Education and Information
We at Herb Lore pride ourselves in offering the highest quality herbal products. Most of our products are Certified Organic, and those that aren’t is because one or more of the herbs included are wildcrafted, which means grown and harvested from the wild. These are also grown without the use of pesticides, herbicides or any sort of chemical, but because there is no “paper trail” certifying their origins, they cannot be certified organic.
In addition to our focus on quality, we offer extensive information about the herbal products that we manufacture in-house. Our product descriptions are thorough, covering what each product is best used for, suggested dosage, ingredients, related herbs, and any potential or known contraindications.
We feel that it’s of utmost importance that people know what they’re using, how to use it correctly, whether an herb is safe for pregnant or breastfeeding mothers or not, and anything else of special note about a particular herb.
In our Articles and Information section (under Resources), we offer a variety of basic articles from information on some of our products, to what products to use for sleep, relaxation, stress, depression or anxiety, or what to use for the cold & flu season, to what herbs to avoid during pregnancy and breastfeeding, what’s in breastmilk as well as a variety of other subjects of importance to our customers.
We understand there is a lot to learn in the arena of birth and family health and herbs, and we are here to offer this important education and added support.
Our All-Access Members also have access to Premium Articles, which are our more in-depth and specialized articles. They provide detailed and specific information on a variety of important subjects.
There is also information under our FAQ’s, Pam’s Blog, and Helpful Resources. We try our best to be an information resource for you as well as a resource for high-quality, Certified Organic products designed and created by an midwifery-trained herbalist and expert in the field.
Freshness and Quality
Our standards are high. Herb Lore’s herbal products are made with only the highest-quality ingredients. We source our Certified Organic (or wildcrafted) non-GMO herbs from well-known and ethically sustainable sources.
The glycerine, alcohol, oil and other materials used in our tinctures, teas, salves, and capsules are 100% Certified Organic, vegetarian, non-GMO, and are gluten-free.
We manufacture our products in small batches, frequently. This assures a fresh product all of the time. If you cook with herbs and spices, you know how much better a fresh herb will work for you rather than an old one. It works the same for medicinal herbs.
We manufacture all of our products in our own 5500 sq ft manufacturing space, which allows us to know for sure what goes into our products and that the freshness and quality live up to our high standards.
There are no additive or fillers used in any of our products. We pride ourselves in offering only the highest quality products, where each ingredient and process matters.
Organic Alcohol
All of our regular alcohol-based tinctures are tinctured in gluten-free, Certified Organic grape alcohol. Through the distilling process, all of the grape is distilled out, leaving only the alcohol. Please see Organic Vegetable Glycerine below for more on this process.
Organic Vegetable Glycerine
Vegetable glycerine can be made from any seed oil – soy, corn, coconut, palm, flax seed, etc. The vegetable glycerine that Herb Lore uses to make its non-alcohol tinctures is Certified Organic and is usually made from flax seed, although we are currently using soy due to flax seed glycerine being temporarily unavailable. The type of seed or vegetable used though is not of concern as all parts of that nut, seed or plant are distilled out, leaving only the glycerine. Please read below for details on this.
Please read below if you’re concerned about soy (or other) allergies:
We asked the owner of the company who we purchase our Certified Organic vegetable glycerine from (who is a Physiologist) about soy allergies, its GMO status, and her thoughts on the estrogenic properties of the soy in the product and she had this to say.
The allergen information applies to any nut or seed that’s used in the making of vegetable glycerine. It really doesn’t matter what source it’s derived from – at the end of processing, all that is left is the glycerine which is all the same. Just like if you process any fruit or vegetable to get the water content out of it, at the end of the processing you will be left with only water, regardless of what it was processed from. Processing any nut or seed down to its glycerine is the same concept – you’ll be left only with the glycerine and no other part of the plant, nut or seed.
Here is what she had to say:
1) “The word “allergens” technically (and physiologically) refers to a reaction to proteins. Proteins trigger the histamine reactions of the body. (A histamine reaction means allergy symptom, such as sneezing, rash, runny nose, etc.) There is no protein in glycerin due to the way it’s made and processed, even if it’s made from a protein source, so experiencing an allergy to soy itself in vegetable glycerine is unlikely. There may be sensitivity to other chemicals in the product (as everything is a chemical, including natural substances) but people tend to use the word allergy broadly to apply to a lot of different types of sensitivities.
