| You may have realised that recently everything | | | | between the Aspirin from the Chemist/Drug |
| you look at claims to be 'natural', but what is | | | | store (it's 100% natural...) and the Aspirin from the |
| natural? Does it referrer to everything that the | | | | Herbalist (it's 100% natural...)?Let me introduce a |
| product contains? Is it some of the ingredients in | | | | 'new' term "Holistically-natural", what do I mean by |
| the product that are natural? Or is a single | | | | this term? I propose, that this term may be of |
| ingredient, which was isolated from an originally | | | | use to describe the type of product that has not |
| natural source, the only thing that is natural about | | | | been overly modified. That means, |
| the product?These are just some of the | | | | "Holistically-natural" would accept the alcohol |
| questions that are confusing customers today and | | | | extraction of all the ingredients, but would not |
| in many cases claims by some manufacturers of | | | | except the additional step of extracting the |
| that their products are natural, are misleading, if | | | | Salicylic acid out of the alcohol-extracted |
| not totally false all together.Let's look at what | | | | ingredients. Similarly, essential oils are extracted |
| natural actually is defined to be:relating to nature,in | | | | from their parent plant by a variety of means, |
| accordance with the usual course of | | | | including, cold-pressed, steam distillation and others. |
| nature,present in or produced by nature, rather | | | | "Holistically-natural", would be applicable to essential |
| than being artificial or created by people,not | | | | oils, which have been extracted by the most |
| artificially coloured or treated.That does not really | | | | appropriate form, but would not apply to further |
| tell us all that much, but let's think about the | | | | isolation, or manipulation of the derived essential |
| images that this word, natural, may create in our | | | | oil.The reason for providing this 'new' term is to |
| minds.Natural - natural scene, nature's playground | | | | differentiate our "Natural Aspirin" from the |
| such as the beach the mountains, virgin woods | | | | Chemist with the Herbal extract of the White |
| and forests, beautiful lakes and so on. It also | | | | Willow bark used by herbalists. Both of products |
| reminds us of natural substances, smells of | | | | will help reduce pain, but only the latter containing |
| flowers, the air just after rain, animals in their | | | | a more complete set of the ingredients from the |
| natural habitat and so on.When it comes to | | | | White Willow's bark will help mitigate the possible |
| products, be they for consumption or personal | | | | irritating side effect of Salicylic acid on the lining of |
| care, we tend to think of 'natural flavours' as | | | | the Stomach. Thus, the herbalist's version of the |
| opposed to artificial flavouring, natural | | | | product would be "Holistically-natural".Now, the skin |
| preservatives versus artificial ones, but what is a | | | | and personal care industry is full of claims of |
| natural ingredient and how could we define it | | | | 'natural' skin care products, and many |
| better?Here is where things get a little murky | | | | manufacturers are abusing the term natural to |
| because there are many ways we can think of a | | | | the extreme. Using an isolated, naturally occurring |
| substance as being natural or not natural. For | | | | chemical from a plant is, as we've seen, not what |
| example, let's use my favourite - Aspirin. The | | | | natural implies. Let's look at the definition again: |
| active ingredient in Aspirin tables is Salicylic acid. | | | | Natural means present in or produced by nature... |
| Salicylic acid is naturally found in the bark of the | | | | Well, a single ingredient may well be present in and |
| White Willow tree. Thus, Salicylic acid is a natural | | | | produced by nature, but nature itself does not |
| substance and if extracted from the bark, rather | | | | use it in isolation. Nature uses it in balance with |
| than recreated synthetically in a laboratory, you | | | | other associated chemicals - holistically.In the skin |
| could say this is a natural product. But is it?Strictly | | | | care industry, not only do creams and lotions |
| speaking a liquid made from say water and | | | | often contain many different ingredients in order |
| Salicylic acid, would be natural and fit the definition | | | | to achieve the claims by the manufacturer for a |
| of 'as found in nature', but let's look at another | | | | given product, but most of the time, the |
| way to get the same therapeutic effect from the | | | | ingredients are a list of naturally derived, but not |
