Sagescript Institute & Colorado Aromatics

Allantoin in Cosmetics

2012-01-08T17:02:00.000-08:00

Allantoin is one of my favorite herb derived cosmetic ingredients. Its chemical name is 5-ureide-hydantoin. It is used in both cosmetics and drug preparations because of its ability to boost wound healing. Studies have found allantoin has wound healing, anti-irritating, hydrating, keratolytic, analgesic, cell proliferative and epithelial stimulating effects. Its beneficial effect on wound healing seems to primarily be inhibiting the inflammatory response. Allantoin enhances desquamation of dead upper layers of skin meaning that it promotes exfoliation and thus improves the smoothness of skin.

Allantoin is found in herbs including comfrey, plantain, yam, borage, tea, horse chestnut, uva ursi, and sour cherry stems. It is also found in animals (plants, animals and humans have very similar biochemistry. In fact, at one time blowfly larvae were used to treat severe wounds because of its high content of allantoin. Comfrey powder was used during WWI to treat wounds.

Allantoin is formed from uric acid which occurs from breakdown of purine. I love when my current reading takes me back to college biochem classes; ah, yes, purine salvage pathway. Purines include adenine and guanine which make up nucleic acids (DNA and RNA). The body is very conservative and purines from the breakdown of nucleic acids or foods are typically salvaged to be reused in new nucleotides. Just in case you are interested in purine metabolic pathways here is a short youtube video I found as a refresher: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mIJVb_HXUQk.

When purines do breakdown (instead of being salvaged) they form uric acid which in most organisms is converted to allantoin by the enzyme uricase. Humans however, do not have this enzyme and so do not make allantoin, or at least not significant amounts. Allantoin will however, accumulate in times of oxidative stress and is a marker for that. Perhaps the fact that humans do not have the uricase enzyme that breaks down uric acid is the reason humans get gout; a disease caused by accumulation of uric acid in the joints.

But back to allantoins role in skin care. Allantoin is a white, odorless powder that is safe and non-allergenic. Its properties make it appropriate for aging skin, acne skin, scars, psoriasis, eczema, diaper rash as well as just dry, chapped skin. Because its an anti-irritant it is also suitable for very sensitive skin. It is typically used at concentrations from 0.1% to 2% but sometimes higher for pharmaceutical preparations.

How does Colorado Aromatics use allantoin? In three of our balms we use allantoin containing herbs; comfrey in our Joint Jam for its analgesic effect, plantain in our Knuckle Balm for its wound healing effect and comfrey again in our Sole Pleasure foot butter for its softening and keratolytic effect. In our higher end products we use pure allantoin in our Springtide Antiaging Cream for its skin regeneration properties and antiaging properties and in our Oasis Spray Lotion for its anti-irritant properties. We also use it in our body powder to decrease itching and to sooth rashes. Try one of these products at http://www.sagescript.com/products.htm.

Herbal New Years Wish

2011-12-28T21:00:00.000-08:00

I will give you this New Years Wish with the language a herbs.

Sage for the wisdom acquired this year that will guide you next year.
Angelica to inspire you.
Lavender for devotion.
Fennel to enter the new year with strength
Thyme for courage to face what the new year brings.
Lemon balm for success.
Coriander for health.
Basil for wealth.
Dill for luck and money in 2012.
Yucca for the opportunities the new year brings.
Hyacinth for happiness, love and protection.
and of course the mighty rose to help you find love and beauty.

Wishing you the best for 2012.

Lavender Coffee

2011-12-18T12:29:00.000-08:00

I'm always game to try an interesting herb recipe, especially when it involves lavender. I've

heard talk recently of lavender coffee and even heard there's a coffee shop nearby that makes a lavender mocha, although I've not been there yet. So I wanted to give lavender coffee a try. Since I always have milk in my coffee I went about making my lavender coffee by first infusing milk. I put about a cup of milk in a pan with about a teaspoon of lavender buds and heated that briefly while I made a cup of coffee. For the coffee I used an espresso roast which is my favorite; I made this one extra strong to allow for a good amount of milk. When the coffee was finished I strained the lavender buds from the milk and whisked it a little to froth. I poured the milk into the coffee and added a small amount of cinnamon to the top. Because lavender has a very astringent taste I am always careful not to use too much in a recipe. This came out quite delicious though without the astringency common to lavender. I could easily have used more but it was good with this amount.

Later I will infuse lavender in milk to make some hot chocolate. I know that will be good!

If you are interested in using lavender in drinks here are some other ideas you may have heard of:

Lavender Lemonade

Lavender Earl Grey Tea

Lavender Martini (don't infuse this too long as it will get bitter)

Lavender also goes well with many fruit drinks including peach and raspberry.

I've never had a lavender pale ale but I think the flavor of lavender would add a nice floral touch to some good hops. I'd love to try on.

Do you have a favorite lavender drink?

Anti-Inflammatory Herbs

2011-12-05T16:25:00.001-08:00

Feverfew

Borage

Our skin experiences damage both from within and from environmental factors which lead to inflammation. the pathways involved in this inflammation may be involved in promoting the signs of aging in skin. Antiaging formulas for the skin should therefor contain ingredients that act as anti-inflammatory agents. Following are some herbs that have anti-inflammatory activities that can be used in skin care products.

Antiinflammatory Herbs Used in Skin Care

Aloe vera (Aloe Barbadensis)
Borage (Borago officinalis)
Calendula (Calendula officinalis)
Chamomile (Matricaria recutita and Chamaelelum nobile)
Comfrey (Symphytum officinale)
Cornflower (Centaurea cyanus)
Fennel (Foeniculum vulgare)
Feverfew (Chrysanthemum parthenium)
Frankincense (Boswellin)
Ginger (Zingiber officinale)
Green Tea (Camellia sinensis)
Holy Basil (Ocimum tenuiflorum)
Hops (Humulus lupulus)
Lavender (Lavandula angustifolia)
Licorice root (Glycyrrhiza Glabra)
Mint (Mentha spp.)
Pansy (Viola tricolor)
Plantain (Plantago lanceolata)
Red clover (Trifolium pratense)
Rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis)
Sage (Salvia officinalis)
Turmeric (Curcuma longa)
White Willow (Salix alba)
Yarrow (Achillea millefolium)

Balsamic Vinaegrette Salad Dressing

2011-11-26T21:21:00.001-08:00

Balsamic Vinaigrette (salad dressing)

½ - ¾ cup balsamic vinegar
3 T Dijon Mustard
2-3 T honey
2-3 cloves, garlic, minced
1 T chives, minced
2-3 teaspoons chopped herbs of choice (thyme, basil, tarragon, etc)
1 cup olive oil

Old Man's Beard

2011-11-24T18:42:00.000-08:00

Would you liken to an algae and a fungus? Yes, nerd jokes never grow old. But a lichen is a symbiosis between a fungus and an algae. Lichen grow under conditions where neither the algae or the fungus alone could grow, but together they rely on each other and grow fine. In Colorado we find lichens growing on rocks and rarely find these web-like structures growing in trees. However, in Oregon (where I happen to be at the moment celebrating Thanksgiving) there are many of these hanging clusters on branches which are called Old Man's Beard or more properly 'Usnea'.

Usnea is best known as an immune tonic and anti microbial which is particularly good for lung diseases. It is best used as an alcohol extract or tincture. Many of these properties are due to the content of usnic acid found in this symbiotic organism. Although usnea has been shown to increase bleeding times it can still be used as a wound dressing in an emergency. Its web-like structure makes it useful to help hold a wound together in an emergency and prevent infection.

Fall Garden Prep

2011-11-07T15:38:00.000-08:00

Lavender under snow

Winter and accompanying snow came very quickly here with little time to prepare. I was able to pull out most of the tomato plants from the garden and dispose of them. I tend to leave a lot of other plants though as a place for (hopefully) beneficial insects to winter over. However, if you have any plants that look diseased now is the time to get them out of the garden and in the trash. Cutting back overgrown perennials is also a good idea. Here are some things you might want to do before winter gets too far under way.

1.    Plant bulbs. When its fresh in your mind now plant spring bulbs in places that need more color. You can do this up until the time the ground freezes, typically December.

2.    Rake Leaves. Leaves on the ground can cause a lawn to die or become diseased. These leaves make a great addition to the compost pile.

3.    Weed. Its never too late to weed. Getting at these perennial weeds now can stop them from getting a head start in the spring.

4.    Protect your roses. Once the ground freezes lay some branches around the roses to decrease the freezing and thawing that occurs. I like to cut up branches from the Christmas tree for this purpose.

5.    Water! This is one of the hardest things to remember in the winter. If the ground is frozen you don’t need to water, or if it snows you don’t need to water. But if temperatures are above freezing and there is no precipitation for 2 weeks it’s a good idea to haul out the hoses and water perennials and trees.

6.    Sit in a warm house and look at gardening books to get ideas for what to do differently in spring. Do this while things are still familiar and you can evaluate what works and what didn’t work. One thing we are planning on doing is getting a sprinkler system installed to make the job of watering easier.

7. Cover bare garden areas with compost. Since we have several types of animals here (horses, goats, chickens) I am covering my garden areas with manure so that it can compost there in place during the winter.

8. Drink lots of herb teas while looking out the windows this winter.

I'm sure I am forgetting something. What have I forgot?

Macaroni and Cheese with Herbs

2011-10-29T17:30:00.000-07:00

Besides being everyone's favorite dish, macaroni and cheese is a great dish to liven up with herbs. Some of my favorite herbs to add to mac & cheese are chives, parsley and nettles. Yes, nettles are a great herb to eat alone as a steamed vegetable and contain high amounts of vitamins and minerals. Try crushing a teaspoon of dried nettle into your mac & cheese for the added nutrients. Other herbs to try in your mac & cheese are basil, oregano or thyme.

Here's how I make quick Macaroni and Cheese.

Cook 1 pound of your favorite macaroni noodles or pasta according to instructions, drain.
To the pot add about a cup of mixed grated cheese of your choice; cheddar, jack, swiss, fontina are all good choices. Add about 2 tablespoons of mayonnaise and 1 tablespoon of mustard and stir. You may need to add a few tablespoons of milk to get a good consistency. Add herbs and eat immediately. Enjoy. Do you have a way to liven up your mac & cheese?

Fall Pictures

2011-10-19T07:44:00.000-07:00

Summer has been extended this year, its October 19, and we have had only a few very mild frosts, not enough to kill off much. I even have lavender still blooming. Here are some pics around the farm this week.

Take a Break

2011-10-06T20:26:00.000-07:00

I live in the most beautiful, scenic state in the nation with the best weather but even that is not enough to get me to take a break. Other small business owners know how hard it can be to get away from the business no matter how important we know it is. However, the great fall weather and golden aspens called me to the mountains. We drove on Peak to Peak highway near Ward CO to the Brainard Lake area and found a trail to Isabelle Lake and Glacier. It was a relatively easy trail (even for me) and only 2 miles up with 400 ft elevation gain. Once we got to the lake we found the near part was dried up so we walked through the lake and sound some nice sandy beach to enjoy our lunch and sun and relax awhile before the walk back and the scenic drive back. What do you think of the view? I'll probably take another day off next year since this one was so nice!

Brewers Herbs

2011-09-28T06:18:00.000-07:00

Beer is an ancient drink (and food) that I happen to be quite fond of. I especially like beer with lots of floral hops. Hops were not always used in beer though, and may not have been used until the 9th century. Before that, a mixture of herbs referred to as gruit was used to flavor beer. Although I don't brew beer, I do grow hops and other herbs so am interested in what herbs are used in beer. I recently read "The Homebrewer's Garden" by Joe and Dennis Fisher to learn more about herbs in brewing, a very interesting book by the way.

Here are some of the herbs from this book that grow in my gardens.

Anise Hyssop - provides a licorice flavor to beer.
Basil - adds a slightly bitter, spicy flavor.
Bee Balm - often used as a tea, bee balm provides a bitter, minty flavor.
Borage - gives a spicy, cucumber like flavor to beer. This herb can also be steeped in wine.
Chamomile (Roman) - is said to be one of the 'secret' herbs in Celis White beer. It gives an apple-like flavoring.
Clary Sage - provides a balsamlike aroma to beer.
Coriander - this is a flavoring in one of my favorite beers; Belgian Whites.
Dandelion - yet another use for this common weed. Use the tender spring leaves in your salad and the larger leaves later in the season to bitter your beer.
Elder - the berries are best know for making wine, but they can also be used to flavor beer. The flowers can be used for 'dry hopping' as well.
Oregano - adds a distinctive flavor to beer.

Horehound - this herb can add a warm, menthol flavor. I wonder if horehound beer can be used to control coughs?
Hyssop officinalis - this herb is used in Benedictine and Chartreuse. Using it in beer provides a minty, medicinal scent.
Juniper - commonly used in gin, juniper can contribute this taste to beer as well.
Lavender - oh, the many uses of sweet lavender. I would love to try a pale ale flavored with lavender. Let me know if you know of one.
Lemon Balm - this is used in many liquours and can add a lemon scent/flavor to beer.
Mint - there are many types of mint, and although I love a mint tea, I don't know how this would be in beer.
Rhubarb - great in a fruit crisp, this is one fruit that would be interesting in beer.
Rose hips - apparently rose hips are used in some beers from Poland and impart a citrus flavor and red color to beer.
Rosemary - before the use of hops in beer, rosemary was quite popular.
Sage - was used in fifteenth century English beer recipes and adds bitterness and camphorlike scent.
Savory, Summer - provide a peppery, oregano-like flavor and aroma.
Spruce - was popular during the American Revolution spruce adds distinct, woods taste that is popular in winter beers.
Sweet Woodruff - this herb is what makes May wine what it is but can also be used to add a mild, sweet aroma to beer.
Thyme - used to give beer a spicy aroma.
Valerian root - is commonly used as a sedative so what better place to use it than beer?
Yarrow - both the leaves and flowers can be used to bitter beer.

I'd love to see more 'herbal' beers so I hope that if you are a brewer this gives you some ideas - and don't hesitate to share with me! I'd love to write reviews!

Cornbread & Vegetarian Black Bean Chili

2011-09-17T16:12:00.000-07:00

When the weather starts to chill as it has been the past few days, cornbread and black bean chili becomes my favorite meal. Here's my recipes.

Cornbread
1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
1 1/2 cups yellow cornmeal
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 cup low fat milk
1/2 cup honey
1/2 cup canola oil
2 - 3 eggs

Combine all ingredients in a mixing bowl until everything is moist. Pour/spread into a greased 9 inch square pan. Bake at 400 F for 30 minutes or until done. Best when eaten hot from the oven, but great the next day warmed with maple syrup on top. Sometimes I'll add pecans or raspberries to this recipe too.

Vegetarian Black Bean Chili

1/2 large onion chopped
1-2 garlic cloves chopped
1 dried guajillo chili whole
1 cup vegetarian broth
2 cans black beans
1 large can chopped tomatoes
oil for frying

Put a small amount of oil in a soup pot and cook onion, garlic and chili until onion is transparent; 5-10 minutes. Add black beans, broth and tomatoes and cook for 30 minutes or more until flavors meld. Add salt, pepper and hot pepper if needed.
Options: If available I will often add 1/2 cup of chopped winter squash or green pepper as well.

Enjoy and keep warm.

Cosmetic Terms

2011-09-11T21:09:00.000-07:00

In my 10 years or so of working in cosmetic science I’ve learned a great deal. Having a foundation in biochemistry has been helpful since much of cosmetic science has to do with protein and lipids as well as biochemistry of skin. For those who are new, let me share a few definitions to help you get started.

Moisturizer - A substance or product that adds or restores moisture to the skin. Keep in mind that moisture refers to water so oils alone do not moisturize.

Humectant - A substance that binds to water to help retain moisture. This is important for the product itself to keep from drying out, but also to help keep the skin moistened. The best example is glycerin but humectants also include propylene glycol and sorbitol.

Emollient - A substance that softens and sooths the skin making it more supple. Typically this is an oil. It is thought to fill the crevices between the cells in the stratum corneum or outer layer of the skin to improve appearance.

Lubricant - A substance that reduces friction and often forms a film on the skin. This is important for feel when applying a product to the skin.

