Herbology Techniques

When you think about herbology, what do you think of?

A lot of people believe that by using the natural ingredient they are getting the best of what nature can offer. Well, that is only a part of the truth.

To understand the benefits of herbology, you first need to understand what makes it beneficial.

Enzymes

In every living thing there are a substance called enzymes. Enzymes is produced by all living organisms. Enzymes are used to create a biochemical reaction. Humans, as you know, are living organisms. Therefore we have our own set of enzymes in our bodies working to cause a biochemical reaction... digestion. Our enzymes are used in our bodies to break down foods and substances in order for it to be transferred and/or processed in different areas. Enzymes are living organisms too. When we cook our food the heat kills them, and thus changing the living organism into an official dead one.

Why is this important?

When we eat foods that are overcooked (or officially dead food) our body has to rely on our own enzymes to breakdown the foreign substances in order to filter out the nutritious chemicals that can, while simultaneously disposing substances the body deems to be toxic waste.

This breaking down substances and filtering process, is very tedious to our bodies. The result of this constant breakdown of substances and filtration, causes us the body to feel tired after eating. Therefore, in order to feel healthier, it is typically better to consume living food, not dead food.

When I say "living food" I am not referring to eating a living octopus or a live rabbit, I merely referring to plants and minerals. Overcooking your food, is never beneficial to the body. "Dead food" typically becomes filtered by the body as toxic waste, as the nutritional values have depleted.

What I have learned, in my years of practicing herbology, is that consumption of food should be well thought out and planned. And that there is seemly not many differences between the consumption of food orally or the consumption of substances through our external layers, such as the skin.

The skin, the body's largest organ, is like a sponge. It absorbs anything that touches it, down into its many layers until it reaches into the blood stream. Once in the blood stream, you body begins to process the substances as if you consumed it during your normal meals.

Therefore, it is important to be mindful of what touches your body, and what products you use.

Thinking About this Differently:

So back to the introduction about the concept of herbology. Yes, using natural ingredients is beneficial, however, using "dead ingredients" completely ruins the point of going natural. Synthetic ingredients, are materials that have been overly processed and separated with chemicals. When natural beauticians create products, they miss the importance of preserving the ingredients in their closest natural state. This process of retaining the natural substance, will create a vast difference in the potency of the final product.

The trick, is in the preservation.

I found that natural products should be presented and preserved similar to the produce section in a grocery store (by the way, do not be fooled by companies like LUSH, as they still use a lot of chemicals in their products). Natural beauty products shouldn't be expected to be preserved for months. They should be refreshed or remade, weekly.

Years back, when I first started this blog, I created a promo line of Hair Care products. These products quickly became very successful. Why?

The products complemented the needs of the body, not the needs of the merchant. The issue is that merchants or manufacturers make the same mistakes when coming to creating natural care lines.

They will:

1. Overcook their ingredients
2. Use chemical preservatives
3. Use chemical fragrances
4. Use plastic containers
5. Lack the true concept of balancing the ingredients

So, stop using preservation that will extend the product shelf-life, because all common preservatives ("so-called" natural or chemical) destroy the natural perks of the recipe. Also, ditch the pan. You actually rarely need to cook the ingredients to get the effect you want. Cooking the ingredients is actually the "quick fix" solution. Ditch the fragrances and be selective on which essential oils you use in your products. Fragrances kills the nutrition out of the ingredients and dries out the customer's skin and hair. Therefore, using fragrances destroys the beneficial purpose of making a natural product line.

What tools do you need?

1. High End Blender (Vitamix is the best in the market for what you are doing)
• Vitamix is excellent because you can blend, semi-cook, puree, grind, etc.
2. Stone Grinder
• the big heavy ones are great. It is the best method in releasing the natural oils out of cloves and nuts
3. Filtering system (cheese cloth is a standard)
4. Jelly jars & lids
• these are used to seep and create your recipe base
5. Choice mediums
• Olive oil, rum, grapeseed oil... which ever is your preferred recipe primer.

And finally, you need a lot of patience. This is a longer process, but... the results are 100x better than anything you cook up (literally).

Hope this helps, to get you started on your herbology journey.

:-)