What does "wildcrafting"' and "sustainable wildcrafting" mean? Is there a difference?
Yes - there is a difference.
Wildcrafting : We harvest medicinal plants in the wild where they interact with companion species and benefit from rich, natural soil. These healing herbs thrive in the environments of mixed forest, marsh and meadow. Some herb farms practice row cultivation over large areas of fields which produce larger quantities of plants and are harvested with less effort.
Sustainable wildcrafting: It is important to harvest wild plants in a manner that ensures little impact on the number of plants and the surrounding ecosystem. Only take a small amount of leaves and flowers or roots of plants and never harvest if the area has limited number of plants. Because of the popularity of some medicinal plants they have been over-harvested and are becoming rare. It is better to allow them to reproduce and replenish to ensure their abundance in the future.
Does Great Canadian Healing practice "sustainable harvesting"?
Yes - We never take too much from a plant and never over harvest an area. Each plant is sustainably wildcrafted at the perfect time of day and under ideal moisture conditions to ensure optimum medicinal properties are attained. These medicinal oils are later blended with organic essential oils and carrier oils such as almond, castor, olive or grapeseed. Soothing Salve is in a beeswax base.
Is St. John's wort safe to use?
St. John's wort is a very important medicinal plant and, used topically, highly effective for healing a variety of ailments and reducing pain after skin and muscle trauma. Topical products are safe because they are not ingested into the body but it is always recommended that an area on your skin is tested for sensitivity. Also, St. John's wort heightens your skin's sensitivity to sunlight so be aware of sun exposure when using products with this ingredient.
Is comfrey a safe ingredient?
Comfrey is an herb that contains the healing agent 'allantoin' and is used to treat skin irritations, arthritis, joint and ligament damage. Topical preparations made with comfrey are known to speed the skin's healing process. Cuts should be clean before using because comfrey speeds surface healing. Soothing Salve contains tea tree oil in order to disinfect wounds as the other ingredients heal. Comfrey has been used safely and effectively in external skin care applications for generations and is supported by centuries of trusted folklore applications. The amount of comfrey we use in our topical treatments is small enough to be effective but safe. Pregnant women and children under three should not use products containing comfrey because it can be toxic to the liver.
Do you use preservatives or stabilizers in your products?
We do not use artificial preservatives. Our products contain only natural preservatives that both inhibit the growth of microorganisms and enhance products stability. Our products are preserved by their natural essential oil content, rosemary extract and vitamin E.
What is a medicinal herb?
Medicinal herbs are plants that contain healing properties. Many of todays medicines were originally formulated from these plants. Each medicinal plant can usually be effective for a wide range of ailments and conditions so often have a long list of health problems they are used for.
Yes - there is a difference.