Barrier - Something that bars passage. Healthy skin is a barrier in that it bars passage of substances into and out of the body protecting it from the outer environment and holding moisture in. Lotions and creams help support this barrier function of the skin. Damaged skin is less of a barrier making it more prone to infection.

Occlusive - Impenetrable; a film spread on the skin to prevent moisture loss. Petroleum oil is one of the best occlusive agents but vegetable oils also work.

Emulsifier - Binds together substances that could otherwise not be mixed such as oil and water. Emulsifiers are used in any cream or lotion to help hold the oil and water phases together.

Surfactant - Reduces the surface tension of a liquid such as water. I first learned this word referring to a phospholipid that occurs in the lungs. Its function there is to reduce surface tension and help keep the lungs open for air to be there. In cosmetics it means the same thing but examples include detergents, foaming agents, emulsifiers and dispersants.

Antioxidant - A chemical that inhibits oxidation reactions or free radical damage to other molecules. Common antioxidants are vitamin A, C, and E and polyphenols. Antioxidants in skin care products are important both to protect the product itself as well as to diminish the signs of aging.

Preservative - A compount that inhibits the growth of bacteria and fungus or kills bacteria and fungus. Preservatives are important to protect the product itself as well as to protect the consumer from getting an infection that could be serious. It is absolutely necessary to to make sure products containing water or water based ingredients are properly preserved.

Exfoliant - Something that removes the outer, dead layer of skin cells, the stratum corneum. This can be done physically with an abrasive substance such as salt or ground seeds or chemically such as salicylic acid or alpha hydroxy acid.

Fixed Oils - Non volatile oils which are lipids or fats. They are sometimes used as a carrier for essential oils. These include olive oil, almond oil, etc.

Stratum Corneum - The outermost layer of the epidermis of the skin. It provides the skin with its barrier function.

Cosmeceutical - A combination of the words Cosmetic and Pharmaceutical. It refers to a cosmetic ingredient that has a pharmacetical action on the skin. The term is not recognized by the FDA and a cosmetic that makes a pharmaceutical claim is no longer considered a cosmetic but rather an over the counter drug.

To read more about Sagescript Institute (http://www.sagescript.com) you can see this article in the Examiner or this article in the Examiner.

The Herb Hut

2011-08-31T22:05:00.000-07:00

As things grew tighter in my workspace I knew I needed another place to dry all the herbs I grow and to keep them out of my manufacturing area. So early this spring I bought a 'canopy', the kind intended for storing vehicles and tools etc. This works for a number of reasons including that our zoning only allows for 'temporary structures' on our property as additional buildings. I always like the idea of having a building not permanent anyway since I can change my mind sometimes. http://www.kingcanopy.com/content/12x20atlasgarage.asp

The structure was easy to put up, we did it in a few hours on a Sunday. I moved in a table and a rack that we had that is great for drying herbs. I can set baskets on either surface for drying as well as hang bundles from the rack. There are a few wire supports running from one side to the other where I can also hang bundles. Over the summer the herb hut has proved to be quite useful and a great place to dry the herbs because of the heat that builds up. I need to
set more time aside for getting the herbs destemmed and into their jars and bags and put away. Over the winter the herb hut will probably be storage for some of our garden tools.
Where do you dry herbs?

Registration Requirements of the Safe Cosmetics Act

2011-08-19T20:53:00.001-07:00

Registration Requirements of the Safe cosmetics Act
Section 612

Registration of cosmetics manufacturers seems reasonable, and I think that anyone who makes cosmetics should be registered with the FDA. By doing so it allows open communication between FDA and cosmetics manufacturers so that information about ingredient toxicity can be openly shared. Its interesting though that this bill exempts small businesses, those that sell less than $2M annually, from registering with the FDA. I am confused about the reason for this. Without registering there is no open communication and no means for small businesses to get up to date information from the FDA. It also brings up the suspicion by consumers and other regulatory organizations that small businesses do not necessarily make safe cosmetics since they are not in contact with FDA. This is anything but leveling the playing field. As a small (micro) business I do not want to feel second rate and am proud to be voluntarily registered with the FDA already.

Cosmetic companies would be required to file a report of all cosmetics they produce and the functions of such cosmetics. The FDA already defines cosmetics as "articles intended to be rubbed, poured, sprinkled, or sprayed on, introduced into, or otherwise applied to the human body...for cleansing, beautifying, promoting attractiveness, or altering the appearance" so its unclear if they are wanting more information on the function of the cosmetic or not. Reporting gross sales from cosmetics is required; forcing small privately owned businesses to reveal personal financial information. Yes, I do feel like this violates my rights. Sole proprietorship's and LLCs should not be required to make public their personal finances. I’m curious how FDA will even be able to keep track of this, especially when small businesses are not even required to register. I fear a lot of companies will be trying to ‘fly under the wire’ or go ‘underground’ so to speak, not have the knowledge they need and make unsafe cosmetics because of that.

The part I mainly object to is that companies must supply the name and address of any company that supplies ingredients. This is especially difficult for a small company as suppliers can change frequently. This prevents any last minute changes in formulas. If I happen to run out of olive oil from my supplier I have listed, I cannot go to the grocery store to buy emergency olive oil as I have been known to do. Any errors or inaccuracies in information submitted can lead to cancellation of registration or even

What's an alternative? I think cosmetics companies should all register with the FDA. This allows a path of communication between the FDA and manufacturers that is important. Not only to receive up to date information from the FDA but also for the FDA to receive information from manufacturers and consumers on adverse reactions. Fees can and should be waived for small companies. Suppliers should not have to be reported to the FDA. If olive oil is safe why does the FDA care who I buy it from? As long as safe ingredients are used it doesn't seem like a good use of FDA time to have to keep track of where I buy them from.

But what's worse is that now legislation is being introduced in a number of states to regulate cosmetics at that level as well. This means there is a good chance that you will have to deal with this type of registration in each and every state as well as at the national level.

If you are a small business how do you feel about this part of the bill?

Boulder County Fair

2011-08-19T20:31:00.000-07:00

We had a great time at the Boulder County Fair this year and entered out herbs again. We came home with quite a few ribbons with our chocolate mint again doing quite well. This is the same chocolate mint we distill to make our aromatic waters that make a great refreshing face mist. Other herbs we entered include lavender, chives, oregano, parsley, tarragon, thyme, sage, echinacea, peppermint, and lemon balm. It seems county fairs are decreasing in size every year. I love to see the animals, quilts, jams, etc. Fairs are a wonderful way for people to gather and celebrate agriculture and the rural lifestyle. I love participating in them and supporting them how I can. Do you participate in your county fair?

Denver County Fair

2011-08-01T21:40:00.001-07:00

These are some of the soap entries.

Stephanie and her co-judge working on jams/jellies.

The Denver county Fair was held this weekend at the National Western complex. This was surprisingly the first county fair in Denver. It wasn't run by the county as other fairs are but was put on by a for profit organization. http://www.denvercountyfair.org/. This, plus being held in a very urban county makes it unique. I was at the fair on official business being a judge for herbs, veggies, soaps and lotions which was quite an interesting experience. There were quite a few entries in all divisions which made judging difficult.

Soap judging was hard; every soap entered was fantastic. I worked with Amy Kulinchuk of Soap Crone. I have to say we were quite clean after testing all the soaps. Lotions there were fewer of so it went faster. I examined the herbs with fellow herbalist Peggy Vonburg who writes a wonderful blog called Woman With Wings. Garlic was indeed the hardest category to choose a winner from as they were all great. The Bouncy Room!

Beer Judging; I'll like to get in on that next year! Coloradan love their microbrew!

Chickens & HR 2359; neither is related to Safe Cosmetics

2011-07-28T20:39:00.000-07:00

I have found recently that some companies and organizations are coming out saying the support the Safe Cosmetics Act of 2011 but yet still find many faults in the bill. They are apparently assuming that these faults will somehow be ‘worked out’ before or if it passes. My opinion continues to be that this bill is completely unacceptable and unworkable, so I wanted to go through each section of the bill to point out these flaws.

The Campaign for Safe Cosmetics, part of the Environmental Working Group, a non-governmental organization and lobbying group has been working for several years to pass a bill putting huge restrictions on cosmetics. Two years ago they introduced a bill in Colorado which I had the pleasure of testifying against. The sponsor of the Colorado bill, Rep. Diane Primavera decided that is was her personal care products that caused her breast cancer. Despite the fact that there is no medical evidence linking personal care products to breast cancer (or any cancer) she sponsored a bill to regulate these products because in her mind they cause breast cancer. I remind you of this just so you understand (or don’t) the thinking of the people behind these bills.

So lets look at the first section of the Safe cosmetics Act (HR2359), 611, about Definitions.

Anyone who determines the final formulation of a cosmetic is considered a manufacturer, fair enough. The tricky part comes with the definition of ingredient. This includes not just the ingredients you use to make the cosmetic itself (which is how ingredient is defined now) but those that are there because they are incorporated into the cosmetic as an ingredient of another cosmetic ingredient. By this I am assuming they mean solvents that some active ingredients come in. For instance, if you have an extract that is in glycerin or propylene glycol then the name of that solvent must also be listed. No problem with me here.

Processing aids are also ingredients, even if they do not appear in the final product. I’m not sure what they are getting at here but I wish they would clarify this part. One situation that comes to mind is in making soap. Soapmaking involves a chemical reaction between fats and lye (sodium hydroxide) so even though no sodium hydroxide is found in the finished soap it would still have to be on the label. This would indeed frighten many consumers.

Additional situations would be anything used in the actual synthesis of an ingredient. Pulling from my biochemistry background I know that proteins are hydrolyzed using strong acids such as Hydrochloric acid and then neutralized with Sodium Hydroxide. Alternatively pancreatic protease might be used. Amino acids such as glutamate are released during this process. So instead of ‘Hydrolyzed Wheat Protein’ on a label it might read, “wheat protein, pancreatic protease, hydrochloric acid, sodium hydroxide, peptides, alanine, arginine, asparagine, aspartic acid, cystein, glutamic acid, glutamine, glycine, histidine, isoleucine, leucine, lysine, methionine, phenylalanine, proline, serine, threonine, tryptophan, tyrosine, valine”. The last 20 being the amino acids that might be released as the protein is hydrolyzed. Does that labeling make your cosmetics safer?

Substances that are present by reason of having been added to a cosmetic during processing for their technical or functional effect are ingredients. Again, I wish they would clarify.

The components of a fragrance, flavor or preservative must be listed as ingredients. This may sound ok, but there are many proprietary secrets in fragrance that should be fair to remain proprietary. To list known allergens is one thing, but to list all the components of a fragrance is not helpful.

Any individual component of a petroleum-derived, animal-derived, or other ingredient that the Secretary deems an ingredient for purposes of this chapter must also be listed as ingredients. Again, this is like the previous bill where each component of an oil would need to be listed making ingredient lists unreadable. I don’t use animal oils in my products but I do use beeswax which according to Wikipedia is: palmitate, palmitoleate, hydroxypalmitate, oleate esters of long chain aliphatic alcohols, triacontanyl palmitate, cerotic acid and more. And of course this does not include any contaminants that might be in the beeswax. Keep in mind that you will need to test your beeswax for any contaminants that might be there because the next section deals with contaminants.

The term ‘ingredient’ also includes contaminants that are present above technically feasible detection levels which means 1 part per billion (or one microgram per liter)! And not only contaminants that might be in your ingredients such as lead, microbes, arsenic, and a variety of contaminants from soil and water, but also contaminants from a container that may appear over the shelf life of the product! So do we also have to do testing a year after manufacturing?

The bill defines a microbusiness as one that sells less than 2 million dollars per year. This includes most people I know but there are issues with this later.

The definition of Reasonable Certainty of No Harm – means that no harm will be caused to anyone! It includes not only the general population but vulnerable populations, low dose exposure, additive effects over time and cumulative exposure from all sources – including environmental! Now we certainly all formulate so that the general population will not be harmed but we cannot guarantee no harm to any vulnerable population. There are people with immune deficiencies, allergies, sensitivities etc.

Fixes
The language here is just too broad. What does the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics Really want?? I know that they have been concerned about lead in lipstick and the dangers associated with 1, 4, dioxane as a byproduct of ethoxylation. Since lead is a naturally occurring contaminant of red pigments used in lipstick how about requiring lead testing of mined red pigments? And then letting EPA determine an allowable safe level for lead. If the amount of lead tested for is higher than that, I don’t want it listed on the label, I want it not used! Just ban lead at a given level in red pigments don’t make everybody pay the testing prices for ingredients that are not likely to contain lead! Lets have manufacturers of ethoxylated (peggylated) ingredients test for 1, 4, dioxane. I believe these manufacturing procedures are such that there is little to no contamination now, but it might be a good thing to be sure of. Let the EPA determine a safe level and if manufacturers find a level higher than that in these ingredients, forget about putting it on the label, get rid of it! I don’t want it. But everybody should not have to test for 1, 4, dioxane when that contaminant is not going to be there. Every grower of herbs should not have to test their herb extracts for whatever list of contaminants the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics (or I mean the ‘Secretary’) deems important.

I also wonder if the supporters of this bill such as Badger Balm think that by backing the bill they become exempt from listing ingredients in this way or testing for parts per billion of contaminants in their products. How much would this cost and how much would it increase the price of a tube of lip balm. I’m sure Badger Balm sells more lip balms than I do, so while my lip balm price might have to increase by $200 a tube, there’s may only have to increase by $50 a tube. But still, are Badger Balm customers willing to pay that price to insure that their lip balm does not contain 1 ppb of lead or arsenic even though there is more than that in the food they eat?

Here are other blogs that address these issues:
http://www.bellalucce.com/thebuzz/
http://roberttisserand.com/2011/07/ten-reasons-why-you-should-not-support-sca-2011/
http://sarvasoap.com/blog/2011/07/guest-post-gcdspas-emily-caswell-on-the-safe-cosmetics-act-of-2011/
http://www.indiebusinessblog.com/indie-beauty-network-opposes-hr-2359-the-safe-cosmetics-act-of-2011/
http://essentialu.typepad.com/my_weblog/2011/07/safe-cosmetics-act-2011-cover-table-of-contents-and-sec-611-definitions-.html
http://personalcaretruth.com/2011/07/safe-cosmetics-act-2011-cover-table-of-contents-and-sec-611-definitions/
http://apitoblogs.com/2011/07/sca_2011/
http://sterlingminerals.blogspot.com/2010/07/oppose-safe-cosmetics-act-say-enough-to.html
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JV2qB0pCQkM

Here is where you can sign a petition against SCA http://www.thepetitionsite.com/1/no-2-sca-2011/

Lavender Festival

2011-07-21T20:48:00.000-07:00

Sage Creations Farm

Devils Kitchen, National Monument

I had a great weekend at the Lavender Association of Western Colorado's first annual Lavender Festival in Palisade Colorado, about a 4.5 hour drive for us over the mountains of Colorado. Speakers at this conference included Sarah Bader, a well known lavender grower at Stonegate Farm in Oregon; Barbara Lucks, an aromatherapist; Dr. Curtis Swift, from CSU Extension Service and myself, talking on Herbal Extracts and Distillates. All the talks were well attended and all were enthusiastic about lavender; and I for one learned alot! Katherine Kimbrough, president of the LAWC along with Dr. Swift have gone a long way in promoting lavender as a crop in Western Colorado and many growers have gravitated to it. Lavender loves the hot, dry conditions and even the high elevation of Colorado. On Sunday we visited some farms and saw some of the research going on such as looking at growing lavender under partial shade between rows of grapes or fruit trees; two other big crops in Western Colorado.

There were many vendors at the festival selling lots of lavender but also skin care, stone bird baths and more. We were selling our Colorado Aromatics brand of skin care too which did quite well. I came away with a few things including a lavender festival T-shirt, poster and lavender cookbook.

It was fun being in Western Colorado again; we lived there in 1997-98 and tried unsuccessfully to grow lavender. We enjoyed one of our favorites hikes in the National Monument to Devil's Kitchen over the weekend as well. I'm looking forward to next years Festival but also have thoughts of starting a Front Range Lavender Association since there are also many growers on my side of the mountain!
http://www.coloradolavender.org/lavenderfestival.html

Safe Cosmetics Act of 2011

2011-07-04T19:16:00.000-07:00

After spending a good several hours reading the new Safe Cosmetics Act of 2011 I see that the changes in this bill compared to 2010 are minimal. Here is my initial take on the bill which may or may not change depending on if some points get clarified or others appear as I reread it.

