post subject: |
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The quickest, cheapest most convenient source for such things isn't in Seoul. It isn't even in Korea. I order from them every couple of weeks. One reason is because their prices are so much cheaper. For example, I went to a vitamin shop in Itaewon to buy Vitamin D3. 2000 iu size dose. The same number of doses was 35, 000 won whereas from iHerb.com, it was $9.38. http://www.iherb.com/Now-Foods-Vitamin-D-3-2-000-IU-240-Softgels/16272?at=0
Another reason is that the shipping (service performed by a great Korean company named CJ) was dirt cheap.
Another reason is that that very cheap shipping is fast and trackable. My orders get here in 4 days to Seoul and I can track them on the Internet. When the Internet tracking says, "delivered" I go downstairs to the front desk and ask the building guard for my package.
Also, if it's your first order with iHerb.com you can get a $5 discount on any size order if you use this discount code: COC920
It's way more convenient, way less expensive, and way less time-consuming than buying them in Seoul. Also, I'm the kind of person who likes to know what I'm swallowing and such products purchased in Seoul will, not surprisingly, have all the labeling in Korean (even at Costco), so I like the English labeling on all the products I buy from iHerb.com. |
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spir4l
Joined: 25 Jan 2010
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| Posted: Tue May 31, 2011 10:52 pm Post subject: |
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Ah! I could kiss you!
This is exactly what I'm looking for! I've been ordering from Ebay, which is tedious and can be expensive. This website is perfect!
Thanks so much!!! |
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R. S. Refugee
Joined: 29 Sep 2004
Location: Shangra La, ROK
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| Posted: Tue May 31, 2011 11:16 pm Post subject: |
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| spir4l wrote: |
Ah! I could kiss you!
This is exactly what I'm looking for! I've been ordering from Ebay, which is tedious and can be expensive. This website is perfect!
Thanks so much!!! |
My pleasure. I'll give you another example regarding their great, everyday shipping rates.
I wanted to buy 3 1-pound cartons of Dr. Mercola's Miracle Whey at Mercola.com, so I filled out the online order form. The lowest priced shipping option for that order that they had was $57 (and some odd cents) JUST FOR THE SHIPPING CHARGE!!!!
So, I went to iHerb.com and ordered 3 1-pound cartons of a different brand. The shipping charge was $10.
These are the best shipping rates I've ever seen with incredibly fast, reliable service. |
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alistaircandlin
Joined: 24 Sep 2004
Location: Seoul
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| Posted: Wed Jun 01, 2011 4:03 pm Post subject: |
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| R. S. Refugee wrote: |
| spir4l wrote: |
Ah! I could kiss you!
This is exactly what I'm looking for! I've been ordering from Ebay, which is tedious and can be expensive. This website is perfect!
Thanks so much!!! |
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I second that, but I'll leave out the kisses, and just offer you a gentlemanly shake of the hand instead, if you don't mind. 
Seriously, I'm really happy the OP started the thread, and for the link you posted, because I wanted to know the exact same thing: we are just running out of the multi-vit and fish oil capsules that we brought form the UK, and prices do seem expensive here.
Tres helpful, thanks. |
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jdog2050
Joined: 17 Dec 2006
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| Posted: Wed Jun 01, 2011 4:04 pm Post subject: |
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| Iherb is seriously a life saver. Back when I was having tummy issues being able to order acacia fiber from them was just awesome. |
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spir4l
Joined: 25 Jan 2010
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| Posted: Wed Jun 01, 2011 4:44 pm Post subject: |
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I'm really loving the site! It is such a great health and wellness resource. Between oils, vitamins, books, etc, I will be using the site to order loads of things. Getting these things shipped into Seoul has been a giant pain for the last year+.
Question: Will your Korean bank card work for the site? I'm talking about the typical debit card from your local bank. Notoriously useless everywhere, especially online. I'd be willing to transfer funds to my other accounts to make a purchase from the site, but wouldn't it be lovely if our Korean cards were less useless?  |
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R. S. Refugee
Joined: 29 Sep 2004
Location: Shangra La, ROK
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| Posted: Wed Jun 01, 2011 9:10 pm Post subject: |
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| spir4l wrote: |
Question: Will your Korean bank card work for the site? I'm talking about the typical debit card from your local bank. Notoriously useless everywhere, especially online. I'd be willing to transfer funds to my other accounts to make a purchase from the site, but wouldn't it be lovely if our Korean cards were less useless? |
I'm not sure about Korean debit cards, but I do use my Samsung VISA credit card to make purchases on iHerb.com.
You may also notice that on iHerb.com's site they offer 4 language choices and one of those is Korean, so they must do some business with Korean customers who would have to be using Korean plastic to make their purchases. |
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R. S. Refugee
Joined: 29 Sep 2004
Location: Shangra La, ROK
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| Posted: Wed Jun 01, 2011 9:24 pm Post subject: |
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| alistaircandlin wrote: |
. . . we are just running out of the multi-vit and fish oil capsules that we brought form the UK, and prices do seem expensive here.
Tres helpful, thanks. |
I've taken fish oil (from Costco) for more than 10 years, and I think that may be why I've retained such an excellent memory even as I've gotten older.
But more recently, I've switched to another source for omega-3 and that is krill oil, from a tiny crustacean. Dr. Mercola at mercola.com gives a thorough explanation of the advantages of krill oil over fish oil, to wit:
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Krill oil is made from krill, a small, shrimp-like crustacean that inhabits the cold ocean areas of the world. Despite their small size, krill make up the largest animal biomass on the planet. There are approximately 500 million tons of krill roaming around in northern seas..
