Hypericum perforatum

Our raw Hypericum perforatum is grown on a herb farm in Bulgaria (Bulgaria is a leading producer of medicinal herbs with over 750 different plant species grown in the country’s varied climate zones).

Hypericin levels in St John’s Wort show a wide seasonal variation, rising rapidly in spring when the flower shoots reach a height of between 5 and 10 centimetres and continuing to rise until the plant is in full flower, when the hypericin levels tend to fall back.

There are over 450 species of Hypericum perforatum, but few of these are known to contain hypericin so herb identification is essential.  Of the two main strains grown for hypericin the broad-leafed strain is indigenous to northern Europe and the narrow-leafed strain is indigenous to southern Europe (although of course commercial production of either strain can take place anywhere).  The narrow-leaf strain has been found to contain approximately twice the concentration of hypericin as the broad-leaf strain.

There are strong indications that hypericin production is roughly 20% higher in years which experience above-average rainfall.

Seedlings of St. John's Wort are slow growing and compete poorly with other plants.  The seeds need light for germination and should be sown shallow depths (not more than two millimetres). Deep planting results in weak young seedlings.

St. John's Wort produces a deep root system. Generally the best harvest time is when the crop is half in bud and half in open flower. Timing is important in order to capture the hypericin levels at their peak.

Later harvests may yield very low hypericin levels.  Harvesting is normally not done until the second year, as there is usually limited flowering in the year of planting. The crop is usually dried under cover, to help retain the colour and preserve quality.

Herbs In A Bottle supplies Hypericum perforatum as a Tincture (in litre and half-litres), a Fluid Extract (in litre and half-litres), a Fixed Oil (in litre and half-litres), Cut herb (500g) and Powder (500g).

NIMH Conference 2014

Herbs in a Bottle is pleased to Sponsor the 150th Conference of the National Institute of Medical Herbalists which is to be held in Nottingham this year.

Herbs in a Bottle is a Total Conference sponsor joining other sponsors within the four-day event.

David Carter, Managing Director of Herbs in a Bottle, said:

“When I learned that 2014 was to be NIMH’s 150th anniversary conference I knew it was an event I wanted to support.  I have personally attended the past two NIMH conferences and have been impressed with the dedication and enthusiasm of the medical herbalist profession and the importance of this sector to the health and well-being of the British population.  2014 promises to be a great conference for us with many of our customers attending, including overseas customers who have told us they will be there. 

“As well as being a Total Conference sponsor we will have a stand at the event and our staff will be meeting existing customers, attracting potential customers and showcasing Herbs in a Bottle to new NIMH members. It is my personal ambition to meet as many herbalists as possible and during the time I am at the conference I will be available to any NIMH member who wishes to talk to me. 

“It is not just at NIMH conference we seek to support herbalist practitioners.  As our customers they are the focus of our activity and over the years many have become friends and partners in our herbal medicine production.  It is only by listening to what herbalists want and continually investing in new facilities, processes and production that we have grown to be a stable and forward-looking manufacturer of herbal medicines.

“By sponsoring the 2014 NIMH Conference we are showing our commitment to the future.  We see Herbs in a Bottle as a major herbal medicine manufacturer long into the future – perhaps even the next hundred and fifty years!  NIMH is a great institution, and Herbs in a Bottle is also in a different way a great institution.  Together we can be a cornerstone of herbal medicine in the United Kingdom and beyond.”

David Carter

Cancer Research Race For Life

Above:  Sue and Lucy (standing second and third from left), Jos (standing sixth from left) and Kay (kneeling, in white).

Four Herbs In A Bottle staff took part in the Cancer Research Race For Life held in the grounds of historic Burghley House on 1st June.

Race for Life is a series of 5k or 10k women-only fundraising events, which raise money for research to help find a cure for all 200 types of cancer.

Curcuma longa or Turmeric Root

  

Today we are making tincture of Curcuma longa or Turmeric Root, also fluid extract, cut and powder versions.

• We obtain our raw Curcuma longa or Turmeric Root rhizomes from India which is the world's largest producer of the crop.
• Curcuma longa or Turmeric Root requires a hot, tropical climate to grow, and does well in a light soil - healthy plants grow a metre high.
• Curcuma longa or Turmeric Root is brownish-yellow colour and when cut has a orange interior (becoming bright yellow when dried and powdered).
• Farming techniques and local climate can influence curcumin content of Curcuma longa - it can vary from 2% to 8% (testing the crop is vital).

Are you going to the URHP Conference this year?

Annual Conference & AGM

Friday 20th, Saturday 21st and Sunday 22nd June 2014

WITH GUEST SPEAKERS - LESLEY AND MICHAEL TIERRA

Purley Chase Centre, Purley Chase Lane, Mancetter, Atherstone, Warwickshire CV9 2RQ

Tel: 01827 712370 www.purleychasecentre.org.uk

It is with great pleasure to announce that our guest speakers, for most of this year’s AGM and conference weekend, are Lesley and Michael Tierra. They are the world’s leading herbalists and renowned for their pioneering works in Chinese and many other fields of herbal medicine. They are bringing with them some exciting talks and healing demonstrations. If you know anything about Michael and Lesley Tierra, you will know that attending their specialist workshops is an opportunity not to be missed especially as
they are not often in the UK.
 
The cost of the full event is £75.00 for URHP members and £85.00 for non-members. A deposit of £20.00 can be placed with initial early booking. The cost for a part session is £30.00 with a £10.00 deposit on early booking. The outstanding costs must then be paid by 18th May. A part session is for any one day attendance. The AGM meeting is free.

