Not solely are our formulation made in FDA-approved, cGMP-certified amenities, we check for far more than simply pesticides, microbes, and pollution. That is how we be sure you get the very best high quality plant drugs in your arms.
We begin with complete herbs, by no means powdered.
As an alternative of skipping a step and buying pre-powdered plant materials from our farmers and suppliers, we ask for the entire plant and grind/powder in-house.
Why is that this so necessary?
To begin with, when you purchase the herbs pre-ground, how are you going to establish overseas particles? When harvesting crops, every kind of issues can get caught up within the course of — every part from scissors to small animals that roam the farm! This may occasionally sound gross, but it surely’s all of the extra cause why you need to examine and take away these particles and gadgets earlier than powdering, which many corporations don’t have the time or care to do.
Moreover, it’s good to see the entire plant – the entire leaves, for instance – with a view to verify the species via conventional plant identification, which is all the time our first line of high quality assurance earlier than utilizing our toolbox of testing strategies. This protects each money and time earlier than shifting to plant DNA testing and gasoline chromatography. Plus, you need to see the leaves, flowers, or no matter you’re searching for to be sure you’ve acquired the proper half of the plant.
I’ve talked about up to now that individuals usually have poor experiences with herbs and dietary supplements as a result of big corporations don’t comply with correct time-of-year harvesting pointers, and fail to reap their crops at peak efficiency. Effectively, it goes slightly deeper; generally they don’t use the suitable a part of the plant, both. For instance, manufacturers of St. John’s Wort capsules from Walmart or CVS usually reduce corners by utilizing the leaves of the plant as a result of they’re a lot cheaper and may nonetheless be labeled as aerial elements… nevertheless, the true temper drugs is absolutely solely discovered within the flowers. We need to guarantee that each supply of natural drugs we obtain is the true deal, the true half, and the best high quality.
Lastly, you need to see the fabric since you need to make certain the plant appears to be like wholesome, unadulterated, and visibly examine with your individual two eyes to verify there’s no mildew or bacterial progress, and so forth. earlier than you even settle for the cargo. When it’s powdered you may’t see the standard of these leaves and flowers, it simply appears to be like like a bag of brown or inexperienced “stuff.”
THE STAGES OF OUR TESTING
I. RAW MATERIAL IDENTITY CONFIRMATION, NIR ANALYSIS FOR PLANT SPECIES CONFIRMATION, GAS CHROMATOGRAPHY ANALYSIS FOR ACTIVE COMPOUNDS + MICROBIOLOGY (micro organism, mildew, pollution)
In the case of testing, we cowl each base. There’s the preliminary visible inspection that I’ve talked about to make sure the plant is wholesome, the suitable species, the suitable elements, and so forth. There’s the DNA testing to substantiate species to some extent of 100% certainty. Then gasoline chromatography testing is available in to make sure the chemical compounds within the plant:
- match the efficiency and make-up of different wholesome species that we use as excellent examples, and
- that these compounds are current in the suitable quantities in order that the drugs is energetic and potent!
Then and solely then, we go forward and check for “micro” and pollution, which implies micro organism, mildew, heavy metals, and pesticides.
II. QUALITY MANAGEMENT + VISUAL INSPECTION
We add one other measure of safety and have a look at each incoming supply from our farmers and wildcrafters beneath a microscope. For instance, we search for these stunning energetic trichomes on Nettle Leaf, and vibrant wholesome Chamomile flowers with a correct ratio of leaf to flower in order that we’re getting solely essentially the most energetic elements of the plant.
Not solely is the uncooked materials examined for micro and pollution when the plant matter arrives, but it surely’s examined once more when it’s individually tinctured, then examined for a 3rd time when it’s blended into system.
III. ORGANOLEPTICS
Lastly, one other unbelievable (and enjoyable!) a part of testing is organoleptics. This principally means utilizing your senses to establish the actions and content material of a plant resolution, whether or not it’s a person tincture or system. Our manufacturing and high quality assurance crew does this earlier than each batch (with the person tinctures earlier than they get blended) and after each batch (with the ultimate system to verify nothing else received blended into it accidentally). Years in the past, our head of producing as soon as tasted the tiniest HINT of tea tree in a system that was not presupposed to have any, so that they needed to begin over on 200 gallons! That is a part of conserving that custom alive and one thing we’ll all the time do for our formulation and particular person plant extractions earlier than they’re blended collectively.
