Summer Camp Survival!

This blog post was written by Mary, the newest addition to our team! Mary recently graduated from UVM Burlington with a degree in Nutrition & Food Science, and is a major camping enthusiast. She has fond childhood memories of packing up her trunk for several weeks in the woods!

It's that time of year again. Time to pack a bag, or if you're like me pack a trunk, and GO CAMPING! Summer camp is one of my fondest memories from my childhood and I'm happy to see the tradition of overnight camp still holding strong. We've had so many visits from parents anxious to collect all of the products required to keep campers happy that we decided it was time to share our favorites. Whether you're looking for the right sunscreen or sunburn relief, Cambridge Naturals has you covered.

The best thing to pack to ensure a good outdoors experience is anything that helps prevent future discomfort from happening in the first place. This means loading up on sunscreen and bug spray, and we have plenty of that! It can be hard to choose which is the best when faced with a wall of options that all seem to blend together after a minute or two, so I've rounded up my favorites. Badger's Active Kids SPF 30 sunscreen remains a favorite. This locally-made cream is perfect for fussy kids who normally resist applying (and re-applying) sunscreen thanks to its tangerine and vanilla scent. Note: although 100% certified natural and made with 99% organic ingredients, it is not edible - however delicious it smells! If you need something with higher protection, ThinkSport has SPF 50+ and options for babies, kids, and grown ups, all of which rub in easier than most zinc-laden creams. As Stream2Sea's featured retailer of the month, we are happy to say that if (or should I say when?) a sunburn should occur, you can also get their Sunburn Relief in both full and travel size.

Bug bites and all the evil they bring with them are a growing concern, as are the common deet-containing sprays. Luckily we sell Badger's Anti-Bug line and it is now 10% off through the month of July! This includes the Anti-Bug Balm and the After-Bug Balm, both with plenty of certified organic oils that skin loves and bugs hate. So all your bug bases are covered at a discount.

Although camping requires a certain "back to the land" mentality, some of us find it difficult to give up our civilized dispositions so easily. There's no shame in wanting to be one with nature while also smelling and looking good.  To make things easier I recommend everyone's favorite all-in-one product, the legendary Dr. Bronner's, for all your body and hair washing needs - available in eight essential oil-based scents. This cuts down water use and gives campers more time for the fun stuff. If you or your child is especially lazy in the hygienic sense we sell Action Wipes for a decent full body cleanse with one giant wipe. 

Now for the fun part: the stuff you put all your new stuff in! We have a plethora of cases for toothbrushes and soaps by Radius. Kids and adults alike can choose whatever color fits their personality and they can be found right next to our travel size section filled with the cute, mini sized version of your favorites soaps and toothpastes! If you already have some larger products stocked up, we have GoToobs for easy transfer into a travel friendly and spill proof containers. 

Let us not forget, once the kids are dropped off, there's care packages to be sent! We have plenty of shelf stable treats and funny cards to surprise your favorite camper with. 

RegActiv Probiotics: Immune, Heart and Liver Wellness through Antioxidant Support

This post was originally published back in December of last year. We have RegActiv probiotics on sale in the month of July - save 20% off!!

By Miles Sarill
Supplements Buyer and M.S. Candidate - Experimental Medicine

In the last thirty years, the market for probiotics has evolved and grown greatly. No longer is the sole capsule of Lactobacillus acidophilus the only option; rather, the aisles are populated with a multitude of products each touting “more than 10 bacterial strains” with anywhere between 5 and 150 billion cells per capsule. This boom in the probiotic market is partially fueled by both consumer interest as well as novel research into the microbiome.

Read more in the original post: http://www.cambridgenaturals.com/blog/regactiv-probiotics

DIY Natural Whitening Toothpaste by Jenn

This blog post was written by Jenn, who is a Customer Service Specialist at the store by day and an Industrial Design student by night! She also designs and handcrafts some beautiful wooden necklaces that we carry. She has a passion for herbs and DIY body care. Read her tips for making your own natural and effective toothpaste below!