2) Glycerin is considered hypoallergenic by the pharmaceutical and medical world.
3) It is important to know that “allergens” are technically protein – and glycerine is all sugar molecules – so no protein, no allergen.
4) Gluten is a protein and glycerine is a sugar (carbohydrate) molecule made from an oil (fat) molecule – no protein, no gluten.
- Pam’s note: Please note that although vegetable glycerine is very sweet tasting, it should not raise blood sugar. One of our staff members, who is diabetic, tested this and did find that using a vegetable glycerine based tincture did not affect or raise his blood sugar levels. If you are concerned, please monitor your blood sugar carefully to see how it reacts in your body and do not use if it does.
5) Allergies are (technically) triggered by proteins. People may be sensitive to other things so I won’t say that there is never a reaction – but sensitivity is different than allergies.
6) Glycerin can be made from any oil – palm, coconut, soy, flax, canola, you name it. Oils are called triglycerides because the molecule that forms an oil or fat is a glycerin backbone with 3 fatty acids off each molecule of oil.
7). Regardless of the oil source, the only thing left after processing (using heat, pressure and water) is the glycerine. No protein, no fat and no allergies. Glycerin is considered “highly refined” by FDA so is excluded from the listed allergens.
So, just to sum up, if someone has a soy allergy or sensitivity, the glycerine shouldn’t trigger that because there are no proteins present?
Correct – no protein, no reaction – but I always tell people to spot check just in case. (Everybody’s bodies are all very different after all.)
(You can spot check by putting a few drops of the liquid on the inside of your elbow. If you have a sensitivity to it, you’ll have a little irritation at this spot. It will quickly disappear, but this is an indication that your body may have a sensitivity to the product and to not use it.)
Are the phytoestrogen properties still active?
Most hormones are made up of protein molecules. That said, I am not as sure about this as I am about allergens. My experience with plant-based substances is that there is an important degree of synergy between all the parts of the plant. ** So, where tofu (protein) and soybeans (edamame protein) themselves may be estrogenic, I don’t believe that the glycerine is. Also – so much glycerine is from other oils so it doesn’t make sense that it would have any kind of an estrogenic effect.
** Pam’s note – This is very true. This is why someone will get better results using a whole herb (the natural herb without any pharmaceutical processing or standardizing) rather than one that has been standardized, meaning that certain parts of a plant’s properties extracted and used without the other parts of the plant. Many mainstream companies standardize their herbs, but I (as an herbalist) don’t agree with doing this as you don’t have the other parts of the plant present and this important synergy, creating a more full effect for the user. (Standardizing allows a company to put a patent on an herb or herbal product, whereas a company is not allowed to patent a natural growing thing like a plant. That’s how this fad of standardizing by companies came into being.)
Pam’s specialized expertise with herbs for pregnant and breastfeeding moms – it’s not your regular herbalism. You need an expert. Pam and the staff at Herb Lore are those experts.
Many herbalists have extensive knowledge about using herbs, but not many are specifically trained in using herbs with pregnant, trying-to-conceive or breastfeeding mothers. This is a whole other realm of herbalism with critical considerations and consequences for pregnant and nursing mothers and their babies.
Our herbalist, Pam Caldwell, is one of the few herbalists who specialize in this area, with 30 years of experience. She is knowledgeable about what works and what herbs to use for various problems, and especially what is safe and appropriate for pregnant moms, trying-to-conceive moms, and breastfeeding moms and their babies. What might be safe for a regular person may be contraindicated (or even dangerous) for a pregnant or breastfeeding woman or her baby. It’s wise to rely on a specialist in this area rather than a general-practice herbalist.
Pam has created the Herb Lore line of products with pregnant and breastfeeding moms specifically in mind utilizing her specialized knowledge and expertise.
She and Herb Lore’s products have been a trusted resource by midwives, OB’s, Lactation Consultants, pediatricians and other mama/baby care providers around the world since 1996.
We have a product or solution for just about anything a trying-to-conceive, pregnant, lactating, or new mom might need, or any problem they may encounter.
Because of our specialized information, the Herb Lore website and its information are frequently used as required reading in various birthworker or doula trainings.