Again this bill includes in the definition of an ingredient any contaminants that are present at levels above technically feasible detection limits. As we all know, detection limits now are quite minute so any type of contaminant would be included here. This includes contaminants from the container as well. But what contaminants are they referring to here and why don’t they specify?

Ingredient safety can fall under just two categories: ‘Safe Without Limits’ and ‘Prohibited and Restricted’ This is misleading to both the consumer and the manufacturer since there is no such thing as a substance that is safe without limits. Even water can be lethal under certain conditions. It mentions ‘considerations’ in determining toxicity such as “is found to be present in the body through biomonitoring”. Does this mean that something is toxic if found in the body? I’m not sure I understand this. Many things are found in the body through biomonitoring including water. A second consideration is an ingredient that is suspected immunological toxicant. Is this another way of saying “allergen”? If so, does this mean that a substance that causes allergies will be prohibited? Anything can be an allergen and some common allergens are shea butter, almond butter, soy oil, milk, etc. Many herbs are also allergens. All in all, the bill has very poor definitions of toxicity and leaves most of it up to the FDA to determine in one year’s time! Wow, where is the FDA going to find those resources?

Labels must list ingredients in decreasing order of concentration. This is already required by the FDA so is redundant here. Contaminants however must also be listed. Knowing that water alone can contain any number of contaminants this immediately causes problems. Is testing of all our ingredients for contamination required?? Besides water, vegetable oils will contain contaminants, herbs grown in the backyard could contain contaminants. However, it does allow the FDA to determine such possible contaminants within one year’s time as well as determine requirements for testing and detection limits. If it is determined that cosmetic manufacturers are required to test for various contaminants this would add considerably to the cost of cosmetics. I am glad to see that ingredient lists are required on websites that sell cosmetics.

Some of the most dangerous contaminants of cosmetics are fungus and bacteria that can grow on nutrients in the product. Unfortunately, no specific mention of this is made. This is one area where consumers have suffered because of improperly made and improperly preserved products – in fact, this is the only area of documented harm to consumers from cosmetics.

Again, toxic is defined as a 1 in a million risk for adverse health effects. Toxic effects include allergic reactions and I challenge anyone to find any ingredient natural or synthetic that does not cause an allergic reaction in one in a million people.

Many things are not clear for instance “the safety standard results in exposure to the amount or concentration of an ingredient or cosmetic that is shown to produce no adverse health effects, incorporating a margin of safety of at least 1,000 and considering the impact of cumulative exposure from all sources (including environmental sources).” Does anyone know what this means and if so can you tell me? Does it mean 1000^th of the determined toxic dose? If so, who determines this dose?

The bill goes on to require that the FDA issue guidance prescribing Good Manufacturing Practices. This is something that again, the FDA already has issued and so is redundant.

The bill requires manufacturers of cosmetics and ingredients to submit information including toxicological properties of each such ingredient or cosmetic. I’m not sure if this means the manufacturer who is buying ingredients is required to submit data to the FDA on those ingredients or not. Since the source of this data would probably be from the ingredient manufacturer this seems redundant. When this ingredient is purchased at the grocery store such as some small manufacturers do with vegetable oils, where is the toxicological data and contaminant data and how is this reported as an ingredient source? When the ingredient is an herb from the small manufacturer’s back yard where will this toxicological information come from or will this no longer be possible? I am still very concerned about the future of using natural ingredients in cosmetics with this bill. There are many herbs, oils, and natural extracts that have quite a data gap in toxicological studies.

I find it interesting that the ‘authoritative source’ of toxicology information includes the (A) Environmental Protection Agency,

(B) the International Agency for Research on Cancer,

(D) the California Environmental Protection Agency and

(E) any other authoritative international, Federal, and State Entity, as determined by the Secretary.

I’m not sure what E means but I know there are pseudo science activists groups who may pose as an authority so that they can determine law. I would rather be sure toxicity was determined by peer reviewed scientific literature.

Some of the considerations in the bill for toxicity are also quite vague, for instance; if it is found in the body through biomonitoring. Does this imply that if something is found in the body it is toxic? I use water in my cosmetic formulas and I know it is found in the body. Another consideration is known or suspected immunological toxicant. Is an immunological toxicant the same thing as an allergen? Anyone can be allergic to anything but some of the more common allergens are shea butter, almond oil, soy oil, wheat and herbs. Will these ingredients be prohibited?

There is no definition of an ingredient manufacture. Many small companies use ingredients from their backyard; herbs and other botanicals. Are these companies required to have these ingredients tested to find what contaminants might be present and in what levels?

The thing that concerns me the most here though is that microbusinesses (those with sales less than $2 million) are not required to register with the FDA. Although I am glad to see that the bill waives a costly registration fee for these small companies (of which I am one) I don’t understand the lack of even registering with the FDA. Registration allows a link with the FDA so that companies can get timely information regarding ingredients and toxicity but just as important is that it allows consumers a way to report adverse effects that may occur due to cosmetic usage. By not registering, these microbusinesses are out of the communications link with the FDA. FDA will have no knowledge of the microbusiness’s existence, their activities, the products they manufacture or the functions and toxicities of those cosmetics. In the initial bill of 2010 small businesses rallied hard to be exempt from paying high registration and testing fees. However, we did not rally against registration.

If small companies are exempt from registering and having communication with the FDA are they exempt from submitting information on toxicological properties of ingredients and cosmetic product; exempt from “cease distribution” orders due to misbranding; exempt from use that causes serious adverse health effects; exempt from using contaminants and testing for these contaminants, exempt from good manufacturing practices issued by the FDA, etc? Having that link to the FDA could be valuable for a small business to learn the laws and requirements necessary especially when it comes to testing. This concerns me because many small cosmetics business owners just starting out do not have the knowledge base to draw from to know how to make safe cosmetics and have the potential to put something out there that is less than safe. And consumers should have a way to report possible adverse effects. It was the costs involved in the first version of this bill that had small business owners concerned, not having to register and be held accountable for their actions.

Should small businesses be just as responsible for their actions? Registration is important to keep open communication with the FDA.

Overall it is still a case of an activist group who knows nothing about the cosmetics business trying to make laws about things they do not understand. The bottom line still is that this bill will not make cosmetics safer.

Saponins

2011-05-30T20:23:00.000-07:00

Soapwort (Saponaria officinalis)

Solanine: a toxic saponin found in the nightshade family

Saponins are plant chemicals are used for their detergent-like or cleaning properties. Some of the better known are Saponaria officinalis from Europe and Quillaja saponaria from South America. Saponin molecules have two parts; a sapogenin attached to a carbohydrate molecule. These two part types of molecules are collectively called glycosides. The sapogenin portion alone, without the carbohydrate or sugar is an aglycone rather than a glycoside. Sapogenins are generally of two types; a steroid like form and a triterpenoid form.

Besides being able to produce a froth in water, saponins have anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties. The sapogenin is hydrophobic (water hating) and the glycoside or carbohydrate is hydrophilic (water loving). This makes saponins in general a natural surfactant as well as a mild emulsifier.

Other plants that produce saponins include yucca, soapwort (Saponaria), licorice, ginseng, yarrow, viola, and soap nuts. Some saponins are also phytoestrogens and react with the estrogen receptor to provide skin benefits.

While I’ve never actually been able to work up a froth from agitating licorice, yarrow or viola, I do think they make nice additions to a mix of bath herbs for their cleansing properties.

Do you ever use saponin containing herbs

Violet Ice

2011-05-07T18:49:00.001-07:00

I love when violets and violas start to bloom. Some think of them as weeds, but I love the way they look. In some areas the purple violets grow in the grass, but here in Colorado they don't grow that well because of the arid climate.

There are many flowers in the violet family including pansies, but I especially like Viola tricolor, also known as violas, Johnny Jump ups and heartsease. Violets are edible and can be used in salads. They are also used in skin care and contain soothing mucilage, flavonoids, salicylic acid and saponins used for cleansing. Historically it has been used to treat wounds, itching, rashes and eczema. Some people use it in their skin care products. I use it in my foot soak because of its ability to cease an itch and for its saponins. Saponins are glycosides from plants that have the ability to foam so are often used for cleansing.

My favorite thing to do with violas do is to make ice cubes! To do this, first put a layer of water into the ice cube tray (about ¼ full) and then place the violas on the water surface face down and submerge as much as possible. Put into the freezer until well frozen. Now remove the trays and fill the rest of the way with water and put in the freezer again. This will allow the flower to be completely encased in ice instead of it floating to the top.

Enjoy your violet ice cubes in a glass of sparking soda.

Here are two blog posts friends have written on violets that I've enjoyed:

http://soapandgarden.blogspot.com/2011/05/sweet-violet.html
http://theessentialherbal.blogspot.com/2009/05/violet-syrup-et-cetera.html

Do you have a favorite thing to do with violets?

Herbal Spunk Shampoo

2011-04-22T21:43:00.000-07:00

Our customers said they wanted an all natural shampoo with gentle surfactants and now we've got one. As always, we started with beneficial herbs. We choose southernwood, sage, horsetail, green tea and catnip to improve hair growth, strength and shine. Peppermint and rosemary help improve blood circulation to the scalp which also contributes to healthier hair follicles and better hair growth. Panthenol, a B vitamin, binds to the hair shaft to seal it and improve shine. Along with glycerin and aloe, panthenol moisturizes the hair and scalp.

This shampoo also contains very good conditioners including a guar gum derivative to leave hair soft, shiny, easy to comb and will protect color treated hair. You won't need to use a separate conditioner afterward.

The gentle surfactants in this shampoo will not strip the hair or dry the scalp.

We think you will love this shampoo. Try it and tell us what you think.
http://sagescript.com/bathandshower.htm

Ingredients:
water, decyl glucoside, sodium lauroyl lactylate, aloe barbadensis leaf juice, glycerin, panthenol, camellia sinensis (green tea) extract, guar hydroxypropyltrimonium chloride, benzyl alcohol, dehydroacetic acid, artemisia abrotanum (Southernwood), extract, salvia officinalis (sage) extract, mentha piperita (peppermint) extract, Nepeta cataria (catnip) extract, rosmarinis officinalis.

Farmers Market Neighbors

2011-04-13T19:49:00.000-07:00

We're having a great time getting to know people at the Boulder Farmers Market now in its second week. One of our neighbors is 'Street Fare' a group from the Boulder Shelter for the Homeless. They make these delightful mini cupcakes that sell for $1.50 to raise money for the shelter. The main Baker is Sarah and she comes up with a great variety of both savory and sweet muffins. We have fun trying to help come up with ideas during slow periods at the market.

The lavender berry combination in the picture were my suggestion and they came out delicious! Lavender is a great culinary herb when used in moderation and can be added to alot of common recipes to add pizzazz. Next time you make icing, try adding a small spoon of lavender to it, or perhaps a white cake mix or sugar cookie recipe. In the meantime, stop by Street Fare if you are at the Boulder Farmers Market for some mini muffins. If you do, pick up a bottle of lotion from Colorado Aromatics as well! Got any ideas for mini muffin flavors?

Boulder Market Interview

2011-04-08T09:38:00.001-07:00

The Boulder Market started this past Saturday and we were there. This summer we will be doing both the Boulder and the Longmont branches of the Boulder County Markets. We of course will have to do a magic trick to be both places. This week I was happy to be featured in the weekly newsletter that the market sends out. I thought I would post that interview here as well.

What kinds of things does Sagescript make?

We make natural, botanical skin care and personal care products under the label Colorado Aromatics. These are all made on our farm in Longmont. We also do formulation consulting and customizing of products. Although we sell the typical herbal balms and salves we also have sophisticated, higher end, spa quality products.

Where do you get your herbs and flowers for your botanicals?

Most of the herbs and flowers we use are grown on our Longmont farm. We grow a variety of herbs that are useful for skin care including lemon balm, comfrey, calendula, roses, parsley, fennel, mint, yarrow, raspberry (for the leaf but we eat the fruit too!), and lavender. We extract these herbs in a variety of ways; oil extracts, alcohol extracts, watery extracts and we even distill some of these herbs to produce an aromatic water called a hydrosol. Customers are starting to learn how beneficial these herbal distillates are for the skin and face.

Sometimes customers don't realize that we are growers, but all of our products do contain herbs that we grow.

Where's your farm and what do you grow? Can people come visit?

We are just north of Longmont; a wonderful place because we are out in the country but so close to the benefits of town. I hope this summer to have special days for guests to visit; maybe once a month, but especially when the lavender is in bloom.

We notice you have a Phd! You're also an educator and writer on herbal medicine.

Yes, I have my Ph.D. in biochemistry and did cancer research for several years. I've now turned this knowledge to understanding herb chemistry and cosmetic chemistry and helping others understand these topics too. Until just recently I have been teaching anatomy and physiology for Colorado Community Colleges.

What do you think the most important thing for people to know about herbalism and skin care, or about herbalism and wellness more generally speaking?

There is a tendency now to avoid chemicals which is impossible since everything is chemical and plants are chemical factories in a sense. Natural products can be toxic just as synthetics so everything needs to be evaluated individually.
But there is also a tendency for people to pay more attention to how they treat their skin, just like they have been paying more attention in past years to what they eat. Herbs are very rich in antioxidants and other nutrients that are beneficial for skin, so they really do add benefit to a skin care product. Some herbs have specialized functions such as skin tightening and rejuvenation. Using herbs in skin care and for medicine is a life choice that I believe can help people live healthier and more sustainable lives on the planet.

What will you have at Saturday's market, and where can people find you? What kinds of questions should they ask?

We will be on the north side on Canyon Street. We are also members of the Longmont market so you will find us there to starting in May. Customers are able to try any of our products as we always bring testers. Feel free to ask me about any of the herbs we use in our products.

Also ask about preserving products. I have had some customers tell me they won’t use natural skin care anymore because products mold. As a microbiologist I understand the importance of using preservatives to keep my customers safe. We use the safest and most effective preservatives for your safety and do microbiology testing on our products too. After all, you don’t want to rub bacteria on your skin no matter how natural it is!

Pictures Around This Week

2011-03-09T23:21:00.000-08:00

Pictures in the Greenhouse and elsewhere:

Rose Geranium

Mint

Lentil Soup

SoapRosemary

Herbal DeStress

2011-03-05T19:13:00.001-08:00

Stress can save your life! Stress gives you more energy, increases your heart rate, and increases blood flow to the muscles. It can get you out of an emergency situation as fast as possible - such as out of the path of an oncoming car. However, low levels of stress that lasts for long periods of time can harm the body. This type of prolonged stress can be related to a number of diseases including heart disease, cancer, slowed wound healing, decreased memory & cognition, osteoporosis, decreased immunity (increased infections), depression, anxiety, even eczema.

Here are some ways to cope with stress:

Breathing: Focus on taking deep, slow breaths, expand your abdomen with each inhalation. Deep breathing provides more oxygen to your body (and can also clear your thoughts).

Exercise: Moderate exercise can decrease stress and improve the immune system. Exercise can stimulate the release of endorphins, the “feel good” hormones. A half hour walk daily can help tremendously with stress.

Diet/nutrients: Eat a good, well balanced diet. Increase consumption of tryptophan by eating cheese, eggs, meat, sesame seeds, and sunflower seeds. Tryptophan is used to make the calming neurotransmitter, serotonin. Increase consumption of tyrosine by eating whole grains, seafood, meat, peanut butter and legumes (kidney beans). Tyrosine is used to make epinephrine, a neurotransmitter which is used up during stress. B and C vitamins are also important in coping with stress.

Herbs: Use herbs in teas, in the bath, as a foot bath, in tinctures, a dream pillow or as aromatherapy. In fact using herbal and aromatics in bath and body products can go a long way in relieving stress.

Here are some great herbs to try.