Natural & Whitening?! What kind of witchcraft is this?! For most of us, when we think of a whitening toothpaste, our first thought isn’t necessarily "natural" - but with a little help from an unlikely source it can be! Like most of you, I am a huge proponent of all things natural, and if I can make it myself - well, that's even better! My teeth have a tendency to stain now and again with my over consumption of tea, coffee, kombucha, and chocolate. I thought there was no hope and that I would either have to quit my delicious habits or give in to those nasty chemical ridden whitening products *shudders*. However, through trial, error, and lots of research I have put together a recipe that not only whitens but is squeezable and it only takes a few simple ingredients some you may have right in your kitchen. You can also buy all of these ingredients at Cambridge Naturals - many of them from our bulk section!

Photo credit: Jenn M

Combine all the dry ingredients in one bowl and all the wet ingredients into another bowl. Then slowly mix the dry ingredients in with the wet ingredients. Once everything is thoroughly mixed together, put it into any container (I use a little squeezable tube) and it's ready to use! This recipe usually lasts me about 2 weeks, so feel free to adjust accordingly, and enjoy your newly sparkling pearly whites!

What you will need:

2 tbsp of Bentonite Clay
3 tbsp Distilled Water
2 tbsp Coconut Oil (liquid state)
½ tbsp Baking Soda
¼ tsp Powdered Clove
⅛ tsp Himalayan Pink Salt
⅛ tsp Activated Charcoal
5 Drops Peppermint Essential Oil*

*I would NEVER suggest taking essential oils internally, but with this recipe you're not actually swallowing it and using very little!

Herb of the Month: Chamomile

CHAMOMILE: Matricaria recutita and Chamaemelum nobile (Anthemis nobilis) Asteraceae

By Steph Zabel
Herbalist, Ethnobotanist and Educator

The Greeks call it earth apple, Germans call it mother’s herb, and in Mexico it is known as manzanilla, or little apple. No matter the name, no matter the language, chamomile is a culturally important plant known and loved around the world.

Photo Credit Rob Hille via Wikipedia

Photo Credit Mussklprozz via Wikipedia

Due to its lovely aromatic scent combined with its very useful actions on the human body, chamomile has become one of our most common and recognizable herbs. Practically all restaurants and cafes serve up chamomile tea, and it is one of the few medicinal herbs that all grocery stores will stock in their tea sections. Could there be anyone who has not had chamomile tea before? It is a flavor that is known by almost everyone.

There are two plants that are called chamomile: the more popular and common German chamomile (Matricaria recutita) and the Roman chamomile (Chamaemelum nobile). Although they are different species, they are used interchangeably in herbal medicine. Both are very aromatic, with the lovely, sweet scent of apples.

Photo credit: Köhler's Medizinal-Pflanzen, published 1887 via Wikipedia

Chamomile has been used as a medicine for thousands of years, dating back to the ancient Egyptians, Romans, and Greeks. It was also one of the nine sacred herbs of the Anglo-Saxons. Because of its various healing powers, chamomile was believed to be a gift of the gods.

When we think of chamomile first we must think of its affinity for the digestive organs. This cheery herb is renowned for its use in various ailments such as indigestion, stomach-ache, flatulence, and inflammation in the gut. Chamomile contains an essential oil called azulene, which is a beautiful deep blue oil when distilled. This oil possesses tremendous anti-inflammatory properties that helps soothe and relax the walls of the intestines and remove excess gas. In addition, although chamomile has a sweet aroma and taste to it, it is also mildly bitter. This bitterness helps stimulate liver function and the production of bile, thus aiding in the overall process of digestion. Chamomile truly shines for issues of the stomach and intestines, and is a wonderful and easy addition to the home apothecary.

Chamomile is also an excellent herb for nervousness, tension and anxiety, especially for the type that manifests in the digestive organs (i.e. that feeling of knots or butterflies in the stomach). The flowers have traditionally been used to calm frayed nerves, and to quell irritable behavior. For most people a cup of chamomile tea is instantly relaxing and soothing. It is perfect as a before bedtime tea, or after a long and stressful day.

Photo credit: Steph Zabel

Perhaps chamomile is most famous for its use with babies and children; it is after all called the “mother’s herb” in Germany for good reason. It is very safe for young people and especially suited to children who are irritable, whining, hypersensitive and/or restless. Given as a diluted tea, or used in a bath, chamomile calms irritable behavior. And this action isn’t just for children! One of our most famous American herbalists, Matthew Wood, is often quoted on chamomile, writing that it is “the remedy for babies of any age.” In my own practice, I find this to be very true! Chamomile is wonderful for any temperamental outbursts, heated emotions, or irritable and childish behavior. Every now and then, we all must whine and complain, but when it becomes a constant theme, chamomile is the answer!

