Are there free radicals in your herbal oil based medicines?

And so the other big question is, “Can you tell when your oils are starting to go bad?”

Usually you find delicious herbal remedies here, but I have to bring this one up…

I’ve been thinking long and hard about how to say this in a good way that everyone will benefit from.

So here’s the thing, all of the social media posts of herbal medicines being made; which there are a lot, I can take one look at an infusing herbal oil and tell: how it was made, if it was made with the optimum extraction method for that part of the plant and if the shelf life of that infusing oil is going to be as long as it has the potential for. I know, maybe it seems like bragging, but this is what happens when you’ve been supplying herbal oils to food co-ops, students, clients and massage therapists, starting in 1987!

Now back to free radicals…

Whether you contribute to free radical damage with an herbal oil based product (body oil, salve, lip balm, slather, body butter…) all depends on SHELF LIFE. 

So, shelf life, how important is it?

If you use an herbal oil that starts to turn bad prematurely, it means you increase the free radical damage in your body. Which I am sure is not anyone’s intention when they reach for an herbal product. Free radical damage is a big topic but in a nutshell; it contributes to aging and illness, not something you want to add to with your herbal products.

Shelf life is everything when it comes to peace of mind that you’re creating a product that will help people.

So, let me ask the question, “Is shelf life the first thing you have in mind when you choose which method to make your oils with?

Here is why I am bringing this up.

There are hundreds of ‘how-to’ instructions for herbal oils, salve, lip balm, lotions all over YouTube and blogs. In large online and in person herbal courses there is almost always a ‘how-to’ module or section on herbal infused oils.

However, nobody is teaching the big WHY behind WHY you would choose to use fresh, dried or wilted plant and what are the questions that go into deciding WHICH carrier oil, if alcohol is necessary, what is optimum steep time and what I am all about: which method gives you the most effective extraction for each plant.

It isn’t that the herb schools aren’t awesome, because many of them are, it is just that I’ve focused so specifically on oils for 30+ years. Not only making them, but thousands of hours of using them. I’ve seen first-hand, which oils can cause reactions, which oils can be used by anyone, the mistakes people make in using the oils at the wrong time and everything in between.

So just stick with me, take a moment and think about, why is it that you make your oils in a certain way?

Often it’s because it’s how you learned to do it, afterall it is a forgiving art. You’ve had some good results, maybe you’ve even been lucky enough to avoid the ‘hit or miss’ or ‘science project’ club with some of your oil projects.

 

“Not totally sure why this one batch did_______”, you know what I am talking about. I know, I started making oils when there was no information, no google, no Esty, no books… I have made every mistake possible AND I have also mentored thousands of students through every mistake possible!

 

And so the other big question is, “Can you tell when your oils are starting to go bad?”

 

Once they’ve already gone bad, I mean people can mostly figure that one out, but can you tell when they are starting to go bad? Which is where the free radical exposure begins… 

 

Do you have a framework for each plant so that every oil is made with ‘shelf-stability-first’ in mind?

 

Shelf stability first and optimum potency extraction method second!

The thing is, herbal oils are amazing. I hate to call any herbal medicine mediocre. I don’t want to offend anyone; but the truth is, even mediocre salves and body butters work miracles. 

 

If you use your oil for lip balms and all-purpose salves, ok…

 

But if you are trying to really take care of something like pain, inflammation, recovery from radiation, breast care, burns…then you want to know the WHY behind the oil making techniques you are using. You want to know without hesitation that your oils will do the very BEST for someone. 

 

I want us to step back for a minute. People have seen some of my free herbal oil workshops; gotten a taste of what is possible, and now I want us to take the next step in how we approach our herbal medicine making. 

 

Only by understanding the WHY that goes into carrier oil choice, alcohol addition or not, fresh, dried or should you bother with wilted plant, which part of the plant, how long to steep, solar infused or no sun, crock pot or no heat and can you completely trust the shelf life, ONLY then can you eliminate any doubt that you are making the very best medicine. 

 

If you’ve already been making herbal oil and body care stuff for 10, 15, 20 years…I know you’ve helped so many people already, thank you. 

 

And I just want to gently let you know, I guarantee that in my Handcrafted Healing Herbal Oils Online Course, you will learn how to increase the quality of what you already make. 

 

Here is a page with several long-time medicine makers talking about my course upgraded what they were already doing: http://handcrafted.pages.ontraport.net/case-studies

Here is the link to enroll in Handcrafted Healing Herbal Oils

 

And if you are just beginning your herbal journey, I am so glad you found your way here… If you want to start out firmly on the right foot, or if you want to increase the quality of what you already do, it is my mission to support you. 

 

Most of my students for the past 30 years, they look for that confidence in what they make and use. Confidence is rooted in the word, confide. To confide in something, means to trust. Building your herbal medicine making confidence or taking it to the next level is all about the trust you feel when you give that medicine away. 

 

You trust that it is the very best medicine possible and that it won’t go bad because you understand it fully. You understand every step of the way why you did what you did, not because it’s what you’ve always done, but what is behind each choice you make during the process.

 

Take a moment with the video, I cover more on this topic and also talk about a traumatic injury that happened to me and how the oils helped me so much….

 

If you have any questions, don’t hesitate to reach out to me at: support@livingawareness.com

If you want to take the next step in increasing the quality of your herbal oil based products, I would love to help you do that

Enrollment is open for a few days, you can click here to get into class.

Take care,