German chamomile (Matricaria recutita) and Roman chamomile (Chamaemelum nobile) – mild sedative, calms the nerves, promotes sleep, improves mood.
California poppy (Eschscholzia californica) – sedative and anti-anxiety, reduces muscle spasms.
Catnip (Nepeta cataria) – calming, relieves headaches, promotes sleep, good in the bath for sore muscles.
Hops (Humulus lupulus) – mild sedative, calms the nerves, promotes sleep.
Kava (Piper methysticum) – sedative, antidepressant, muscle relaxer (do not take with alcohol or antidepressants).
Lavender (Lavandula officinalis) – sedative, relaxant.
Lemon balm (Melissa officinalis) – sedative, relieves headache and tension, improves memory.
Passionflower (Passiflora incarnate) – sedative, promotes sleep
Skullcap (Scutellaria laterifloria) – sedative, for nervous tension (do not use during pregnancy)
Wild Oat (Avena sativa) – mild sedative, promotes sleep and relieves stress too.

Whatever you do find a way that is simple and works for you.

A Fairy Garden

2011-02-17T09:02:00.000-08:00

I get anxious for spring this time of year so I made a visit to my local garden center. After seeing some of the adorable fairy gardens on display I decided making my own would be a great way to get through the rest of winter. I knew my fairy garden needed to be made from herbs alone. I choose Roman Chamomile, Gota kola, Thyme, Rose Geranium, and Rosemary, all have great aromas and textures. Some of these plants were pretty dense so I split them as I transplanted them into the wide clay pot I purchased. I'll save the part I split off to put in the garden in spring. As the herbs grow I will trim them so they will get denser. The rosemary and thyme will eventually hang over the side of the clay pot I hope. The rose geranium I trimmed quite a bit around the bottom so that it would look more like a tree and provide a shady place for the fairies to sit. The garden center had quite a few ceramic fairies and other 'paraphernalia' to choose from so if you decide to design a fairy garden be sure to get a pot big enough to fit all the fun options you'll want. But just looking at the miniature garden items; shovels, wheelbarrows, fences, chairs etc. was alot of fun in itself.

After filling the pot with soil I put a path down the middle made from crushed oyster shell. This was something we already had on hand for our chickens but you can find several bags of crushed stones at the garden center too. The fairies then went in right under the rose geranium tree where they seem to be comfortable. I found a frog outside that had broken off a globe in the garden and he wanted to be part of the garden too and talk with the fairies so he went in too; even though his size seems to be a bit out of proportion!
What do you do to help get through the last part of winter?

What are Wrinkles

2011-02-12T12:20:00.000-08:00

Changes in the texture of the skin that appear as lines, creases or folds are called wrinkles. They are normal changes in the skin that occurs with aging. Medically, wrinkles are known as rhytides.

The two layers of skin include the outer epidermis which lies on top of the second layer called the dermis. With time there is a decrease of large structural molecules including collagen, elastin and glycosaminoglycans in the dermis. This leads to decreases in elasticity, firmness and structure of the skin resulting in wrinkles.
The cells of the outer layer or epidermis slow their rate of cellular reproduction causing the epidermis to become thinner with age.

With time the epidermis and dermis tend to separate some. This separation leads to decreased blood supply and nutrients to the cells of the epidermis.

Wrinkles begin as fine lines and deepen with time. They occur mostly on the face, neck, backs of the hands and the forearms. They are not physically harmful, but can of course influence a person’s self-perception, and lead to a lack of confidence.

Expression lines that occur on the forehead, eyes and the corners of the mouth from talking, laughing and frowning can begin as early as in a one’s twenties. These lines eventually deepen into wrinkles and folds that affect deeper layers of the skin. Wrinkling of the skin caused by sun exposure can show up in the thirties. In the forties as dry skin becomes a problem, lines begin to deepen and progress through the fifties and sixties.

This process of aging skin is accelerated by exposure to excess sunlight, environmental pollutants and cigarette smoke. Internal factors associated with aging skin include decreases in estrogen levels that occur with menopause and decreased in metabolic activity of the skin cells. Fair skinned people are also more prone to wrinkles. There is no real evidence that stress promotes wrinkle formation, but many of us feel we have ‘earned’ our wrinkles through life’s challenges.

Protecting the barrier function of the skin is an important way to decrease the formation of wrinkles. Use of a good moisturizer to help maintain water in the skin and prevent water loss can delay and diminish lines. Look for a moisturizer that contains water and high quality oils to help prevent loss of moisture from the skin. Humectants such as glycerin, hyaluronic acid, hydrolyzed proteins, even hydrolyzed oat products can help.

There is of course extensive research done each year to investigate possible ingredients for skin creams that can help in the treatment and prevention of wrinkles. Although many ingredients end up being marketing hype, there are a few ingredients that have potential to help decrease the appearance of wrinkles. The trouble is that some of the anti-aging creams are able to garner large price tags and it has
to be questioned whether it is worth the price without solid data to back up the claims.

Nutrients such as antioxidants help combat environmental damage and are important in diminishing wrinkles as well. Antioxidants include vitamin C, vitamin E, alpha lipoic acid, carotenoids and green tea. Most importantly using these nutrients topically can only go so far, what we eat is also very important so remember to eat fruits and vegetables that are high in these nutrients.

Knitting Winter Away

2011-02-03T19:06:00.001-08:00

When its cold outside and the wind is howling do you tend to pick up your knitting needles? The repetitive action of knitting can be a contemplative practice that is both calming and distracting from the normal hustle. I like that it is a homesteading activity that was done as a necessity by previous generations so it gives continuity to humanity. I knitted as a child some but took it up again when I found myself sitting for with long periods watching my children's various activites. It's a good way to pass the time when sitting at soccer practice, horse riding, music lessons, supervising a play date or other kid oriented activites. My kids are older now so I don't often find my self watching so many events anymore. Although there is still wrestling, soccer and band.

I enjoy quick knitting projects so I find myself often knitting washcloths. They also partner well with the handcrafted soaps I make and can be sold together. The one shown above is one of my favorite patterns and is often called Grandmothers Favorite discloth on many websites. Nice cotton yarn is easy to find for these washcloths but I was excited recently to find this bamboo yarn shown above. My next project is a pair of socks and I've recently bought some wool and silk yarn for them. I might actually get to it if the cold and snow continues. Do you have knitting projects you are working on?

Monoterpenes & Cancer Prevention

2011-01-27T20:49:00.000-08:00

limonene

Essential oils, the highly concentrated volatile, aromatic essences of plants, are a mainstay of aromatherapy but are also used in flavoring, perfumes and even as solvents. Researchers now think that two components of orange oil and lavender oil are a good bet to prevent and treat cancer.

Most essential oils contain monoterpenes--compounds that contain 10 carbon molecules often arranged in a ring. Monoterpenes are formed in the mevalonic acid pathway in plants. This is the same pathway that makes cholesterol in animals and humans. Early on, cancer researchers realized that some aspects of cholesterol metabolism were involved in cancer growth. They then discovered that plant monoterpenes interfered with animal cholesterol synthesis, thereby reducing cholesterol levels and reducing tumor formation in animals.1

Limonene and Perillyl Alcohol
Two widely studied monoterpenes are being evaluated for their anticancer activity--limonene from orange peel (Citrus sinensis) and perillyl alcohol from lavender (Lavandula angustifolia), cherries and peppermint.
Because limonene and perillyl affect the pathway that produces cholesterol, they can inhibit cholesterol synthesis, thereby eliminating a minor contributor to cancer formation.2

Monoterpenes also increase the levels of liver enzymes involved in detoxifying carcinogens, an effect that decreases the possibility carcinogens will cause cellular damage.2 In addition, monoterpenes stimulate apoptosis, a cellular self-destruction mechanism triggered when a cell's DNA is badly damaged.3 This safety feature is generally activated before a cell becomes cancerous. Finally, monoterpenes inhibit protein isoprenylation. The cell uses this process to help a protein--in this case the ras protein involved in cell growth--find its proper location within the cell.4 If ras is not in the right place, it becomes overactive and can spur cancerous cell growth.

Laboratory animal studies demonstrate that these two monoterpenes inhibit the formation of chemically induced breast, colon, liver, skin and pancreatic tumors.5 For example, animals fed a diet containing 5 percent orange peel oil had a significantly reduced risk of developing mammary tumors when treated with the chemical tumor inducer DMBA.6 Similarly, animals fed a 5-percent limonene diet had less chance of mammary tumor growth. Researchers noticed that in this experiment rat tumors also regressed, suggesting limonene may treat existing cancer as well as prevent it.

New drugs typically undergo three phases of clinical tests, each more rigorous than the previous: Phase I trials establish a toxic human dose, phase II trials determine a therapeutic dose and how it is metabolized, and phase III trials determine drug effectiveness. Extensive animal studies are done before phase I trials begin.

Phase I trials have so far shown that limonene is well tolerated by cancer patients and has little toxicity.7 Phase II trials, to test how well limonene actually works to reduce cancer, are under way at several institutions including the National Cancer Institute (NCI) in Bethesda, Md.

In other research, perillyl alcohol, a related compound, was found to be five times as active as limonene in regressing tumors.7 A diet of 2.5 percent perillyl alcohol caused 75 percent of chemically induced rat mammary tumors to regress.8 Perillyl alcohol is now being tested in NCI-sponsored phase I clinical trials as a treatment for advanced breast, ovarian and prostatic cancers at the University of Wisconsin, Madison.9 Researchers speculate that perillyl alcohol may also be effective against pancreatic cancer, which is extremely difficult to treat.10

The amount of monoterpenes needed to prevent cancer in humans is not established. Toxicity studies are incomplete, but the high doses required for chemotherapy may cause kidney damage and gastrointestinal problems. Both orange and lavender essential oils are safe to ingest; in fact, orange oil is a common food additive used for flavoring.

Few drugs have been developed that effectively treat cancer, so NCI is constantly searching for potential drug candidates. Many of these candidates, like limonene and perillyl alcohol, are natural products from herbs. For now though, these two concentrated substances remain in the realm of the laboratory--the doses being used in clinical trials are intended for treating cancer and must be monitored by a physician.

References
1. Elson CE, Yu SG. The chemoprevention of cancer by mevalonate-derived constituents of fruits and vegetables. J Nutr 1994;124:607-14.
2. Gould MN. Cancer chemoprevention and therapy by monoterpenes. Environ Health Perspect 1997;105:S977-9.
3. Mills JJ, et al. Induction of apoptosis in liver tumors by the monoterpene perillyl alcohol. Cancer Res 1995; 55:979-83.
4. Hohl RJ. Monoterpenes as regulators of malignant cell proliferation. In: American Institute for Cancer Research. Dietary Phytochemicals in Cancer Prevention and Treatment. New York: Plenum Press;1996.
5. Elson CE. Suppression of mevalonate pathway activities by dietary isoprenoids: protective roles in cancer and cardiovascular disease. J Nutr 1995;125:1666S-72S.
6. [Anonymous]. Clinical Development Plan: l-Perillyl Alcohol, J Cellular Biochem 1996;26S:137-48.
7. Crowell PL, et al. Antitumor effects of limonene and perillyl alcohol against pancreatic and breast cancer. In: American Institute for Cancer Research. Dietary Phytochemicals in Cancer Prevention and Treatment. New York: Plenum Press;1996.
8. Vigushin DM, et al. Phase I and pharmacokinetic study of d-limonene in patients with advanced cancer. Cancer Research Campaign Phase I/II Clinical Trials Committee. Cancer Chemother & Pharmacol 1998;42:111-17.
9. Ziegler J. Raloxifen, retinoids and lavender: "me too" tamoxifen alternatives under study. J Natl Canc Inst 1996;88:1100-1.
10. Stark MJ, et al. Chemotherapy of pancreatic cancer with the monoterpene perillyl alcohol. Cancer Letters 1995; 96:15-21.

Lemon Balm: Do you Know this Herb?

2011-01-18T08:47:00.000-08:00

I love herbs that grow prolifically and lemon balm (Melissa officinalis) is one of those. Its in the mint family which explains why it grows so well. Here are some of the other properties I like about lemon balm:

1. Melissa is a great herb to decrease stress and anxiety. It is a mild sedative that promotes sleep. One study found that volunteers who sucked on a lozenge containing lavender oil, extracts from hops, lemon balm and oat showed changes in their EEG that were indicative of relaxation. These changes were similar to those seen in patients taking tranquilizers (1). Another study found that a supplement containing a combination of Melissa officinalis and Valeriana officinalis was able to decrease anxiety in the test participants (2). These results support its uses as a sleep aid, to reduce nervous tension, to reduce infant colic as well as gastrointestinal complaints.

2. Lemon balm has antiviral activity, particularly against the herpes virus (HSV) that causes cold sores. I get cold sores from the stress that I forget to treat with lemon balm. Aqueous (water) extracts of lemon balm inhibit the HSV-1, HSV-2 as well as HSV that is resistant to a popular antiviral drug, acyclovir. This activity is aimed at inhibiting absorption of the virus to cells rather than viral replication which allows it to be effective topically (3,4). Because it is the aqueous extract that works best, it can be used as a simple tea that can be both drank and applied directly to the lips. However, I also find oil based extracts used in a lip balm is also effective. In Germany lemon balm is widely used as a treatment for herpes and cold sores. Studies have found that a cream containing lemon balm can prevent recurrence of cold sores, interrupt the progression of cold sores as well as promote healing (5). Extracts from lemon balm also have antibacterial and antifungal activity (6).

3. Lemon balm is a good source of antioxidants. Water extracts of lemon balm contain phenolic compounds such as hydroxycinnamic acids, rosmarinic acid, chlorogenic acid, ferulic acid and caffeic acids as well as flavonoids (7). Some flavonoids that have been identified in lemon balm include luteolin, luteolin 7-O-beta-D-glucopyranoside, apigenin 7-O-beta-D-glucopyranoside, luteolin 7-O-beta-D-glucuronopyranoside, luteolin 3'-O-beta-D-glucuronopyranoside and luteolin 7-O-beta-D-glucopyranoside-3'-O-beta-D-glucuronopyranoside (8). The internal benefits of antioxidants and flavonoids on the body are well established and so won’t be discussed here, but their benefits to the skin are less well known. Flavonoids have the ability to absorb UV light and so can play a role in protecting the skin against UV damage. One study found that extracts from Melissa were able to decrease the amount of lipid oxidation caused by UV irradiation (9). This is especially important due to the high lipid content of skin and its protective role in preventing moisture loss. I suspect we may be seeing more botanical extracts such as Melissa in our skin care products in the near future.

4. Lemon balm helps improve memory so by consuming it you are better able to remember its previous three benefits. Several studies have found Melissa extracts to improve demented states including Alzheimer’s Disease. In one study, patients with Alzheimer’s Disease who took 60 drops per day of a Melissa extract showed improved cognition after 4 months (10). Dementias such as Alzheimer’s can be associated with agitation, aggression, depression, delusions, wandering, sleep disturbance and hallucinations as well as memory loss. Several of these conditions may be helped with Melissa. A study from the UK, involving severely demented patients, found that rubbing a lotion containing Melissa essential on the hands daily affected several indices tested including decreased agitation and better quality of life (11). Another study, again from the UK found that volunteers taking 1600 mg capsules of dried Melissa leaf had increased memory performance and increased calmness compared to controls (12). The effects of Melissa apparently are due to its ability to increase the activity of acetylcholine, an important neurotransmitter in the nervous system.

These effects on memory combined with its antianxiolytic effects also make lemon balm a mood lifter and it can be used for mild depression. The benefits of lemon balm are probably best attained by using it as a tea. I like to blend a little lemon balm with green tea for an afternoon break. Taking some lemon balm at this time of the day better prepares me for the more stressful time of day when my concerns focus on children and preparing a meal. Even though lemon balm tea is best fresh, dried lemon balm is also fine for winter use.