On another note, here on the east coast we have a close cousin of chamomile that grows wild in lawns and pathways where humans walk. Called pineapple weed (Matricaria matricarioides), this plant grows abundantly throughout the city and has an intoxicating sweet scent. Its flowers are not as showy as true chamomile since they lack the white ray petals, but if you take the yellow center and crush it between your fingers you will be amazed at its amazingly strong scent. Pineapple weed can be used just like chamomile.

A word of caution: A small number of people are allergic to chamomile and other related plants in the Asteraceae family, so do be aware that it may provoke an allergic reaction in people who are sensitive.

HOW TO USE CHAMOMILE:

Tea infusion: Use 2 teaspoons of the dried herb per cup of hot water. Cover and let steep up to 10 minutes. It becomes quite bitter the longer it is steeped.
Chamomile mixes well with peppermint, sage, fennel, calendula and/or wood betony for digestive issues

Tincture: Use 10 to 30 drops of chamomile tincture as needed for stomach ache, tension or nervousness

Essential oil: Use 10 to 15 drops of the essential oil diluted in a carrier oil (such as olive oil) for topical use on minor wounds and inflammation
 

RECIPE: Chamomile infused wine

1 bottle of your favorite white wine (a sweet wine like a Riesling would work well)
2 - 3 tablespoons of dried chamomile flowers

Place the chamomile in a quart sized glass jar. Pour the wine over the herb. (A whole bottle of wine will fit into a quart sized jar.) Give it a stir so that the chamomile is completely submerged in the wine. Cap with a lid and keep at room temperature for at least 3 hours. Or, steep for longer (up to 8 hours) for a stronger flavor. Pour the wine through a fine sieve to remove the chamomile. Enjoy chilled for a sweet and relaxing summer wine.

Steph Zabel, MSc, is an herbalist and educator who helps urban dwellers connect with the plant world.  She teaches herbal classes, is available for individual wellness consultations, and is also the founder of HERBSTALK, Boston’s community herbal conference.  Learn more about her work at: www.flowerfolkherbs.com and www.herbstalk.org.

References:

https://whisperingearth.co.uk/2010/04/17/more-musings-on-chamomile-a-herb-for-the-child-in-us-all/
http://umm.edu/health/medical/altmed/herb/german-chamomile
http://www.botanical.com/botanical/mgmh/c/chammo49.html
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3210003/
The Book of Herbal Wisdom by Matthew Wood
Herbs: Partners in Life by Adele G. Dawson

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This blog post — Herb of the Month: Chamomile — is for general health information only. This blog post is not to be used as a substitute for medical advice, diagnosis or treatment of any health condition or problem. Users of this Web site should not rely on information provided on this Web site for their own health problems. Any questions regarding your own health should be addressed to your own physician or other healthcare provider.

Featuring: Holy Sponge!

This blog post was written by Caitlin, our Assistant Body Care Lead and an intrepid product tester! Read below to learn more about Holy Sponge! and what a Menstruation Activist is. 

I remember the first time I tried using a tampon - it was terrifying. I felt like I was taking a foreign object and entering a foreign place. Over a short period of time (no pun intended), I got used to using tampons, and they easily found a way into my monthly routine. To me, there was nothing friendly about a tampon, and pads just simply were not appealing. Now that I have grown well into my womanhood and learned to love my body and my monthly cycle, I have also learned to love the power of choice as a female consumer! Enter: the Holy Sponge!

Photo via Holy Sponge! Instagram feed

The Holy Sponge! was created by Janeen Singer, a self-proclaimed menstrual activist who wanted to provide women with safe, earth-friendly alternatives to toxic, commercial menstrual products. Although a sponge may seem intimidating at first, you might find yourself surprised by the soft, silky body of the sponge. Before inserting, the sponge should be run under warm water to soften making for easier and more gentle insertion than a dry, cotton tampon.