Purley Chase has 60 beds available in single and shared rooms. If you would like to stay there overnight and include meals, please book the accommodation as soon as possible directly with them. The booking form can be found on their website. A £30.00 deposit is required with the outstanding balance to be paid by 12th June 2014. Please state you dietary requirements and those attending part sessions please book meals or snacks as needed.

The nearest for other accommodation is Bed and Breakfast on the A5 at Dordon called the Chestnuts or at Mancetter on the A5, or The Bull (3 miles away). There are many others to be found around Atherstone. The nearest main line railway station is at Nuneaton, about 10 kilometres away. Nuneaton is on the main line between London and Lancashire, and trains also serve Atherstone about 2 miles away.

For more information, please contact Jane Woolley Tel: 0151 336 2693
Email: janewoolley1@aol.com

Conference Programme

Friday

4:30 pm – 5:30 pm Registration

5:30 – 6:30 pm Dinner

7:00 – 9:00pm Michael Tierra:
practical pulse diagnosis related to herbal practice and herbal approaches to the treatment of acute bacterial and viral diseases

Saturday

10:00 am – 1:00 pm Lesley Tierra:
Tongue diagnosis and herbs

11:45 am – 12:00 pm tea break

1:00 pm – 2:00 pm lunch

2:00 pm – 5:00 pm Michael Tierra:
Practical pulse diagnosis continued and the treatment of shen (Mind-Spirit) disorders

3:45 pm – 4:00 pm tea break

5:30 - 6:30 pm dinner

7:00 social drinks at the bar

Sunday

10:00 am – 11:45 am Lesley Tierra:
Herbal treatments for menopause and depression.

11:45 am – 12:00 pm tea break

12.00 pm – 1:00 pm
Tribute to Teresa Barlow

1:00 – 2:00 pm lunch

2:00 pm AGM meeting

NB All handouts will be sent nearer the time. Also, we will be asking for volunteers for the healing demonstrations at the time of the event.
Note Herbs in a Bottle is not involved in the organisation of this Conference and no responsibility can be accepted by HIAB for any aspect of the Conference.  All communication must be with the Conference organisers as detailed. 

Next year's Scutellaria lateriflora (Skullcap) crop

Above you can see next year's Scutellaria lateriflora (Skullcap) crop being planted on a specialist herb farm in an organic valley in north-west America.

Herbs in a Bottle have already contracted to buy this crop, assuming it meets the pre-set quality criteria.  Over the coming weeks and months we will be receiving regular updates on how the crop is progressing.  It is genuinely exciting for us to see the tiny shoots grow to maturity, nurtured with care and love (love is not an exaggeration - the herb farm is staffed by herbal enthusiasts!).

We are very careful on how we choose the farmers and growers who supply our herbs.  We ask many searching questions on the history and ownership of the company, and look for partners who match our high ethical standards.  We also rate suppliers on the current licences they hold, and monitor renewal dates of those licences.

The management structure of a company is also of interest.  We look for people who are motivated as well as just technically competent.  Above all we value an interest in herbs (an enthusiasm for herbs is very hard to fake). 

Quality systems also receive scrutiny.  We look for documented control procedures and accountability (ideally we want named individuals who will take responsibility for each stage of the growing, harvesting and forwarding process).  Complete traceability of every batch is essential. 

Obtaining raw herbs is more than just a matter of legislative compliance, codes of practice, and growing guidelines (vitally important though these elements are).  We are interested in how raw herbs are stored prior to shipment and who has access to them (and what clothing they wear and whether they have been trained in hygiene procedures).  We even ask about the drains and where they flow to.

Employee training is another area we ask about.  We ask questions about induction of new staff and whether any casual or agency staff are ever employed.  As well as training and re-training, we also ask whether training records are audited (and who by).

Medical screening of staff is additional area of interest for us, and we will want to know what medical facilities the supplier will have, and what the reporting procedures are for staff who become ill.

This might all sound very single-minded and procedural, but as well as the details we are also interested in the wider picture.  The quality of the air, the purity of the water, the health of the soil - all contribute to the value of the herbs.  That is why we look for farmers and growers of integrity, living in harmony with nature.

www.herbsinabottle.com

Solidago virgaurea or European Goldenrod herb

Today we are making tincture, fluid extract, powder and cut herb versions of Solidago virgaurea or European Goldenrod herb.

Solidago virgaurea is a native European species and can be found throughout the continent.

All parts of the plant are used except the root.

We obtain our supplies of raw Solidago virgaurea from Poland where it is regarded as a valuable medicinal plant and has been the subject of a number of academic studies.

In Poland Solidago virgaurea is gathered from a variety of wild sites - mainly lowlands, low mountains, dry meadows and forest glades.  Solidago virgaurea abundance in the wild is evaluated according to the Braun-Blanquet scale - if it is not abundant it must not be gathered.  Wild harvesting of herbs can result in variation in the content of biologically-active compounds, therefore sampling is prudent.

Harvesting sites are traditional.  Three harvests are carried out - May/June, July and September.  Variations have been recorded in the compound content of the herb according to when it is harvested, and also the conditions under which it has been grown.

Studies indicate content of polyphenolic acids greatest in the first and last harvests.

Solidago virgaurea seems to prefer partially shaded sites - it does well in a light indicator of 3.0 to 4.0.  The highest content of flavonoids has been obtained from plants grown in this light range.  Significant differences in flavonoid content have been recorded in Solidago virgaurea according to raw material origin within Poland.

Studies indicate that the highest content of flavonoids in Solidago virgaurea is found during the vegetative stage (before flowering).

However studies are at an early stage. 

Irrespective of where and when grown Chromatographic analysis (HPLC) of all samples of Solidago virguarea show the three flavonoids rutin, astragalin and hyperodside plus the two polyphenolic acids rosmarinic and chlorogenic. 

www.herbsinabottle.com