1. Dimpfel W, Pischel I, Lehnfeld R. Effects of lozenge containing lavender oil, extracts from hops, lemon balm and oat on electrical brain activity of volunteers. Eur J Med Res. 2004, 9:423-31.
2. Kennedy, D. O., Little, W., Haskell, C. F., Scholey, A. B., Anxiolytic effects of a combination of Melissa officinalis and Valeriana officinalis during laboratory induced stress. Phytother. Res. 2006, 20:96-102.
3. Nolkemper S, Reichling J, Stintzing FC, Carle R, Schnitzler P.Antiviral Effect of Aqueous Extracts from Species of the Lamiaceae Family against Herpes simplex Virus Type 1 and Type 2 in vitro. Planta Med. 2006 Nov 7;
4. Dimitrova Z, Dimov B, Manolova N, et al. Antiherpes effect of Melissa officinalis L. extracts. Acta Microbiol Bulg. 1993;29:65–72.
5. Mazzanti G, Battinelli L, Pompeo C, et al. Inhibitory activity of Melissa officinalis L. extract on Herpes simplex virus type 2 replication.Nat Prod Res. 2008;22(16):1433-40.
6. Mimica-Dukic, N., Bozin, B., Sokovic, M., Simin, N., Antimicrobial and antioxidant activities of Melissa officinalis L. (Lamiaceae) essential oil. J Agric Food Chem. 2004, 52(9):2485-9.
7. Dr. Dukes Phytochemical and Ethnobotanical Database, www.ars-grin.gov/duke/
8. Patora J., Klimek, B. Flavonoids from lemon balm (Melissa officinalis L., Lamiaceae). Acta Pol. Pharm. 2002 59:139-143.
9. Trommer, H., Neubert, R.H.H., Screening for new antioxidative compounds for topical administration using skin lipid model systems. J. Pharm. Pharmaceut. Sci. 2005; 8:494-506.
10. Akhondzadeh, S., Noroozian, M., Mohammadi, M., et al., Melissa officinalis extract in the treatment of patients with mild to moderate Alzheimer’s disease: a double blind, randomized, placebo controlled trial. J. Neurology Neurosurgery and Psychiatry. 2003; 74:863-866.
11. Ballard CG, O'Brien JT, Reichelt K, Perry EK. Aromatherapy as a safe and effective treatment for the management of agitation in severe dementia: the results of a double-blind, placebo-controlled trial with Melissa. J Clin Psychiatry. 2002 Jul;63(7):553-8.
12. Kennedy DO, Wake G, Savelev S, et al. Modulation of Mood and Cognitive Performance Following Acute Administration of Single Doses of Melissa Officinalis (Lemon Balm) with Human CNS Nicotinic and Muscarinic Receptor-Binding Properties. Neuropsychopharmacology 2003; 28:1871-1881.

You can buy Colorado Aromatics Herbal Relief Lip Balm with Lemon Balm here:
http://www.sagescript.com/products.htm
And soon to come Spray on Lotion w Lemon Balm.

Microbiology & Cosmetics

2011-01-13T08:50:00.000-08:00

Many people do not realize that any cosmetic product that is good for your skin is also a good breeding ground for microorganisms; bacteria and fungus. The reason they are called ‘microorganisms’ is because they are so small that they cannot be seen with the naked eye. They are ‘seen’ by growing them on a petri dish filled with nutrient rich agar to promote their growth. One unseen bacterial or fungal cell will reproduce rapidly in the right conditions to form a colony or clump of cells that is seen by the naked eye on the petri dish. Results of microbiology tests are given as colony forming units which represents each cell that reproduced to form that colony.

Excessive amounts of bacteria and fungus can affect the cosmetic in a number of ways; cause odors, destabilize the emulsion, cause color changes. Microorganisms can also affect the consumer negatively in ways ranging from harmless itching of the skin to serious infection; even blindness if the product is used around the eyes.

The most common microbiology tests for cosmetics are the APC and fungal/yeast test. APC stands for aerobic plate count. This involves diluting the cosmetic product and plating a portion of it on an agar plate with specific nutrients that favor bacterial growth. This test will tell you how many bacteria are in the product at the time of testing. The fungal/yeast test is similar but the sample is plated on an agar plate with nutrients specific to favor fungal growth as well as an antibiotic to prevent bacterial growth. This is used because bacteria can grow faster, overgrowing a plate blocking out the fungi growth making it hard to identify. Plates are placed in an incubator and observed at 48 hours for bacterial growth and 7 days for fungal/yeast colonies. Colonies appear as spots on the plates that are small communities of tens of thousands of individual cells that grew from one cell that came from the cosmetic sample.

Interestingly, the FDA does not require any microbiology testing of cosmetics, but it is the responsible thing to do to protect both consumers and products.

Another important test is the Challenge Test or Preservative Efficacy Test. Although expensive ($500 or more) this test is important for products that are widely sold commercially. It will tell you how well your preservative works in your specific formula. For this test, 5 or more known microbes (both bacteria and fungus) are individually added to the cosmetic sample. Plate counts are done at various time points over 28 days or more. The counts in the product should decrease 90% or more over a 14 day period and not increase again after that.

A less effective version of this test can be called the “common usage test”. For this you would first have your product tested to assure it is without significant contamination initially, then use and abuse a sample for 2-3 weeks (sticking fingers into it) knowing that you are introducing bacteria and fungus into it. Then have it tested again to see how your product holds up to that insult. The counts for the second testing should be as low as the first testing. These tests will give information on how well the preservative you use is working in your system.
All cosmetic products containing water or watery substances (aloe, hydrosols, water based extracts, etc) require a preservative to prevent microorganisms from growing. And all such products should be tested to make sure they are relatively free of these microbes. Products that do not contain preservatives will sooner or later begin to grow microbes just as food products will and could become unsafe for the consumer.

Boulder County Farmers Market Meeting

2011-01-08T17:34:00.000-08:00

Today we had the annual meeting for the Boulder County Farmers Market of which I am a member. The Boulder County Farmers market consists of both the Longmont Market and the Boulder Market (two cities in the county). The executive director, Bob D'Alessandro, made some good points about farmers markets that I thought were important enough to share.

He said that farmers markets are important because consumers now have an interest in:
knowing where their food comes from, how it was grown, how far it traveled, how fresh it is, how it was processed and what additives it contains.
Farmers markets are also important because they support local agriculture. This is important to local communities because agriculture provides jobs, brings in sales tax and money to the community. But it also supports our quality of life in a number of ways; farm tours, land conservation, small farms ecologically friendly and importantly farmers markets are fun! They are a great place to socialize, get a bite to eat and see what's new.
Thankfully there are more farmers markets in the country than there are Walmarts!

Boulder County Farmers Market is critical in supporting local agriculture and its mission includes being a place for local farms to sell product and providing support and encouragement for small farmers. The Boulder Market celebrates its 25th year this year and has been named as one of the top 10 markets in the country.
How do you feel about Farmers Markets?

South Padre Island

2010-12-28T16:24:00.000-08:00

I just returned from a week's vacation at South Padre Island, Texas. The best parts of the trip were being able to spend a week away from home with my husband and son as well as my two sisters and their families. The weather was not the best, being quite windy for the most part. South Padre Island is just off the coast of Texas near the port city of Port Isabel. It has a rich history that includes Spanish shipwrecks and lost treasure.

Although a big tourist area, there miles and miles of undeveloped beach and dunes, a must see if you visit there. This is mostly the north end of the island. Plan on walking the beach and dunes for as long as you like.

Our condos were spacious and had a view of the gulf. The hot tubs were a highlight since the weather was a little cool.

As a big shrimping area be sure to eat shrimp. I advice buying fresh shrimp and other seafood at Dirty Al's market. The shrimp is large and inexpensive. For one dinner we boiled shrimp and fried flounder in our condo. It was better than any food we bought at the restaurants.

Sunset on the patio of one of the restaurants on the lagoon side is also worth doing.

We rode horses on the beach. Place like this should be sure to tell you that experienced riders need not go. There were over 30 people on the ride and they gave us a feeling of being 'herded' rather than going for a ride. Even though we were told that it was ok to trot the horses, I found that they meant for just a few short minutes. Much of the time was spent just sitting still on the horses while we waited for slower riders and picture taking.

December is a good time to visit South Padre because it is not crowded, but the weather is probably nicer later in winter. After the rush of the Christmas Season its great to enjoy some R & R before getting back to work though.

Happy New Year Everyone and thanks for a great year.

Eggplant Pepper Pizza

2010-12-20T20:15:00.000-08:00

Homemade pizza is probably my favorite thing to make for dinner. There are so many variations of toppings for pizza and its a pretty quick meal to make. The dough needs to rise awhile but you can be wrapping presents while it rises. Making pizza is a good way to get the whole family involved too and we often make several for different tastes.
The toppings here are roasted eggplant, sweet peppers and feta cheese. To do this, slice the eggplant about 1/4 inch thick, sprinkle with a little salt and let set for at least 15 minutes to 'sweat'. After 15-20 minutes you will see liquid bubbled up on the eggplant; blot this off with a paper towel, put eggplant on an oiled baking sheet and cook at 375 for about 15 minutes or until soft. Be careful not to overcook and char the eggplant. The peppers get roasted in the oven at the same time. Roast these a little longer until the skin chars a little. Remove from oven and let cool enough to peel the skin off the peppers. Slice both the eggplant and the peppers and top your pizza with them followed by some feta cheese. I put some banana pepper rings on this pizza too.

Pizza Dough Recipe

2 1/2 cups warm water
2 tablespoons yeast
3 cups white flour
3 cups whole wheat flour
1 tablespoon honey or sugar
1 tablespoon olive oil
3/4 teaspoons salt

Mix the water and yeast together, then add the rest and mix. Let rise in a warm place for 1 hour or so (times are only a guideline). Knead, split in two (or more) and roll dough out on a floured surface to the size/shape pizza you want.

Do You Saponify?

2010-12-13T15:12:00.000-08:00

Do you saponify? Some of my best friends do. And although it can be quite dangerous without proper precautions and can be addicting, it is still good clean fun. I am proud to be a professional soapmaker and keep company with other soapmakers; they are among the nicest people I know!

Saponification is the base promoted hydroysis of an ester to produce an alcohol and the sodium salt of that acid. What?? OK, lets break it down. The ester used in soapmaking is a triglyceride, also called a triacylglyerol. This is a type of fat consisting of a glycerol (3 carbon sugar) which is attached to 3 fatty acids through a ester bond. The fatty acids in the picture are the 3 tails sticking out to the left and the glycerol is the 3 carbon backbone running vertically on the right. There are many different types of fatty acids and the three fatty acids found in any triglyceride will vary. The ester bonds are between the O (oxygen) on the glycerol and the C=O on the fatty acid.

When soap is made this bond between the fatty acids and glycerol is broken by the presence of a strong base or alkali, this means something with a very high pH. This strong base is sodium hydroxide (NaOH). Yes, it is drain cleaner and a very dangerous substance when not handled properly. We soapmakers take proper precautions. And just to make sure you keep reading, I will tell you now that finished soap is completely safe because there is no lye left in the soap when done properly. We know alot today about this chemical reaction and can actually calculate the precise amount of lye necessary to react with various oils. Soapmakers generally use online calculators to determine the exact amount of lye to use in their individual recipe and then add little bit more oil to 'superfat' the soap making it more mild. Previous generations did not have this so many of 'Grandma's' soaps came out heavy on the lye and were quite harsh. Today handcrafted soaps are very mild and the soapmaker can vary characteristics of the soap by using different triglycerides or oils.

OK, back to the saponification reaction. The NaOH breaks the ester bond between the glycerol and fatty acids. The -OH (hydroxide) part of the NaOH chemically or covalently binds to the glycerol side while the Na (sodium) chemically binds to the fatty acids. Now instead of a triglyceride we have a free glycerol molecule and a sodium (Na) salt of the fatty acid. Wow! Chemistry in action. Small soapmakers will leave the glycerol (also called glycerin) in the soap and it makes a great moisturizer. Some large companies will remove the glycerin to use for other purposes. If you've never tried a bar of handcrafted soap, you don't know what you are missing. These are generally very mild and moisturizing cleansers compared to grocery store big brands, most of which are technically not soap.

Everybody makes soaps a little differently. Some people go for the latest bath and body scents, others go for the visual effect and make beautiful works of art from their soap. Being an herbalist, I am always looking for herbs that can benefit a bar of soap. Some of my favorites for soap include calendula, mint, lavender, rosemary.

While soapmaking has been around for sometime it recently has boomed as a cottage industry and soapmakers even have their own professional organization; the Handcrafted Soapmakers Guild. If you are interested in soapmaking visit there to find out more. You can also find soapmakers there but you can also find plenty of handcrafted soap on my website. What is your favorite kind of soap?

Pictures Around Here this Week

2010-12-09T20:58:00.000-08:00

Rose Geranium Soap, Mountain Mist Hand and Body Lotion and a basket of dried calendula ready to put away.

Herbal Advent Wreath

2010-12-02T20:00:00.000-08:00

After pulling my advent wreath out of the cupboard this weekend I realized it was time for a new one. I bought a clear glass bowl to display soaps in but it gave me the idea to use it to hold a fresh cut herb/greens wreath. After googling for ideas I realized it was not a completely unique idea but I did put my uniqueness to it. I put some florist's foam in the dish which is about 4 inches high. I pushed the 4 candles in the foam; it actually should be 3 purple to symbolize royalty and 1 pink that is lit the 3rd Sunday of Advent as a reminder that it is half over. For some reason I never seem to get the right candles. I then went outside to look for whatever I could find green or at least gray. I picked four small branches off a juniper bush, some thyme, rue, lavender, sage, hyssop and some beautiful red berries which I believe are from a cotoneaster bush. Following is the meaning of these herbs:

Lavender for purity, cleanliness and virtue
Sage branches represent immortality
Rue is an herb of grace used for driving away evil.
Thyme is an herb used for courage.
Hyssop is for purification

I started by putting the juniper branches into the foam and then filling in with the herbs. The berries worked great in the middle to hide the foam. I love the way it looks.

Food, Family, Thanks

2010-11-23T19:43:00.000-08:00

As we prepare for our feasts tomorrow lets think about what is important to us in our lives and how this relates to farms and agriculture. The AgChat Foundation suggests that we take time out today to give thanks for food, #foodthanks. Some of my best childhood memories include gardening and cooking with my Mom as well as going to U-Pick farms for fruits. I hope that my children have developed similar experiences of food; both cooking and growing in their memories.

On Thanksgiving most of us will come together with family and/or friends to celebrate and give thanks for the things in our lives that are important. As I reflect on my life the things that come to mind that I am thankful for include:

Family
Friends
Work
Quality of life
Food
Health

My family, parents and siblings, had always come together at the dinner table over food. Family dinners are a tradition I have continued after I started my own family and something I hope has impacted my children. It is a way of teaching nutrition, spending time together and learning how to cook using real food rather than prepared packages. I am shocked when I hear that many families do not eat together.

When I spend time with friends, it is often over a meal where we can sit and talk. Health for each and everyone of us depends upon food. The less processed our food and closer to the farm it is the healthier it is. In fact the American Institute for Cancer Research suggests that we can decrease the risk of cancer significantly by eating more fruits and vegetables.

My work also centers on farming to a certain extent. I grow herbs on my farm that I use to make botanically based skin care products. Although most of us do realize that farms are necessary for our food, do we realize that farms also produce fiber, animal feed, fuel, medicines, vegetable oils used in body care and more.

So how we can both celebrate agriculture and thank those involved in agriculture. For me its supporting farmers markets and local food. A lot of fossil fuel is used in transporting produce from one part of the country to another, or even from other countries. Fossil fuels are also used to power farm equipment, produce pesticides, herbicides and fertilizers. Because of this I look for small farms that grow without the use of pesticides and herbicides and use limited fuels. I do not search for certified organic however because I know how costly and distracting it is to become certified.

Supporting small farmers can increase our sustainability as a nation. The more centralized our food system is the more devastating and debilitating it would be in case of a disaster caused either by terrorism or natural causes. Large factory farms can be the source of a lot of problems in our food system. Support smaller farms that practice crop diversity and seed saving for our future.

To decrease the carbon foot print of food you could also plant a garden in your yard. Some of our country’s best agricultural land is to be found in our housing subdivisions now. First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt first encouraged home gardeners during WWII to plant home gardens to raise awareness of healthy food. 20 million victory gardens were planted during WWII producing 9-10 million tons of fruits and vegetables; enough to meet 50% of the county’s needs. The number of families doing canning also increased during this time. Unfortunately, food shortages occurred at the end of the war when citizens abandoned their victory gardens. First Lady Michelle Obama has once again drawn attention to food by planting a 1100 square foot Victory Garden on the White House lawn, the first since Eleanor Roosevelt planted one in World War II to raise awareness of healthy food.
You can view this video

This Thanksgiving, give thanks not only to the farmers who grow the food for our feasts but also for our natural resources that make it possible.

You can view this 1940's film put out by the Department of Agriculture to help teach people how to garden.

New Product: Botanical Oat Face Cleanser

2010-11-22T19:28:00.000-08:00

Since Colorado Aromatics has some new products out I thought I’d introduce them to you in a series of blogs.