The Holy Sponge lasts for 3-6 cycles and is fully compostable - making this both a great economic and eco-conscious consumer option. For someone who doesn’t even like to carry a wallet, nevermind a purse, the Holy Sponge is a true savior! No purses, bags, or backpacks required to accompany you on your next trip to the bathroom making the sponge an extremely discreet way to experience your monthly cycle.

Janeen and her team have put great care and energy into creating Moon Ritual Kits which come with a set of 2 professionally and sustainably harvested sponges, an easy-to-read illustrated guide for care and use, a small vial of organic tea tree oil for disinfecting, responsibly harvested dried herbs for a bath or cleansing ritual, and a cotton carrying bag. The Holy Sponge team is also quite accommodating and will gladly disinfect your sponges with peroxide instead of tea tree oil if you happen to have an allergy, sensitivity, or preference.

Photo via Holy Sponge! Instagram feed

If you are interested in trying the sponge, you will be investing in an educational exploration of your body. I am now even more amazed at what my body is capable of and how easy the sponge is to use - once it’s in, you can hardly tell it’s there!

You can learn more about Janeen and the Holy Sponge at http://www.holysponge.net/

Mugwort: A Wild Beauty in Urban Places

By Steph Zabel
Herbalist, Ethnobotanist and Educator

When I first moved to Boston a decade ago I felt like a country girl in the big city. I’d traveled and lived in several places before, but had never before set down roots in an urban environment. I was used to living amongst trees and woods, and wide-open spaces. Although I loved my new city home, I greatly missed natural open spaces, and forests, and wild places.

So I found consolation in a different sort of wildness: in untamed, weedy plants that sprout up in the neglected areas of town. Of all of these – the dandelions, chickweeds, shepherd’s purses and burdocks that I came to know and love – mugwort was the one to capture me the most.

When I first made acquaintances with this lovely creature I knew nothing of the plant, not even its name. I just loved the beautiful shape, tall stature, silvery leaves, and gracefulness as I observed mugwort swaying in the wind, or in the passing rumble of a train.

I used to walk one particular route to work that always led me past a population of mugwort. It was an unpleasant and ugly stretch to walk through, full of trash and city grime, but the mugwort always provided a glimpse of beauty and grace with its silvery green glow. It felt like the mugwort was welcoming me to my new city, and whispered to me an important reminder: that I could find beauty wherever I looked for it.

Upon delving deeper into my work with the herbs I discovered many things about mugwort that enamored me with the plant even more. I found out that it is a plant of ancient use and was known as the Mater Herbarum  — the mother of all herbs. Mugwort was held sacred by various cultures and thought to be the oldest of plants. In particular it was believed to be a plant that offered protection to humans. It was once common to hang a sprig of mugwort over the doorway — or to burn it as an incense — to keep illness and evil spirits away from the home.

Its botanical name Artemisia refers to the goddess Artemis, hinting at its divine origins. Named after the lunar goddess of childbearing and the wilderness, mugwort is steeped in much folklore about its healing virtues. It has traditionally held a powerful affiliation with the moon and was considered to be a prime herb for women. Artemisia vulgaris has been used to soothe the pain of childbirth as well as monthly menstrual cramping. It may also help to regulate the menstrual cycle to a normal, cyclical rhythm. Herbalist Matthew Wood says that mugwort will restore the injured female nature.

Mugwort’s actions on the body are warming and slightly stimulating. As such it helps to increase circulation throughout the body and to remove stagnant blood (hence its use for the menstrual cycle). In Traditional Chinese medicine a related Artemisia species is made into moxa for use over stiff joints and cold, stagnant areas of the body.

As for its stimulating properties, mugwort is well known for its ability to impart vivid dreams and to promote creative meditation. Many people will find that simply drinking a cup of mugwort tea before bed will have a marked effect on their dreams. Because of this property, however, avoid mugwort when you are trying to get a deep and restorative night’s sleep!

I love what one of my favorite herbal writers, Judith Berger, has to say about this special plant. She says that regular use of mugwort “strengthens our ability to absorb intuitive information as we preserve an aspect of sharpness in our interaction with the complex, topside world.” In other words, mugwort helps us to enhance our intuition in order to better navigate daily reality.