| properties of the White Willow bark.Herbal | | | | holistically-natural, ingredients, together with |
| medicine uses the whole bark and utilises | | | | non-natural chemicals that do not have their origin |
| traditional methods to extract the ingredients | | | | in nature at all. Examples of this would include |
| from the bark. One of these ingredients is the | | | | emulsifiers, colours, flavours, preservatives, |
| Salicylic acid, but it's just one of the ingredients. | | | | etc.Some manufacturers bend the rules even |
| There are many more which do not help to numb | | | | further. Any substance that contains the chemical |
| pain or do very much to help relieve pain, but | | | | element Carbon is by definition an 'organic |
| they do work on balancing the effects of Salicylic | | | | chemical'. That is what 'Organic Chemistry' |
| acid.We know that this acid can and does irritate | | | | (Bio-Chemistry) is based on. Now, organic skin |
| the lining of the Stomach and that is why many | | | | care therefore, may well be skin care that |
| of the companies that make Aspirin will put | | | | contains Carbon-based chemicals that may not |
| warnings on their labels and make suggestions of | | | | occur naturally in nature, but because they contain |
| taking Aspirin with food and so on. Using the | | | | carbon, they can be termed organic - do you see |
| whole extract however, will include the modifying | | | | where I'm going with this?The term Organic is |
| ingredients from the bark, which will protect the | | | | supposed to indicate that there were no artificial |
| Stomach's lining and yet the Salicylic acid will still | | | | or synthetic products used to grow, say |
| work on reducing the pain.Now, which do you | | | | vegetables. Thus, there are no inorganic |
| think is the 'natural' product? The one that uses a | | | | substances such as inorganic fertiliser, pesticides, |
| single naturally derived ingredient in a liquid, or the | | | | herbicides, etc., present in the plant or the soil the |
| other one, which uses the more complete set of | | | | plant was grown in.Many less ethical |
| ingredients found in the White Willow bark? This | | | | manufacturers will use the term organic to attract |
| point could be debated forever and both these | | | | the consumers who are looking for 'organic skin |
| could be called natural, depending on YOUR | | | | or personal care products', but will actually sell |
| DEFINITION.My definition is that the products with | | | | them a product, which is not organic in the true |
| the single isolated ingredient, is not natural because | | | | sense of indicating free of in-organic substances, |
| it misses many of the naturally contained | | | | grown using organic farming methods, etc. Don't |
| substances that form part of the bark of the | | | | misunderstand me, I'm not saying that all |
| White Willow. For the purpose of this discussion, | | | | companies that claim to have organic skin care |
| let's say that the Aspirin at the Chemist or Drug | | | | products are misleading you, far from it, however, |
| store, containing Salicylic acid, was extracted from | | | | there are some that do and it is sometimes |
| the bark; it's not, but let's pretend. In addition, let's | | | | difficult to establish which is the one that uses the |
| pretend that the Salicylic acid was in pure water, | | | | term organic in the 'holistically-natural' way.We at |
| again, this is not the case, but just pretend with | | | | Wildcrafted Herbal Products belief that holistically |
| me for a little longer. That would mean, that there | | | | natural skin and personal care products are the |
| are basically two ingredients in the Aspirin, the | | | | only way to go. They are safer, better for you |
| first is the Salicylic acid and the second is pure | | | | and easier for your body to make use of. The |
| water. Thus, you could say that this product was | | | | concept of holistically natural, follows the principle |
| 100% natural or all natural, couldn't you? Of | | | | of 'the less processed a product is, the better it is |
| course, there is nothing artificial, the ingredients | | | | for you'.Danny Siegenthaler is a doctor of |
| are found in nature, so it's natural.So what does | | | | traditional Chinese medicine and together with his |
| that make the herbal extract, more natural? Well, | | | | wife Susan, a medical herbalist and |
| it contains more ingredients whose origins are | | | | Aromatherapist, they have created Natural Skin |
| found in nature. Here is the dilemma, both are | | | | Care Products by Wildcrafted Herbal Products to |
| natural, both have taken all their ingredients from | | | | share their 40 years of combined expertise with |
| nature, so can we find a way to differentiate | | | | you. |