Botanical Oats Face Cleanser

We’ve been working on this face cleanser for awhile. I wanted to formulate a mild cleanser that contained beneficial botanicals. One that was cleansing without being drying, and contained not only all vegetable derived ingredients but also was biodegradable and had no ethoxylated ingredients. And I think we formulated a winner here.

I started with oats. Oats have long been used in skin care and were probably used by Cleopatra in fact. Oats are soothing to the skin, can act as an anti inflammatory, anti irritant and antihistamine. They have been used to treat various types of dermatitis including psoriasis and rashes. I used hydrolyzed oat powder because it is very water soluble. Oats also contain beta glucan which can boost collagen.

For botanicals we chose willow bark, rose extract, mallow root, and cucumber.

Willow bark extract is anti inflammatory and soothing. It contains salicylic acid which can be slightly exfoliating and decrease the signs of aging. Rose extract is a great hydrator and astringent for skin. It is suitable for dry and sensitive skin. Mallow (Althea) grows prolifically on our farm. It has mucilaginous and soothing properties and is used as an anti-irritant to treat inflammations, irritations, and wounds. One type of mallow was found to inhibit hyaluronidase activity, resulting in improved skin hydration. Additionally, mallow has been found to inhibit pigmentation.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19799989

http://www.docstoc.com/docs/47693901/Marshmallow-Eco-Galacturonic-Acid

Cucumber extract is astringent and by using cucumber distillate it helps balance the pH of the cleanser.

We use organic olive oil which has been found to act as an anti-inflammatory agent and protect the skin barrier function. Jojoba oil offers improved skin barrier function and helps dissolve dirt trapped in the skins natural oils without stripping them. Shea is a nut from Africa that has become very popular in skin care because it contains a wide variety of phytosterols to provide antioxidants, antiimflammatory agents and moisturization.

Aloe juice is added for its nourishment and antiinflammtory properties.Honey acts as a humectant to help keep moisture in the skin.

Surfactants are ingredients that help to dissolve dirt and oils on the skin. We use decyl glucoside and sodium lauroyl lactylate as surfactants. These mild, natural surfactants are accepted in Europe as ECOCERT. Glyceryl Stearate, Cetearyl Alcohol, and Sodium Stearoyl Lactylate are emulsifiers and thickeners that hold the water and oil phase together. Added benefits are that stearoyl lactylate is a skin conditioner that helps moisturize the skin. These ingredients are all ECOCERT ingredients by European standards.

To use this cleanser pump one squirt into your hands and gently rub into the skin on the face. Rinse off. You can also use a washcloth to remove the cleanser to provide some exfoliation. You will find that this cleanser will leave your face well moisturized. You won’t get that ‘squeaky clean’ feeling which is actually an indication of skin being dry. You also will not get much foam from this product as high foaming surfactants are more drying. What you will get is a rich feeling cleanser that contains nutrient rich vegetable oils and botanicals. I think you will enjoy it.

You can purchase this from Colorado Aromatics website either alone or as part of our Face Spa Kit.

What is Digitalis?

2010-11-14T21:17:00.000-08:00

Digitalis is a common drug used today to treat congestive heart disease; a condition in which the heart does not pump out the entire volume it should be pumping. These drugs were first isolated from the foxglove flower, Digitalis purpura. Dr. William Withering is given credit for discovering the use of this herb in treating congestive heart disease, called ‘dropsy’ at the time. However, it was his observation that a local herbalist was successfully treating dropsy patients that piqued his interest and he learned that she was treating them with the digitalis plant. This prompted him to begin studying her patients as well as treating his own patients this way. His data was collected and published as “An Account of the Foxglove and some of its Medical Uses With Practical Remarks on Dropsy and Other Diseases” in 1785. Because the therapeutic window for this herb was so narrow foxglove is difficult to use and has high toxicity. These cardiac glycosides have been purified and are now used as a drug, digoxin, which also has to be monitored carefully. Digitalis (and digoxin) inhibits the sodium-potassium ATPase which leads indirectly to increased intracellular calcium. Increased calcium increases strength of contraction.

I've never grown foxglove because although it is a beautiful flower, is considered toxic due to its effects on the heart. It is especially dangerous to children. This is one of those cases when it is best to use the purified drug rather than the whole herb I think.

Cooking Pumpkin

2010-11-07T18:15:00.000-08:00

Although it is convenient to use canned pumpkin, it really is easier than you may think to cook your own pumpkin to use in pies and breads. First you have to be able to identify the right kind of pumpkin. The typical ones you see at the supermarket before Halloween are not suited to eating, they are not sweet and tend to be tough or granular. They are good for soapmaking though and if you are cooking a pumpkin to use in soap you can cook it the same way. For eating be sure to get a pie or sweet pumpkin. These are usually (not always) smaller, darker orange, and the ribs are fewer and less emphasized. See the picture above; the one on the left is a pie pumpkin, the one on the right is a Jack-O-Lantern pumpkin.

Using a large, sharp knife, cut the pumpkin in half longways - just next to the stem. Scoop out all those seeds and give them to your chickens; they will love them. If you don't have chickens you can cook them for yourself or save the seeds to plant next summer. Put each half of the pumpkin open side down on a cookie sheet or in a baking dish. If you use a baking dish you can add about a cup of water to it so the pumpkin steams. I find it easiest to just roast the pumpkin face down though.

Put the pumpkin in the oven at 375 degrees F for 45 minutes or until soft. The time is not too important as it can overcook some and still come out good. I love doing this on a cool autumn afternoon because it warms the house and smells wonderful. Roasting enhances the natural flavor of most any vegetable, including pumpkin and make it sweeter.

Once the pumpkin is soft, take it out of the oven and let it cool. Using a large spoon begin to scrape the pumpkin flesh from the skin and put that into a bowl. Then using a stick blender, whiz the pumpkin flesh so that it is smooth. At this point you can go ahead and make your favorite pie or bread recipe or you can freeze it for use later. Or, if you are cooking this for use in soap, just substitute about a third of your water for pumpkin flesh in your favorite soap recipe. If you are looking for soap head over to my website. Pumpkin soap is seasonal though so it doesn't always make it to the website. If you don't see it there, email me.

Farmers markets should still have a good supply of pumpkins at this time of year so look for them if you have fall or winter markets.

Summer's End Sorrel Soup

2010-10-29T20:57:00.000-07:00

Although my basil and tomatoes were hit by the frost this week, I noticed a large bundle of sorrel still growing nicely. I’ve always wanted to make sorrel soup so I thought I'd cut them and have the last of the summer’s dishes. Here is the recipe I used:

Sorrel Soup

2 tablespoons butter

1 chopped onion

2 cloves garlic chopped

1 bay leaf

3 sprigs of thyme

3 - 4 potatoes, chopped

4 cups vegetable broth

1 bunch of chopped sorrel with stems cut out (about 4-5 cups loosely packed)

Cook the onion in butter until clear, add garlic and continue cooking a few minutes. Add broth and potatoes along with bay leaf and thyme and cook until potatoes are soft (30 minutes or more). Add chopped sorrel and heat briefly. Blend with either a stick blender or by putting in a blender bowl. Return to cooking pot and add milk or cream to taste, about 1 cup. Heat through and serve.

I hope yo have enjoyed cooking with fresh vegetables this summer.

The Healthy Beauty Project Blog had a very nice piece on Colorado Aromatics products this week. Check it out.

http://www.healthybeautyproject.com/company-profiles/farm-fresh-herbal-products/

Nighttime Light and Cancer

2010-10-19T08:16:00.000-07:00

Melatonin (N-acetyl-5-methoxytryptamine)

Research Links Nocturnal Light, Melatonin, and Malignancy

Can sleepless nights in front of the TV increase your risk of cancer? What about that streetlight that shines through your bedroom window every night? Could something so familiar and seemingly innocent really contribute to cancer?

We don’t know for sure, but increasing evidence suggests that chronic exposure to light during the night can alter biologic rhythms and interfere with the production of a key hormone. That hormone – melatonin – influences a wide range of physiologic functions, including sleep-wake cycles, fertility, and production of certain chemical messengers and hormones.

Of special importance to women, nighttime release of melatonin may dampen some effects of estrogen, possibly providing protection from breast cancer and other estrogen-related cancers. Some researchers, in turn, suspect that nighttime light’s disruption of melatonin production may increase the risk of these cancers.

Light Pollution

Throughout the ages, humans have sought ways to keep the darkness at bay. But our ability to manipulate the earth’s natural light-dark cycles with artificial light has led to what we now call “light pollution.” Today we are exposed to many more hours of light in a day than our ancestors were.

According to Russel Reiter, Ph.D., a professor of neuroendocrinology at the University of Texas Health Sciences Center at San Antonio and author of Melatonin: Your Body’s Natural Wonder Drug (Bantam Books, 1995), light is a powerful entity – one that promotes good health but also can compromise health if abused. Staying up late in artificially lighted houses and sleeping in bedrooms continually invaded by stray light can rob us of the restorative powers of total darkness, most of which are mediated by melatonin.

Melatonin is secreted from the pineal gland in the brain. Blood levels of the hormone are nearly undetectable during the day but peak at night during darkness. The pineal gland and the eye are functionally linked by neurons. When light enters the eye, melatonin secretion stops. In the absence of light, it increases to up to 10 times its daytime levels.

Nighttime light exposure can alter this normal cycle of melatonin production. Disrupted sleep patterns are an obvious consequence, with potentially negative effects on mood, cognitive abilities, and immunity. An increased vulnerability to cancer, though not yet proven, may be a more insidious problem.

The Cancer Connection

Animal experiments conducted in Germany in the 1930’s turned up the first link between melatonin and cancer. In those studies, giving tumor-bearing mice extracts from the pineal gland (which presumably contained melatonin) slowed tumor growth. In studies conducted in the 1960’s, rodents whose pineal glands were removed grew larger tumors than did animals with intact glands.

Later laboratory experiments confirmed that melatonin could inhibit the growth of human cancer cells. In some experiments, melatonin specifically inhibited the stimulatory effects of estrogen on some cancers, much as tamoxifen does.

Nighttime light’s ability to interfere with melatonin’s anti-cancer properties has been shown in a series of experiments conducted at the Bassett Research Institute in Cooperstown, N.Y. A team led by David Blask, M.D., Ph.D., a research scientist in experimental neuroendocrinology/oncology, implanted liver tumors in rats and then exposed the animals to different lighting conditions. Tumors grew nearly twice as rapidly among rats exposed to stray light at night as among those kept in total darkness.

Epidemiologic studies suggest a similar light-melatonin-cancer connection in humans. A study published in The Lancet found that female flight attendants have a twofold increase in breast cancer risk. The researchers speculated that chronic disruptions in the women’s sleep-wake cycles (jet lag) led to melatonin deficiency and, in turn, to breast cancer.

In a study published in the journal Epidemiology in 1991, researchers at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found that blind women were half as likely to develop breast cancer as were similar women who could see. (Because profoundly blind people don’t perceive light, their melatonin cycles persist.)

More recent studies have confirmed and expanded these results. In a Swedish study published in Epidemiology, researchers compared cancer rates among profoundly blind individuals and people with severe vision loss but the ability to perceive light. Study participants who could still perceive light had cancer rates equivalent to those of the general population. The profoundly blind individuals, in contrast, were 30% less likely to develop cancer.

Finally, Dr. Blask notes that early clinical studies suggest that adding melatonin to standard cancer therapy may slow the growth of some tumors. So far, these studies have involved very small numbers of patients – all in the most advanced stages of cancer.

Enhance Your Melatonin Production

Dr. Reiter offers a number of suggestions to help you live a melatonin-friendly lifestyle:

Get enough sleep to wake fully refreshed
Increase your exposure to natural sunlight or use a full-spectrum light box. (Morning exposure is best)
Decrease exposure to bright light at night (Use red or yellow light, which appear to interfere less with melatonin production.)
Light-proof your bedroom. Install light-blocking curtains o use eye shades.
Curb alcohol intake. Alcohol is associated with decreased melatonin levels.
Eat melatonin-rich foods (oats, sweet corn, rice, ginger, tomatoes, bananas), especially at night.
Eat foods rich in calcium, magnesium, vitamin B6, and niacinamide or take supplements of these nutrients.
Spend time each day in meditation or prayer.
Practice stress-reduction techniques, which can enhance melatonin production.

Additional Notes:

Other foods/herbs that contain melatonin-like molecules are: barley, walnuts.

Tryptophan is a precursor of the sleep-inducing substances serotonin and melatonin.

These are foods high in the sleep-inducing amino acid tryptophan:
• Dairy products: cottage cheese, cheese, milk
• Soy products: soy milk, tofu, soybean nuts
• Seafood
• Meats
• Poultry
• Whole grains
• Beans
• Rice
• Hummus
• Lentils
• Hazelnuts, Peanuts, walnuts, almonds
• Eggs
• Sesame seeds, sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds

Foods rich in melatonin include: Oats, sweet corn, rice, ginger, tomatoes, bananas, cherries and barley. There are several herbs that contain even higher amounts of melatonin that could be used as an evening tincture; feverfew, St. John’s wort, mustard seed, fennel seed, lemon verbena and balm mint. Wine, both red and white contain melatonin also.

And don't neglect your intake of B-6. In animal studies, pyridoxine (vitamin B-6) also appears to be necessary for the production of serotonin from tryptophan.

Although I wrote this article quite a few years ago, a quick search of the literature finds that the link between melatonin and cancer prevention is stronger. Melatonin has also been found to be important to the nervous system and skeletal system.

Previously Published in “Women’s Health Advocate”, February 1999

Phytochemicals - what are they?

2010-10-10T19:07:00.000-07:00

Phytochemicals are literally defined as any chemical that occurs in plants ('phyto' referring to plant). But the term is generally used to refer to micronutrients contained in plants that can have a benefit to our health. Almost daily new phytochemicals are discovered or new roles for already identified phytochemicals are discovered.

As animals do, plants also contain macromolecules that include proteins that for both structural roles and as enzymes, lipids that make up cell membranes, carbohydrates that store energy and nucleic acids that serve as hereditary molecules. But plants have another large category called secondary metabolites that are not involved in these essential rolls of cell metabolism.

It is difficult to categorize these chemicals as many fall into more than one class and others don’t fit neatly into any. For this reason you will find different categories by different authors. Generally though, besides the main 4 classes of biochemicals (proteins, lipids, carbohydrates and nucleic acids), you can also find find phenols, tannins, alkaloids, glycosides, volatile oils, resins, and mucilages as important classes of phytochemicals.

Catechin and Epicatechin

2010-09-28T20:28:00.000-07:00

Catechin

Epicatechin

We’ve all heard of these two phytochemicals as beneficial components of our favorite foods: tea, wine and chocolate! These molecules are part of a large family called flavonoids. Notice the 3 ring structures in the diagram; this is what makes these two molecules a flavonoid. More specifically, they are flavanols. The -ol just refers to OH group that you see on the lower right portion of the molecule. Anything that has an OH group is considered an alcohol and the name of the molecule typically ends with –ol as does flavanol. The most common alcohol, ethanol, also ends with –ol and catechin can more correctly be called catechol.

Catechin and epicatechin are isomers which mean they have the same molecular formula (count the number of carbons, hydrogens and oxygens!) but have a different structure or arrangement of those atoms. With catechin and epicatechin the difference lies in the OH group we just spoke of. It is below the plane in epicatechin and above the plane in catechin which is indicated by either the dashed or solid line.

The more correct name for catechin is: 3,3’,4’,5,7-pentahydroxyflavan. Another example of why the phrase 'if you can’t pronounce something it isn’t good for you' just isn't true!
Oftentimes catechins will be attached to a sugar molecule and are referred to as O-glycosides. Products that are high in catechins and epicatechins have been found to have protective effects toward heart disease. Newer research has shown that these compounds are protective for the skin, providing photoprotection and improving the appearance and hydration of skin. Tea, both green and black, may also protect against skin cancer. Apparently, flavonoids have the ability to absorb UV light which may make them a useful ingredient in sun screens and other skin care products. These chemicals are a great addition to a skin care product to protect skin.