Mugwort can be found growing in disturbed areas and along roadsides wherever humans reside. If you are harvesting the plant for internal use be sure to avoid collecting near traffic-laden roads, or in areas where the soil may be contaminated. Clip the tall stalks so that you are harvesting the upper third of the plant. The best time to collect mugwort is right before its very tiny flower buds open. Hang a bundle of the stalks upside down to dry.

HOW TO USE MUGWORT:

➤ Use 1/2 to 1 tablespoon of dried herb per mug of hot water; let steep at least 10 minutes. Drink before bedtime to increase dreams.
➤   Infuse into vinegar to extract its rich mineral content (mugwort is high in calcium and magnesium)
➤   Infuse into oil to use for topical applications as a warming, stimulating remedy, for cold joints or for menstrual cramping

Caution: As a uterine stimulant and emmenogogue, mugwort should not be used during pregnancy.

MUGWORT DREAM TEA

Here’s a lovely tea that I like to make after dinner to help wind down before bed-time, and to ease me into the dream world:

1 part linden
1 part lemon balm
½ part oat tops
¼ part mugwort
small pinch of lavender

Let steep for at least 15 minutes. Sip mindfully and breathe in the vapor of the tea, and see if you don’t have a very deep night’s sleep, with dreams that you remember the next day…
 
Steph Zabel, MSc, is an herbalist and educator who helps urban dwellers connect with the plant world. She teaches herbal classes, is available for individual wellness consultations, and is also the founder of HERBSTALK, Boston’s community herbal conference (taking place on June 4 & 5!).  Learn more about her work at: www.flowerfolkherbs.com and www.herbstalk.org.

Resources:

Herbal Rituals by Judith Berger
The Earthwise Herbal: A Complete Guide to New World Medicinal Plants by Matthew Wood
http://www.bloodandspicebush.com/blog/mugwort-the-cingulum-sancti-johannis
https://www.botanical.com/botanical/mgmh/m/mugwor61.html
http://www.eattheweeds.com/mugwort/
http://www.herbalpedia.com/Mugwort.pdf

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This blog post — Chickweed: Stellaria media — is for general health information only. This blog post is not to be used as a substitute for medical advice, diagnosis or treatment of any health condition or problem. Users of this Web site should not rely on information provided on this Web site for their own health problems. Any questions regarding your own health should be addressed to your own physician or other healthcare provider.

 

 

 
 

Chickweed: Stellaria media

By Steph Zabel
Herbalist, Ethnobotanist and Educator

You probably already know this if you have attended one of my herbal classes, but I love weeds! Yes, I have a great fondness for the plants that everyone tries to get rid of and “keep under control” especially the tenacious ones that keep on growing where nothing else could…. the crack of a sidewalk, compacted and poor soil, the top of a bridge, along railroad tracks, etc.

I love weeds because they are spunky and resourceful, and in some cases they are beneficial to the local ecosystem. These plants will hold down eroding soil, remove heavy metals, and/or provide greater soil fertility and organic matter.  They grow in niches where more delicate plants cannot.

Additionally, many of these so-called weeds make for good foods and remedies for humans. So, before you decide to remove a weedy creature from your garden or lawn, please consider all of the above qualities and appreciate the vitality that is found in wild plants!

Now, onto Chickweed, one of our delightfully weedy plants that can be seen around town.

First and foremost, chickweed is an abundant wild edible. It makes for a refreshing salad green and is a traditional spring tonic. It is very nutritious, being high in chlorophyll, vitamins A & C, and minerals such as calcium, magnesium, phosphorus, and potassium. Chickweed is a wonderful herb to help support the liver and the whole lymphatic system. Traditionally it is used to remove metabolic wastes and excess fats from the body.

If you make a tea of chickweed you might notice an interesting property that it has: when you pour hot water over the dried leaves you’ll see a foamy substance that rises to the top. This is because chickweed contains saponins, which are soap-like substances that increase the permeability of cells. This quality helps our human bodies to absorb more nutrients while also helping us to break down waste products, including excess mucous, toxins and fat cells. This makes it a perfect spring herb to turn to when our bodies need to wake up — and lighten up — after a long winter.

