About Us
We are proud to present our line of liquid herbal extracts and liquid vitamin sprays. Our high quality herbal extracts and vitamin sprays are made from either herbs that are certified organic, ethically wild-harvested or selectively imported, or high quality, gluten free, natural vitamin sources. They are pesticide-free and have never been fumigated or irradiated. They are also free of GMOs (genetically modified organisms). Each herb is custom-picked with sensitivity to the environment at the peak of its growth cycle by skilled botanists.
Our product line offers a large variety of herbs and vitamin sprays, including Vitamin D3, Vitamin B-12, high quality single herbs such as Echinacea, St. John’s Wort, Ginkgo and Kava as well as an assortment of combination formulas such as Liver Detox, Immuno-Tonic, Aller-Calm, Digest-Ease, Echinacea/Goldenseal and Kava Gold.
Our products are competitively priced and are available in liquid tinctures, liquid veggie caps, and liquid spray bottles. Although most are extracted with USP grade grain alcohol, we do offer quite a few alcohol-free tinctures that use USP grade vegetable glycerin and raw New Mexico clover honey added as a sweetener. These alcohol-free tinctures are first processed using USP Grain Alcohol to assure potency. The alcohol is then removed and replaced with USP grade vegetable glycerin. (Glycerin is not an effective extraction medium.)
Notes on:
Quality & Safety
Buying certified organic or ethically wild-harvested herbs (those havested from clean wild areas) is the key to getting the most potent and clean botanicals.
Organic
Organic herbs are grown without pesticides and are picked in harmony with the cyles of the day and season. Conventionally grown herbs tend to be heavily sprayed with pesticides at the farmer's convenience and dried quickly under damaging heat. Toxic fumigants like methylbromide are used on conventional herbs even after the harves to keep bugs away. Part of our mission is to support small certified organic growers. As a result we have growers from the Chama River Valleyin New Mexico, Hawaii, the Midwest, Southeast and Pacific Northwest.
Ethically Wild-harvested
Wild-harvesting has traditionally provided the world with herbal medicines for thousands of years, but the wilds are rapidly dwindling. Echinacea and goldenseal, for example, are just two popular herbs that are becoming scarce because of over-harvesting and unethical destruction of natural habitats. The result is that we only use certified organic Echinacea and Goldenseal. We only wild-harvest those botanicals that occur in abundace in nature. The "Ethically Wild-harvested" label lets you know that the harvesters are not decimating entire areas for profit.
Safe
Herbs are generally safe "green" medicines, but they are also powerful and quite specific. Become educated, always know what an herb does before taking it; in particular follow the appropriate guidelies and dosages for pregnancy, children and pets. Please consult with an educated health care professional when more in-depth information is needed.
Dosage Guidelines
Dosage instructions are provided on each bottle. In general, adult dosages range from 20-60 drops, 2 to 3 times per day. Recommended dosage information is based on a 120-150 pound adult. If giving the extract to a child, simply adjust the dosage according to the child's weight: divide the child's weight by 120-150 to get the percentage of the adult dose that should be administered to the child. Each 1 ounce bottle contains approximately 1150 drops and has 38 doses (based on a dosage of 30 drops). Also, all of our extracts can be diluted in water, juice or foods without losing potency.
The alcohol in the regular extracts can be evaporated by putting the dose in boiled water and letting it sit for about seven minutes (do not cook/boil extracts as doing so will negatively affect sensitive herbal consituents).
Be sure to heed any special warnings on the labels, such as "Do Not Take in Pregnancy or while Nursing".
Alcohol and Herbal Extracts
Extraction Agent
Each herb is examined to determine the amount of alcohol required to extract the appropriate phyochemicals. Groups of plant constituents include alkaloids, glcosides, resins, gums, volatile oils and polysaccharides. In addition to being the optimal extractor, grain alcohol acts as a preservative to protect the bioactivity of the phytochemicals, guaranteeing a shelf life of at least five years.
Percentages
The percentage of alcohol in our extracts ranges from 35% to 90%, depending on the nature of the plant. For instance, mushrooms require only about 35% alcohol to extract the alcohol-soluble compounds. Very resinous plants such as nyrrh gum will require a solution closer to 90% alcohol. These percentages indicate the percent of alcohol in the total liquid content of the extract. For example, if the label specifies 55% alcohol, this means that the other 45% is water. (NOTE: we use only USP purified water in our products). In the average 1 ounce extract, which would contain about 50% alcohol, a typical 60-drop dose would contain about the same amount of alcohol as a ripe banana.
Alcohol Free
Although we do offer a selection of alcohol-free glycerites, all glycerites are first extracted in alcohol and the alcohol is subsequently removed. This is done carefully using a very low heat process so as not to compromise any of the sensitive polysaccharides and essential oils.
Glycerin is added back into the solution to create the alcohol-free glycerite. We do not extract with glycerin because it will yield a rather weak product. Our glycerites do contain some precipitate that is left after the alcohol is removed. We choose to leave the precipitate in the solution because it contains potent phytochemicals that help to ensure the potency of the extract.
Percolation
Most of our dry plant extractions are cold drip percolations. Percolation is a kinetic method of extraction wherein the liquid menstrum of alcohol and deionized water run over the surface of the plant material slowly over a length of time. It is a more effective method of extraction than simple maceration, which involves soaking the plant material in the extraction medium without much agitation. Percolation is the officially recognized form of herbal extraction for homeopathics.
Why Tinctures?
Although pills are the traditional form for supplements, there are many advantages to taking herbs in their liquid form. Below we provide some of the benefits.
Better Potency
Most professional herbalists and naturopaths prefer liquid herbal extracts because they tend to be fresher and more potent. The herbs are harvested at the peak of their growth cycle and quickly converted into liquid extracts. Herbs that are dried and then manufactured into pills can lose potency and effectiveness.
More Bioavailability
Digestion is a challenge for many people. Pills often pass through the system without being broken down. Liquid extracts are readily absorbable. The lab has already broken down the plant material and extracted the full spectrum of active constituents for absorption. Additionally, the taste of the extracts increases digestive enzymes, thereby improving the absorption process even further.
Easy to Use
Children as well as the elderly can have problems swallowing pills. With tinctures, they simply place a few drops in a little water or juice and drink it.
Faster Results
Since tinctures absorb more readily (up to 40% better than pills), you experience faster results. This is especially important for acute conditions such as pain or insomnia when pills can be much slower in providing relief.