Do you know this herb? Horsetail

2010-09-18T20:28:00.000-07:00

I was asked to make an herb blend that was rich in minerals so of course my first thought went to horsetail (Equisetum). I don't grow horsetail but remembered seeing it once when walking along the irrigation ditch road here. There it is, growing in the grass alongside the road.
Horsetail is rich in a number of minerals including silicon, manganese, magnesium, iron, and copper. Besides minerals it is rich in saponins and flavons (a flavonoid). Horsetail has been said to increase circulation and strengthen connective tissue. One study found that a plant complex containing horsetail inhibited elastase enzymes (in vitro) and when it was applied to the skin at 5% as part of a cream, wrinkles on the face were reduced.

Silicon is thought to be important in development of connective tissue and play a structural role in these tissues which include bone, tendons, skin, hair and nails. Because of this it may also be important in preventing osteoporosis. Although horsetail contains more silicon than any other plant it can also be found in grains, hops (beer), cucumber and tomatoes.

Well, I cut enough horsetail to make quite a bit of extract and when I got home I found this horsetail!
Come on, you know you want to laugh!
I'll tell you about the other herbs in this mineral complex later.

Benaiges A, Marcet P, Armengol R, Betes C, Gironés E., Study of the refirming effect of a plant complex. Int J Cosmet Sci. 1998 Aug;20(4):223-33.

Joys of Summer; Elderberries

2010-09-05T19:17:00.000-07:00

Its hard this time of year to find time to blog. We are bringing in the harvest and enjoying good meals filled with fresh foods. This week we had gazpacho, pesto, grilled vegetables, squash soup and baked apples as well as many fresh Colorado peaches. We are also trying to make sure we have enough herbs harvested and dried for the winter; plantain, mint, comfrey, red clover, feverfew and calendula are herbs I am focused on now.

Today I just picked the first of the elderberries and wow, this plant is loaded with berries this year. Did you know elderberries contain a chemical that inhibits viral neuraminidase, the same activity found in the antiviral drug Tamiflu? Neuraminidase is a viral enzyme that is essential for viral replication so by inhibiting this enzyme elderberries can inhibit replication of viruses that cause colds and flu. In my opinion it is the best anti flu medicine available - whats more - it actually tastes good. I'll make both a syrup of elderberry to use as a cough medicine and I'll make a tincture of elderberry to take during the winter if I come down with a cold or flu. I also use elderberries in my ThymaFlu product for colds and flu. You can also make a nice cordial from elderberry to sip on (for medicinal purposes). Elderberries and other fruits are rich in anthocyanins, a great antioxidant. Ingestion of berries in general has been linked to decreased rates of cancer and heart disease. Topically elderberries have been used in wound healing, to promote skin health and to lighten and brighten the skin. I hope you are enjoying the gifts of your harvest whether you've grown it yourself, wildcrafted it or bought it at your local farmers market.

What is a Carcinogen?

2010-08-24T16:20:00.000-07:00

I know cancer has probably touched everyone’s life (as it has mine) and prevention is certainly easier than a cure. I spent many years of my life studying cancer and the process of carcinogenesis and even have a few papers to show for it. The intense interest that the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics and Environmental Working Group have in banning carcinogens brings up the question as to what exactly is a carcinogen and how dangerous are they? Even though we of course want to protect ourselves as much as possible from cancer, it is not correct to think that anything that is a carcinogen causes cancer. Many of the damaging effects of carcinogens are actually countered by anticarcinogens that might occur side by side especially in fruits and vegetables. As a farmer and herbalist I need to speak up when someone says they want to ban all carcinogens.

Cancer is a little understood and complicated process that occurs in a multistep progression taking 20 years or more, which explains why it is more common as we age. It is a disease of cell growth. The normal mechanisms that stimulate and inhibit cell growth are changed in a way as to allow the cell to grow uncontrollably.

There are four definable phases of carcinogenesis (cancer development); initiation, promotion, progression and malignant conversion; each stage lasting years. Testing for carcinogens is just as complicated because different cellular changes occur during each stage.

The first stage, initiation, involves a change in the genetic makeup of a cell. This change can and does occur randomly or when a given chemical interacts with DNA causing a mutation in the genetic code. Chemicals that cause mutations are known as genotoxins. One important test done to determine if a chemical is a genotoxin is the Ames test. The Ames test, developed by Dr. Bruce Ames in the early 1970’s, is used because it is a rapid and fairly easy screen for DNA mutation. The test uses a single celled bacteria as the indicator organism; an already a mutated strain of Salmonella typhimurium. Chemicals being tested are incubated with the bacteria in petri dishes. If the bacteria shows growth in a certain selected media, then this is evidence of DNA mutation or genotoxicity and the chemical can be classified as a carcinogen.

What are some problems with this? Well, lets name just a few:
1. Bacterial cells and human cells are quite different. If you remember back to high school biology; bacteria are prokaryotes and human cells are eukaryotes.
2. Human organisms have enzymes that work to detoxify and eliminate mutagens before they can cause damage to the DNA. These enzymes are particularly prevalent in the liver and skin.
3. The nuclei of human cells have in place mechanisms for repairing DNA that is mutated; proofreading mechanisms.
4. For cancer to occur there must be more than one mutation occurring in the DNA. Mutations must occur in specific classes of genes that regulate cell growth (or death) and multiple mutations must occur over a period of many years.
5. When and if cancer cells develop as a result of multiple mutations, they express an antigen that is recognizable by the immune system so they can be removed and destroyed.
6. The doses used in the Ames test are very high doses that might never occur in humans.
7. As explained above, cancer requires multiple mutations in specific classes of genes before a cell actually transforms into a cancer cell; not just one mutation.

Everyone has mutated and transformed cells in our body at all times. When DNA becomes mutated, the cell first tries to correct that mutation. Because there are many genes that affect cell growth; those that speed up growth and those that inhibit growth, there are many safeguards in place to prevent a cell from growing uncontrollably and becoming cancer. If those safety mechanisms do fail there are mechanisms in place to cause death in a transformed cell. In other words, that one cell is sacrificed for the good of the entire organism. This process is called apoptosis.

Dr. Ames himself sought to ban many synthetic substances in the 70's because they were mutagenic in the Ames test. However, he later reversed his position saying that there is no scientific evidence that small doses of these synthetic chemicals cause human cancers. Part of his reversed opinion was the finding that many plants (fruits, vegetables, and herbs) also contain chemicals that are mutagenic. He said "There are over 1,000 natural chemicals in a cup of coffee, and only 22 have been tested. Of these, 17 are carcinogens."

Ames realized that regardless of whether chemicals are synthetic or naturally occuring they cause cancer when fed to laboratory animals at extremely high doses. He also found that this was a very politically incorrect conclusion. The environmentalist activists, Ames said "have a religion" that says that corporations are behind an exploding epidemic of cancer. This religion was promoted by handful of doctors (Samuel Epstein of the University of Illinois at Chicago), by a media looking for headlines, and by celebrity spokespeople such as Jane Fonda and Meryl Streep. "The idea that chemical companies are giving consumers cancer just isn’t true," he said. The main cause of cancer is old age. EPA allows for synthetic pesticides."

Dr. Ames also does not think that low levels of pesticide residues eaten by consumers are harmful. However, the amounts farmhands are exposed to are different and strict rules should be in place to reduce exposure for them and for chemical workers. With only 9% of Americans eating the amounts of fruits and vegetables they should the cost of eliminating synthetic pesticides would further decrease the amount of fruits and vegetables ingested. Since fruits and vegetables are one proven way to decrease cancer risks this would increase the risk of cancer. Dr. Ames is a well known and well respected scientist and even at the age of 82 he is still Professor of Biochemistry at UC Berkley doing nutrition and aging research.

Information about Bruce Ames came from Michael Fumento's site:

http://fumento.com/cancer/ames.html

For more information on the Ames test see:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JxE9sYatPAs
http://www.henriettesherbal.com/faqs/medi-5-4-ames.html

Perhaps in another blog I will address other tests used to identify carcinogens.

Top 10 things not to say

2010-08-18T20:04:00.000-07:00

Top 10 things NOT to say to those affected by The Safe Cosmetics Act of 2010
Adapted from Whimsical Walney

While people may not know what to say to you when you tell them about the Safe Cosmetics Act recently introduced to Congress (HR5786) and how it may affect your business, some people seem to forget to think before they speak.

People unaware of the Safe Cosmetics Act of 2010 may not understand what to say because they don’t know how it affects our business. Here is a list of the top 10 things not to say to small businesses who will affected by this bill if passed.

1. The Safe Cosmetics police will never come after you, you’re too small-fry. (Response: The lawyers may though.)
2. …but we need more laws to protect people.
3. Only Procter & Gamble needs to care about this law since it’s their fault.
4. Oh don’t worry, I’m sure they’ll fix it in time.
5. Don’t worry, it wasn’t intended for you.
6. You’re smart, you’ll figure out how to comply.
7. So sorry to hear you closed (accompanied by a tsk, tsk look that says, ‘then your products must have not been safe.)
8. But it will make our cosmetics safer. Why would you be against a bill that will make cosmetics safer?
9. Why not just do all the paperwork and be done with it.
10. This all the fault of the ______ (enter friend's opposing political party here.

After you regain your composure, politely remind them to educate themselves before speaking and suggest they check out the OpposeSCA site and Personal Care Truth sites for information about the Safe Cosmetics Act of 2010.

Those of us in the cosmetics business that already produce safe, non toxic products will continue to talk about the truth behind the Environmental Working Group and the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics. You can read about the Environmental Working Group and their 'reign of error' here.

Cucumber Blog Party

2010-08-11T18:18:00.000-07:00

Last week it was zucchini, this week its cucumbers! Don't you just love harvest time, basing dinner on what's growing in the garden? Although cucumbers are great for slicing and eating plain as well as putting on sandwiches, Maryanne decided to have a cucumber blog party. So here are some recipes from my favorite herbalists that you can try now while you've got plenty of cucumbers to harvest.

Becky's Cucumber Cocktails

Beth's Cucumber/Watermelon Salad

Cindy's Tzatziki

Janiece's Tomato Cucumber Salad

Karen's Cucumber Dill Sauce

Maryanne's Creamy Cucumber Salad

Nancy's Chilled Cucumber Soup

Tina's Cucumber Lime Salsa

Gazpacho is also a great way to use cucumber as well as slicing them to put on cream cheese and bread. I've also distilled cucumbers, the distillate makes a great face spritzer especially when its hot. You can also use the distillate or hydrosol in various cosmetic products including toners and serums. Do you have a favorite way to use cucumbers?

Award Winning Herbs at the Fair

2010-08-09T07:24:00.001-07:00

At the coaxing of a fellow farmer I went ahead and entered my herbs in the county fair this year for the first time. I am sure glad I did as I came away with 15 ribbons (including reserve champion for chocolate mint) and my husband and son also took away a few. Now I can tell my customers that my herbs are 'award winning herbs'!
I have always loved fairs and their historic importance. They celebrate agriculture and are a chance for people to come together to show their wares. Some county fairs are more extensive than others and the Boulder County Fair is just the right size with a small midway, several food vendors (including the 4H ice cream bar)and the typical animal, plant and project displays.

Although I take good care of my herbs all summer, the only special thing I did for the fair was to give them a good watering and trimming a week before the fair. There are categories for most culinary types of herbs as well as several 'other' classes. Requirements are to have 6 stems of each in a glass jar. Judging is based on condition, presentation, aroma and taste when appropriate. I realized after the fact that the Herb Society of America of which I am a member publishes a guide to showing/judging herbs. You can find that here.
Besides entering herbs in the fair, we also purchased a few chickens after the 4H judging. They seem to be settling in just fine.
Since I support agriculture county fairs are very important to me. Colorado has some good ones too including Adams County, Larimer County, and Elbert County (besides Boulder County). Jefferson county has more of a 4H day than a fair, but we were involved in that some when we lived in Lakewood. I hope that county fairs continue to do well in our country. If you have one in your county you can support it both by attending and by entering.

Calibacitas: Blog Party

2010-07-27T20:09:00.000-07:00

My friend Rebekah Bailey had a great idea to do a blog party on zucchini recipes. Most people have more zucchini than they know what to do with but I never tend to tire of it. I like to blacken them in a pan and add to just about anything ; especially as a pizza topping or in burritos.

One of my favorite recipes for zucchini though is Calabacitas, a Southwestern dish. I make them like this:

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 medium onion chopped
2 cups chopped zucchini squash
2 cups chopped yellow squash
1 ear of corn, already cooked w corn scraped off(leftover from last night)
1 Anaheim chili or 1 small can of green chilis chopped.
splash of milk
1 cup grated colby/jack cheese

Heat olive oil in a skillet and onion. Stir until soft, about 5 minutes. Add zucchini and yellow squash. If you have fresh chili pepper such as Anaheim, chop that too and add it. Cook for about 5 minutes until just getting soft. Add can of chopped green chili at this point if you did not add fresh chili earlier. Add corn and a splash of milk and continue cooking a few minutes. Add cheese, salt and pepper to taste, stir and enjoy.

Here is Rebekahs zucchini blog party post on Birdworms & Buttermilk.

Here are links to the other zucchini recipe blogs:
Becky - Zucchini Fritters
http://birdworms.com/2010/07/21/zucchini-fritters/

Tina - Zucchini Bread Recipes
http://theessentialherbal.blogspot.com/2005/07/couple-zucchini-bread-recipes.html

Maryanne – Zucchini and Orzo Salad with Basil
http://torchsongstudio.blogspot.com/2010/07/zucchini-orzo-salad-wbasil.html

Patricia – Stuffed Zucchini
http://www.patriciarose-apotpourriof.blogspot.com

Karen – Zucchini Pizza
www.gardenchick.com/garden-blog/2010/07/zucchini-blog-party.html

Beth – Zucchini Brownies
http://soapandgarden.blogspot.com/2010/07/yummy-zucchini-brownies.html

How the Safe Cosmetics Bill will Affect Natural Cosmetics

2010-07-25T09:17:00.002-07:00

Vitamin K

Caffeic Acid

As you may have heard, the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics has recently introduced the Safe Cosmetics Act of 2010, HR 5786. I’m sure you want safe cosmetics as everyone does so this bill probably sounds good. However, it has nothing to do with safe cosmetics and you can read this bill here .

I wanted to address what this bill would mean for the many small scale cosmetics companies like myself that already make safe, non-toxic and natural cosmetics; many of whom initially signed and now regret signing the Safe Cosmetics Pledge.

Plants such as herbs are tiny chemical factories making hundreds or thousands of biochemicals; many of which are beneficial to us, many others that have little or no effect on us, and a few that are toxic to us. Plants however have the tendency to balance these characteristics of toxic and non-toxic and tend not to be so black and white about it as we are.

Take for instance caffeic acid. This molecule is made in most plants including herbs such as rosemary, sage, and parsley. Caffeic acid and caffeic acid phenethyl ester are part of the shikimic acid pathway of plants that forms flavonoids, tannins, and lignin (wood). Caffeic acid is considered a carcinogen by the International Agency for Cancer Research appearing on its list 2B of “possibly carcinogenic to humans”. This is because of a few small studies showing that ingestion of high amounts of caffeic acid caused stomach and kidney papillomas (pre-cancer) in rodents. There is no data available regarding cancer in humans. You can read the summary from IARC here.

With just this information you may say, "of course, I do not want this chemical in my skin care products or in my food as I'd rather be safe". However, further investigation shows that caffeic acid is also considered an anti-carcinogen, an antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and immunomodulatory. As an anticancer agent it modulates many aspects of carcinogenesis including stimulating phase II enzymes to detoxify carcinogens entering the body and it stimulates cancer cell death, Topically, it can protect cells from damage caused by UV radiation (such as skin cancer). Many research labs are now studying its effectiveness as an anticancer agent.

Also found on the IARC list 1A of ‘known human carcinogens’ are things like jet fuel, gasoline, radioactivity and aflatoxins; things that would never go into cosmetics in the first place and are already prohibited as being toxic substances. However, there are other chemicals commonly found in natural cosmetics that are on various IARC lists of carcinogens. Here are some, followed by which list they are on:

coffee (2B), alcohol (1), eugenol a constituent of many essential oils (3), mate (Peruvian tea), kojic acid (3), d-limonene (3), microcystin (2B), microcystis extracts (3), progestins (and estrogens) (2B), quercetin (3), tannic acid and tannins (3), tea (3), theobromine (3), theophylline (3), vitamin K (3), stress and titanium dioxide (2B). Estrogen such as in birth control pills is ranked on the 1A list of ‘known human carcinogens”. Keep in mind that use of birth control pills is the number one contributor to the build up of estrogens in the waterways.