Photograph by Curtis Clark via Wikicommons

On the herbal spectrum of actions chickweed is considered to be a cooling and demulcent herb. It is soothing and moisturizing for the body’s tissues, both internally and externally. Chickweed can be used for any sort of hot, inflammatory condition such as colitis, sore throat, itchy or inflamed skin, or even stings, burns and sunburn. I think it is especially wonderful for irritated and red eyes. A simple poultice of fresh chickweed placed over the eyes will bring cooling relief.

Now in early spring is the time to scope out wild chickweed; before too long it will start to fade in the hot summer sun. Watch out for its dainty white, star-shaped flowers, and brilliant green leaves.  It may be an over-looked plant but once you learn how to identify chickweed you will be surprised to see it growing abundantly, spreading like tiny stars across the city.

HOW TO USE CHICKWEED:

• It is best to use chickweed when it is fresh — the young, spring-gathered plant can be eaten raw in salads, or made into an herbal pesto.
• If it is not possible to get your hands on fresh chickweed, an infusion of the dried leaf can be made with 1 Tblsp. of the herb per 1 cup of water. Let this brew steep for 4 to 8 hours in order to extract the most minerals out of it.
• If purchasing a tincture of chickweed, make sure it was made with the fresh plant, rather than the dried herb.

Steph Zabel, MSc, is an herbalist and educator who helps urban dwellers connect with the plant world.  She teaches herbal classes, is available for individual wellness consultations, and is also the founder of HERBSTALK, Boston’s community herbal conference.  Learn more about her work at: www.flowerfolkherbs.com and www.herbstalk.org.

References:

http://annemcintyre.com/stellaria-media-•-chickweed/ 
https://www.botanical.com/botanical/mgmh/c/chickw60.html
http://www.susunweed.com/herbal_ezine/May08/healingwise.htm
http://www.thepracticalherbalist.com/holistic-medicine-library/chickweed-skin-rejuvenator/

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This blog post — Chickweed: Stellaria media — is for general health information only. This blog post is not to be used as a substitute for medical advice, diagnosis or treatment of any health condition or problem. Users of this Web site should not rely on information provided on this Web site for their own health problems. Any questions regarding your own health should be addressed to your own physician or other healthcare provider.

Partners in Wellness: Vitality Works

You've probably seen our Cambridge Naturals Brand herbal tinctures around the store - we carry a wide selection of affordable, high quality single herb and herbal blend CN tinctures, as well as some dried herb capsules and over 30 essential oils, to meet our customers' growing need and passion for herbal remedies. These herbal tinctures are manufactured for us for us by Vitality Works in Alberquerque, New Mexico, led by founder and award winning herbalist Mitch Coven.  For over three decades, Vitality Works has striven to provide leading edge medicinal supplements of the highest quality, purity and potency. They offer an unmatched expertise in direct sourcing of botanicals, and their meticulous attention to detail and consistency of the manufacturing process has given them an impeccable reputation for quality. We are proud to work with Vitality Works on our Cambridge Naturals Brand herbal products! Below is our interview with Craig from VW:

Tell me a little bit about Vitality Works. Where are you located and who are you owned by? What makes your products unique in this ever-expanding industry?

Vitality Works is located in Albuquerque, NM where it was founded 34 years ago by Mitch Coven as a complimentary health clinic.  One of the factors that make our products unique is that the entire operation is overseen by Mitch, a Medical and Clinical Herbalist and lecturer. Formulas that were developed and successful in the clinic are the foundation of our line. Mitch’s depth of herbal knowledge assures that everything from the procurement of the herbs worldwide, processing into products, quality and regulatory compliance is carefully managed so that every bottle leaving the facility is consistently of the highest quality to maximize results. Mitch’s leadership is supported by an exceptional group of employees, who share his dedication.

Echinacea fields on the Vitality Works partner farm in Abiquiu

How do you source the raw materials that go into your products?

Our herbs are sourced from all over the world.  We buy certified organic and ethically wild harvested botanicals direct from growers and harvesters as a priority. We buy fresh, recently harvested botanicals that are 100% tested for potency, strength, identity and purity. We pretest lots of herbs to insure they meet our specifications, which go beyond FDA requirements. We have relationships to our growers that go back decades. 

What type of certifications do your products have? Why are these certifications important?

