I'd love to have the time/space for an herb garden, but even then its highly unlikely I could do as good a job as the stuff you can buy. Especailly when it comes to the extraction part, which I know very little about. The brand I usually buy is Herb-Pharm available in most health food stores or online. There are a few brands that are more expensive but I really can't tell a difference. As far as cayanne pepper goes I kinda prefer the extract as it dissolves in liqids better than the powder, and a tiny bottle will last you a long time. I usually mix some lemon juice, honey, and cayanne pepper in some water as a pick-me-up. Beware of adding too much cayanne though or it'll feel like someone karate chopped you in the throat. There's a general description in the FAQ's of how they process the extracts.