Krill oil, like fish oil, contains omega-3 fats such as eicosapentanoic acid (EPA) and docosahexanoic acid (DHA). However, in fish oil, these omega-3 fats are found in the triglyceride form. In krill oil, they are found in a double chain phospholipid structure. The fats in human cell walls are in the phospholipid form.
The phospholipid structure of the EPA and DHA in krill oil makes them much more absorbable. Krill oil also contains vitamin E, vitamin A, vitamin D and canthaxanthin, which is a potent anti-oxidant.
The anti-oxidant potency of krill oil is, in terms of ORAC (Oxygen Radical Absorptance Capacity) values, 48 times more potent than fish oil.
The astaxanthin found in krill oil provides also excellent protection against ultraviolet light and UV-induced skin damage.
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The complete article can be read here:
http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2008/08/14/is-krill-oil-48-times-better-than-fish-oil.aspx
[NOTE: The brand of krill oil I've been using didn't score so well on ConsumerLab's quality testing, so the next time I'll be getting this Source Naturals brand of krill: http://www.iherb.com/Source-Naturals-NKO-Neptune-Krill-Oil-500-mg-60-Softgels/20838?at=0 ]
Last edited by R. S. Refugee on Sat Jun 04, 2011 6:53 am; edited 1 time in total |
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atwood
Joined: 26 Dec 2009
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| Posted: Thu Jun 02, 2011 11:05 pm Post subject: |
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| R. S. Refugee wrote: |
| alistaircandlin wrote: |
. . . we are just running out of the multi-vit and fish oil capsules that we brought form the UK, and prices do seem expensive here.
Tres helpful, thanks. |
I've taken fish oil (from Costco) for more than 10 years, and I think that may be why I've retained such an excellent memory even as I've gotten older.
But more recently, I've switched to another source for omega-3 and that is krill oil, from a tiny crustacean. Dr. Mercola at mercola.com gives a thorough explanation of the advantages of krill oil over fish oil, to wit:
--------------------------------------------------------------
Krill oil is made from krill, a small, shrimp-like crustacean that inhabits the cold ocean areas of the world. Despite their small size, krill make up the largest animal biomass on the planet. There are approximately 500 million tons of krill roaming around in northern seas..
Krill oil, like fish oil, contains omega-3 fats such as eicosapentanoic acid (EPA) and docosahexanoic acid (DHA). However, in fish oil, these omega-3 fats are found in the triglyceride form. In krill oil, they are found in a double chain phospholipid structure. The fats in human cell walls are in the phospholipid form.
The phospholipid structure of the EPA and DHA in krill oil makes them much more absorbable. Krill oil also contains vitamin E, vitamin A, vitamin D and canthaxanthin, which is a potent anti-oxidant.
The anti-oxidant potency of krill oil is, in terms of ORAC (Oxygen Radical Absorptance Capacity) values, 48 times more potent than fish oil.
The astaxanthin found in krill oil provides also excellent protection against ultraviolet light and UV-induced skin damage.
-------------------------------------------------------
The complete article can be read here:
http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2008/08/14/is-krill-oil-48-times-better-than-fish-oil.aspx
[NOTE: The brand of krill oil I've been using didn't score so well on ConsumerLab's quality testing, so the next time I'll be getting this Source Naturals brand of krill: http://www.iherb.com/Source-Naturals-Arctic-Pure-Krill-Oil-500-mg-120-Softgels/23274?at=0 ] |
At double the price, is it twice as effective?
I just naturally wonder about something that humans don't naturally eat, since it lives in a part of the world that is basically uninhabited by humans. Is what's good for penguins good for humans? We don't eat penguins. |
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R. S. Refugee
Joined: 29 Sep 2004
Location: Shangra La, ROK
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| Posted: Fri Jun 03, 2011 6:36 am Post subject: |
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| atwood wrote: |
I just naturally wonder about something that humans don't naturally eat, since it lives in a part of the world that is basically uninhabited by humans. Is what's good for penguins good for humans? We don't eat penguins. |
What? Does this mean that you don't believe that Koreans are human?!!!! Just kidding. I'm sure that's not the case.
You can find jars of krill in the grocery section at EMart. A popular condiment with Koreans. And it's lower on the food chain than many mercury-threatened fish. |
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The Cosmic Hum
Joined: 09 May 2003
Location: Sonic Space
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R. S. Refugee
Joined: 29 Sep 2004
Location: Shangra La, ROK
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| Posted: Sat Jun 04, 2011 6:39 am Post subject: |
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You're absolutely right about that one. My mistake. I was being influenced by a report by ConsumerLab for fish and krill oil and inadvertently overlooked the ingredients list. A mistake I seldom make. But, I did this time. Thanks for pointing it out to me.
There are definitely some supplements that I would like to buy from Mercola.com because of issues like this, but, as you may have read my earlier post on the subject, their shipping rates are non-competitive with iHerb.com.
You can get 100% pure krill oil at Mercola.com.
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REVISION
OK. I went back to iHerb.com to see how I overlooked those undesirable ingredients for a krill oil. It turns out they have 2 different versions of krill oil. The other one IS 100% krill oil and contains no fish oil or soy.
Here's what the label says:
Other Ingredients
Gelatin, purified water, and glycerin
Contains shellfish (krill).
Contains no yeast, dairy, egg, gluten, corn, soy or wheat.
Contains no sugar, starch, salt, preservatives or artificial color, flavor or fragrance.
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So, the one on my order form I did read correctly,but the link I provided here was for their other version. Sorry about that. It's still in a softgel though.
Here's a link to the 100% krill oil one:
http://www.iherb.com/Source-Naturals-NKO-Neptune-Krill-Oil-500-mg-60-Softgels/20838?at=0
(I went back to my earlier post and changed the link, so that it links to the right one now.) |
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