The Vitality Works facility has a number of certifications, all of which are reflections of the quality control that is in place.  It is important to have 3rd party certification to validate that the manufacturer is really making safe product, are following regulations, meet quality standards and that meet the claims on a label. Our facility is FDA-registered; NSF GMP certified, KOF-K Certified Kosher and Certified Organic for some products.  Our products are GMO Freee and Gluten Free as well but are not certified. Mitch is also a member of the American Herbal Products Association (APHA) and the American Botanical Council (ABC). 

Emigdio, herb farmer (left) and Mitch Coven, founder of VW

Does Vitality Works have any transparency initiatives in place and if so what are those? What does Vitality Works do to maintain sourcing and manufacturing transparency? 

Our facility is open to inspection and we hide nothing. We are audited or inspected on average 40 times per year by a third  party. If someone needs to know where our raw materials come from, such as country of origin, we tell them. We are proud of what we offer.

Bottling and Quality Control at VW

Partners in Wellness: Interview with Cristina Ciccone from Gaia

Gaia Herbs is one of our top herbal supplements suppliers - and we've worked with them for decades. They manufacture high quality liquid tinctures and liquid phytocaps as well as dried herb extract capsules. Much of the raw material comes from their amazingly gorgeous organic farm in Brevard, NC - as well as organic farms in Italy and Costa Rica. Their "Meet Your Herbs" platform puts transparency right at your finger tips - just use the QR code on the bottle to discover exactly where and how the extracted herbs in your bottle were grown and processed.

Cristina Ciccone, our Gaia representative, is one of our favorite reps to work with! She is incredibly dedicated to her work and a self proclaimed "herbal nerd" - we've come to her with many complex questions about herbal medicine over the years and she always responds with a thoughtful, detailed answer. In honor of Partners in Wellness week, we've asked Cristina to answer a few questions about her work with Gaia:

What do you love about working for Gaia?

As an Herbalist, I love working for a company that specializes in just that, herbs. Rather than attempting to produce products in every category like multi-vitamins, fish oils, probiotics etc., I think it’s important to have a company that specializes in a particular category and that does it exceeding well. Herbs vary so much in their chemistry and quality batch to batch, so it’s important to understand all the nuances to make really effective herbal medicine. Gaia is uncompromising in its integrity and manages to find the perfect balance of cutting edge science as well as honoring traditional wisdom and plant intelligence. I think it’s so easy for herbal companies to be pulled too far in one direction. Some herbal companies treat their herbal products like pharmaceuticals in isolating and spiking single plant compounds.  This type of herbal product is entirely “missing the point.” Gaia honors whole plant medicine by concentrating, never adulterating or isolating. I believe this makes for the most effective herbal medicine. Gaia is a company I truly believe in and feel honored to work for.

Tulsi growing on Gaia's farm in NC. Photo Credit: Gaia Herbs

What's the best part of your job as an educator and company representative?

Gaia has a full traceability platform called Meet Your Herbs. This is an industry first, and it allows consumers to trace every raw material to where it was grown, how it was grown and all of the testing done on that particular batch of plant material. Showing people that they have the ability to trace a raw material from seed to shelf helps to really bring their medicine to life and helps them to feel confident that it’s a pure and efficacious product. One of my favorite things to do in store aisles is to pull a product off the shelf, plug the lot number into our Meet Your Herbs app and show a staff member or a customer where that batch of herb was grown and all the testing and quality control that took place before that product even reached the shelf. It feels like I’m performing a magic trick. 

I also love the opportunity to educate about individual herbs and formulas. It is one of the best parts of my job with Gaia. It’s another way for people to 'meet their herbs'. The herbal category can feel pretty intimidating, confusing and even esoteric. Education helps to demystify herbal medicine, clear up confusion, and make people feel more comfortable in knowing when to use/recommend which plant or formula.  It can feel entirely overwhelming when you find multiple different choices in the immune health section, stress section, etc.  All herbs have their own specialties and individual properties. Education helps people come to see these patterns and understand an herb’s “personality.” With this knowledge it becomes easier to recommend/choose which product is right for which particular situation and which particular person. When I conduct these trainings, I almost feel like I’m introducing two people at a dinner party!

Echinacea and Bamboo growing on the Gaia farm. Photo Credit: Gaia Herbs

What do you think is enticing more people to start using herbs?

