I'm embarrassed to confess that when I'm shopping for an herbal supplement I've never bought before, my choice is unduly influenced by how much I like the packaging. For example, I might opt for the brassy orange and white bottle with bold black lettering over the brand with the washed-out blue-green color scheme and delicate purple font.

I hope you won't fall victim to any version of my folly, Capricorn. It's especially important that you make your decisions based on a piercing analysis of the inner contents, not a superficial survey of the outer display.

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