There is a dynamic interplay that takes place between our bodies and plant medicine. We have co-evolved with these plants as long as modern humans have walked this earth. I believe there is an understanding and an awakening that takes place in our bodies when we consume plant medicine. Herbal medicine is literally built into our DNA. Our bodies do not understand isolated synthetic compounds, such as is found in pharmaceuticals. Pharmaceuticals have been used  for little more than a hundred years. This is the blink of an eye for human existence and humans beings have no evolutionary frame of reference for this type of medicine and how it operates. I believe this is why we see so many side effects from pharmaceuticals because rather than the dynamic and elegant interplay we see with people and plant, Pharmaceuticals force a process in our bodies. I think many people are longing for the opportunity to re-connect with their medicine and food as well. I think part of our modern “social sickness” is a feeling of disconnect.  I think it is a profound thing to feel connected with your medicine and for people to reclaim their power by actively engaging in their own healing process. Of course the lack of side effects, less expensive cost and ability to help prevent disease, also makes herbal medicine more and more appealing.

What's your favorite (or one of your favorite) Gaia products that you use every day?

Adrenal Health! I always feel corny saying it, but this product literally changed my life. It was the first Gaia product I had ever tried and made me a believer.  This product is formulated for stress management, but rather than just temporarily masking the symptom of stress, it literally changes your body’s perception of stress through its regulation of stress hormones.  It also has the beneficial “side effects” of increasing my energy levels and enhancing my mood memory. 

Partners in Wellness: Reliance Vitamins

For our Partners In Wellness Week we are going to be publishing some short interviews and vendor profiles to give more insight into our vendors - because it’s not just what we carry that’s important to us, it’s who we carry as well.  For a list of vendor demos this week, visit our calendar. We use three top manufacturers for our Cambridge Naturals brand supplements: Reliance, Vitality Works, and Vitamer Labs.  All three offer the highest quality sourcing and manufacturing and each one offers something unique for us and our customers.  The first in our series of profiles is Reliance, written by Zach, our supplements manager.

Established in 1978, Reliance is a privately owned dietary supplements manufacturer making some of the highest quality products we carry. You'll recognize the green ginkgo Cambridge Naturals brand label in our store - many of these supplements are made for us by Reliance. What makes them high quality?  For starters, Reliance is NSF Certified for Current Good Manufacturing Practices (CGMP) and is NSF Certified for Sport, meaning that their facilities, processes, etc. have been independently certified to follow the highest standards.  On top of that their NSF dual-certifications, Reliance is Certified for CGMPs by the Natural Products Association (NPA), the leading industry body for natural products of all sorts.

These certifications aren’t just for show and they definitely aren’t given to just any company.  To get these certifications, companies must go through a rigorous, in-depth evaluation which includes evaluations of ingredient sourcing, product testing (both during manufacturing and of finished products), and even record keeping.  The fact that Reliance has these certifications means that their products always contain what’s on the label and never contain any unlabeled adulterants. 

From Reliance: "You can observe a Quality team member utilizing advanced HPLC instrumentation to verify the purity and potency of products in our Quality Lab. In addition to our in house lab, we utilize independent labs for the analysis of finished products."

While we definitely choose our companies based on the quality products they can offer us and our customers, we also take into account what each company offers its stakeholders beyond a physical product. Reliance is a partner of Vitamin Angels, an organization that “provides life saving vitamins to mothers and children under five at risk of malnutrition, reducing preventable illness, blindness, and death and creating a healthier world.”  Vitamin Angels is active in over 50 countries worldwide and reaches over 48 million children and mothers with their efforts.

We are proud to work with Reliance to make our private label products, and believe they offer some of the highest quality supplements out there. Ask us about our Cambridge Naturals brand and we're happy to show you some of our favorite items!

From Reliance: "You are looking on as one of our Quality Lab technicians prepares a sample."

(For an added bonus, check out this video from Dr. Brent Bauer, MD, the director of the Mayo Clinic Complementary and Integrative Medicine Program on ‘How To Choose The Right Supplements’ where he calls out the NSF CGMP certification as one of the essential certifications to look for in dietary supplements and dispels some of the myths about dietary supplement regulation.)