A few of these chemicals that I am personally quite fond of in my products include tea, tannic acid, theobromine, theophylline, vitamin K and eugenol. Tea such as green tea is rich in tannic acid, quercetin, theobromine and theophylline. Studies have found that the flavonoids in green tea can prevent signs of aging, inhibit formation of skin cancer and block damaging effects of UV light.

Vitamin K (phylloquinone) is of course an essential chemical necessary for human life and is necessary for blood clotting. Because one study showed that when injected into the peritoneal cavity it caused cancer it is on the list of 'carcinogens'. Vitamin K is found in many herbs and oils including parsley, basil and sea buckthorn oil.

Quercitin, a flavonoid found in many herbs, has been found to be anticarcinogenic, anti-inflammatory and antioxidant. It is found in a wide variety of plants including tea, red wine, berries and herbs.

Microcystis is a blue green algae that produces microcystin. Although it is indeed toxic, it also contaminates some blue green algae extracts making it necessary to test these ingredients.

Kojic acid is derived from a mushroom and used in many products as a natural way to lighten age spots. Eugenol is found in many essential oils including clove, nutmeg, cinnamon, basil and bay leaf. These oils are commonly used in natural perfumery. Many herbs and vegetable oils are rich in phytoestrogens and progestins that are good for moisturizing the skin, providing antioxidants and giving skin that youthful look. Oftentimes these phytoestrogens are referred to as ‘nonsaponifiables’. Oils rich in phytoestrogens include olive oil, rice bran oil, soy oil, wheat germ oil, pumpkin oil, pomegranate oil, sea buckthorn oil, raspberry seed oil and the list goes on and on. If you use vegetable oils in your skin care products, regardless of whether or not they are organic, they may be prohibited by this bill because they contain phytoestrogens.

Because ingredients of vegetable origin are more complex than synthetic ingredients all of their components could not possibly be tested for safety leaving the only ingredients allowable in cosmetics to be highly processed and purified synthetic chemicals unfortunately.

Do You Put Chemicals on Your Face? I Hope So.

2010-07-21T07:46:00.001-07:00

Recent stories have circulated the web about the average woman using more than 515 chemicals on her face daily implying that this was quite dangerous. This number sounded quite low to me so I thought I'd count what I use.

First thing in the morning I take a shower and wash my face with soap and water. Water is dihydrogen monoxide, the first chemical. My handcrafted vegetable oil soap will include the following oils that have been reacted with lye:
Palm oil
coconut oil
shea butter
olive oil
rice bran oil
These oils are made up of many triglycerides and their fatty acids. Fatty acids in palm oil include laurate, myristate, palmitatte, stearate, oleate, linoleate and linolinate. Coconut oil contains similar ones plus caprylic, capric, caproic and arachidic. Olive oil contains similar fatty acids plus many non fatty acid chemicals including squalene, a variety of sterols, esters of tyrosol and hydroxytyrosol, vitamin E (tocopherols), carotenoids and oleuropein. Besides the similar fatty acids listed above, shea butter also contains quite a few non fatty acid components collectively called unsaponifiables. According to wikipedia shea butter contains at least 10 phenolics including catechins. It also includes vitamins A and E. Rice bran oil again contains many phytoestrogens such as the gamma oryzanols. It also contains a unique fatty acid; behenic.

Typically I use lavender soap which contains lavender buds and lavender essential oil. According to Dr. Duke's Phytochemical datab ase, 76 different chemicals have been identified in lavender including nerol, linalol and limonene.

Adding all those up, I've applied over 107 chemicals to my face before even getting out of the shower.

What I put on my face after that can vary. But lets say I then use my parsley eye serum. The ingredient list is: organic macadamia nut oil, olive oil, meadowfoam oil, parsley extract, seabuckthorn oil and rosemary extract.

According to Dr. Dukes Phytochemical database, 204 chemicals have been identified in parsley including petroselinic acid and a mucilage (which identifies a class of chemicals rather than a specific chemical). Macadamia nut oil has many similar fatty acids as were already counted above but also contains palmitoleic acid as well as unique phenolics. Seabuckthorn oil has a wealth of chemicals including a variety of carotenoids. Some sites boast that sea buckthorn has over 30 different carotenoid types. Sea buckthorn also has vitamin K and a variety of phytosterols including beta sitosterol.

Dr. Duke's database again helped me with rosemary showing that there are 240 identified chemicals in rosemary including cineole, betulin and carbone. Meadowfoam oil has a few fatty acids not found in the previous oils including brassic, erucic and gadoleic acids.

So this simple face treatments includes a conservative count of 581 to make a total of 688 chemicals just in the first 30 minutes of waking. I must so above average! Am I worried about applying these chemicals to my face? No. Some use the word 'chemical' to scare people implying that chemicals are bad. I however, know better. Yes, there are some chemicals that are toxic and should not be used.

You might notice that all of the ingredients I have put on my face are considered all natural by most people. All natural products contain more chemicals than any other products because they are so complex. If fact, the numbers stated above are much lower than they are in reality because all the chemicals found in plants have not been completely identified. Its not bad to use chemicals on your face although it may be bad to use toxic chemicals on your face.

Can you imagine using the precautionary principle and testing all the 240 chemicals found in rosemary? It could not be done. But I will not allow alarmist groups to scare me from using my skin care products and I have suffered no ill effects from this.
I'll continue to take my chances and continue to use these safe and beneficial chemicals on my face. What about you??

Taking Time: Hollyhock Dolls

2010-07-15T13:44:00.000-07:00

This time of year can go by pretty quick so be sure to take some time out for silliness. We made these hollyhock dolls this morning just for fun and here they are all together playing. All you do is attach the full bloomed flower to a flower bud with a toothpick. Using them in this way also helps keep them from spreading so much as hollyhocks like to do. I'm thinking of tying them together somehow to make a mobile to hang at the farmer market.
Another fun garden craft to is making lavender wands. I'm not going to tell you how to make those because my friend Tina Sams already has the best description here. I hope next summer to have enough lavender to have a wand making workshop here.
As a kid one activity I always enjoyed in the yard is just tying clover flower stems together to make necklaces and crowns. If you still have roses budding you can also thread them together for a necklace.
We have branches that fall out of our willow trees with every wind. These are flexible enough to be woven together to make small decorative fences (although I do have to save some for extracts for my skin care products). There are probably other trees or shrubs that are also flexible enough to weave. Iris leaves can be woven to make place mats to use for a possible tea party with the fairies.
What are some of your garden craft pass times?

Regional Fauna (Ohio and Colorado)

2010-07-07T06:12:00.001-07:00

Yarrow (Achillea millefolium)

When traveling I can't help but notice the different plants from one place to another. My first experience in this was moving from Ohio to Northern Arizona for college (yes, ages ago). What a difference it was for me moving from lush, almost jungle like growth to the sparsity of plants growing from rocky soil. It took awhile to appreciate the beauty of those tiny mustards growing out of rock.

After spending this week in Ohio it again makes me realize how different Ohio plants are from those of my new Colorado home. Native plants of Ohio include far more trees than Colorado (much of which is considered grassland) such as maples, birch, buckeyes and oaks. Herbacous plants include meadow rue, rose mallow, black eyed Susans, and milkweed. One of my favorites is wild ginger.

Native Colorado plants I am used to include blue columbine, geranium, blue flax, yarrow, penstemon and grape holly. I'll be sure to plant some of these in my new flower bed next year.

Many of the plants we consider wild however are not natives but plants that have become acclimatized and in some cases are considered noxious because they drive out the native plants changing the ecology of the environment. For instance, burdock grows rampant in the fields in Ohio, but it is not native. It was transplanted from Europe centuries ago. Plantain and red clover, both growing in Ohio and Colorado again were brought over by European settlers probably for their medicinal qualities. Its good to know about native plants in your area so you can help preserve them by doing plantings that include them. Do you try to plant natives in your landscape?

What am I harvesting? Feverfew

2010-06-27T08:38:00.000-07:00

Once established Feverfew (Tanacetum parthenium or Chrysanthemum parthenium (L.) Bernh. and Pyrethrum parthenium (L.) is somewhat invasive so you need to keep an eye on it, but I like those types of herbs that don't need to be babied. The flowers are delicate, producing alot of pollen. This herb is most well known as a relief for migraine headaches but can also be used to decrease blood clotting and help with arthritis. It is also very useful as a skin care herb both because it is an an antiinflammatory agent and has been shown to decrease the risk of skin cancer following UV exposure. It is used to calm red and irritated skin. The active ingredient of feverfew is parthenolide, a sesquiterpene lactone derived from its leaves and flowers. Unfortunately, some people do show skin sensitivity to feverfew.

Rue: Do you know this herb?

2010-06-17T06:48:00.001-07:00

I'd forgotten how nice and spicy Rue (Ruta graveolens) smells when rubbed, although some plant descriptions describe this as a negative smell. I have this plant in my front garden by the door. It just started blooming but its blooms are rather humble compared to my peony plant that has a place next to Rue. Its a very strong herb that is toxic in large amounts so I've yet to find a good use for it, but I do love the way it looks and stays somewhat green during the winter. It is said to be good for some neuological pain, headache, arthritis and as an insect repellent. Scientists from UC Davis are looking at compounds in rue to make drugs for rheumatoid arthritis and type 1 diabetes.

There are some recipes for Four Thieves vinegar (said to be effective against the plague) that include Rue although modern recipes rarely have Rue. It is also edible and used to spice cheeses at one time, though again, is rarely used today. It can have an irritating effect on skin and so not used there. Yet I keep it in my garden and enjoy it none the less.

Salad Burnett (Sanguisorba minor)

2010-06-09T21:08:00.000-07:00

Cucumber flavored herb. Add leaves to salads and drinks. If you have it, be sure to eat it now as it gets bitter as the summer progresses. I'll have to give it a try in soap and see how it behaves.

Antiaging ingredients: Vitamin C

2010-06-05T14:52:00.000-07:00

Antiaging ingredients are hot in skin care right now and there are many to be found. Lets go over vitamin C now.

Vitamin C, also called ascorbic acid, is essential for healthy skin and necessary for the synthesis of collagen in the skin. Collagen is a fibrous protein that not only makes up a good portion of the dermis of the skin but also the bones. Scurvy, a rare disease now, occurs with vitamin C deficiencies. Because vitamin C is part of the skin's dermis a deficiency can also show up as increased bruising.

Ascorbic acid is a cofactor for the enzyme prolyl hydroxylase and lysyl hydroxylase. These enzymes are used to add a hydroxyl group (OH) to the amino acids proline and lysine which are found in collagen in high amounts. Once hydroxylated, these amino acids in collagen function to stabilize the three dimensional structure of collagen by cross linking its peptide strands. This is needed to form its fibril structure which is very strong and so gives tissues their strength.

Most plants and animals are able to make their own vitamin C from glucose but not humans. So ingestion of vitamin C is of utmost importance, but topical use is also good. The trouble is that ascorbic acid is not very stable; upon exposure to air it oxidizes rapidly to become not only ineffective but also potentially dangerous. Because of this there have been attempts to alter the molecule somewhat to make it more stable for cosmetic use. Some of these vitamin C derivatives include:

1. Ascorbyl palmitate. This is also referred to as vitamin C ester as it is an ester formed from ascorbic acid and the fatty acid palmitate. This also makes it fat soluble - a useful thing for many cosmetic formulations.

2. Magnesium ascorbyl phosphate and sodium ascorbyl phosphate. These are both water soluble forms of ascorbic acid that are very similar to vitamin C.

Besides using vitamin C to boost collagen production in skin, several synthetic peptides have recently come to market that have the ability to affect transcription of the collagen gene and stimulate collagen production. But we'll talk about those another time.

Foods and herbs high in vitamin C include of course citrus, but also rosehips, parsley, strawberry and elderberry. Any of these could be used to do a fresh facial for the skin. But if you formulate a cosmetic product you will want to use one of the more stable forms of vitamin C. A fruit mask is also good because of the alpha hydroxy acid content and this is the time of year to enjoy masks.

Strawberry Yogurt Face Mask
2-4 tablespoons full fat yogurt
2-3 fresh strawberries
Mash together or put in a small blender until pureed. Apply to face and relax for 5-10 minutes then wash off. Your face should feel great afterward.

Prunella vulgaris (Self Heal)

2010-05-28T20:12:00.000-07:00

This low growing weed is commonly found in lawns in the Eastern US but less so in the Western US. It is commonly called Self-Heal and being in the mint family will grow prolifically. It may be more common in Chinese Medicine where it is used for cardiovascular problems than in Western Herbalism. It is not native to North America but has of course become naturalized and grows mainly as a weed, but has its place in my garden. Prunella is antioxidant rich and contains rosmarinic acid. This phenylpropanoid is an antioxidant and has been show to inhibit cancer. Prunella has also been found to have activity against the Herpes virus that causes cold sores as well as antiinflammatory activity, pain relieving activity and wound healing activity; hence its nickname Self Heal. To me this says it has a place in healing balms and I use it in my healing lip balm. You could also use it as a poultice for various wounds or as a tea to relieve mouth pain from various sores.

The small purple flowers of the plant are edible and can be used in salads, soups or in a tea. Use it as a diuretic, liver stimulant,astringent and antispasmodic. Its nutritional value includes vitamin C, K and B1 as well as antioxidants. Its always great to know how important some of our 'weeds' are.

CrabApple Blossoms

2010-05-19T20:26:00.000-07:00

Wordless Wednesday: looks like a wedding, but these are crabapple blossoms blown off the tree, beautiful.

Using Herbs in Skin Care - an Interview

2010-05-16T17:11:00.000-07:00

I was recently interviewed by Beth Byrne about using botanicals in soaps for an article in The Saponifier. This is a summary of that interview.

1. Name, location, business name, any other background info.

My name is Cindy Jones. My business name is Sagescript Institute and I've recently started calling my line of products "Colorado Aromatics". We moved to a 9 acre property in Longmont CO (45 min north of Denver) almost 3 years ago after spending several years on a large lot in one of Denver's older suburbs. It was my love of herbs that played a big role in my interest in skin care products. It started off as a hobby making products for friends and family and eventually grew into a business when I realized it really encompassed most of my loves including chemistry and physiology.

2. What are some of the botanicals you use most in soapmaking?
Calendula is my favorite and I use it in soap to give a nice color. I use the petals either whole or ground added at trace. Calendula is a wonderful herb that contains a variety of carotenoids. Calendula has been found to improve wound healing so is great for regenerating epithelial cells of the skin. The calendula soap I make also has oatmeal in it and customers have told me it helps their eczema. It makes a very mild soap. Other herbs I use in soap include mint, rosemary, lavender and rosehips. Actually I also just made a chocolate soap with choke cherry skins in it, sort of a Black Forest Soap! I love thinking of herbs to put in soap.

3. Why do you use them?
The main reason I use herbs is because I love them and love growing them! My business has evolved as an agricultural business and to be part of my local farmers market requires that my products be agricultural and so they all contain herbs that I grow. Since herbs have many beneficial properties for skin this has been easy. Of course the benefits of herbs in a wash off product like soap is not going to be as much as a leave on product. But the idea of herbs in soap is definitely aesthetically pleasing and we all know that is important with skin care. Herbs are high in antioxidant flavonoids which are water soluble and extracted in a tea. Flavonoids are stable in high pH like lye so their benefits should come through in a soap. You can use a tea to replace any or all of the water in your soap. Ground herbs used in soap is slightly exfoliating.

Extracts of herbs can also be used in leave on products where they provide more benefits. I sometimes use tinctures because that way I know any microbials have been destroyed. Green tea and rosemary are two that I use frequently as tinctures. Infused oils and water extracts can also be used. When using herbs in skin care though its important to remember that whatever is good for your skin is also good for bacterial or fungal growth so preservation is important. And of course, you know that microbiology testing is another thing Sagescript does!

4. Where do you get your botanicals?
The reason we moved to our farm was so that we could grow plenty of herbs. I am working towards growing all my own herbs but am not there yet. It takes a few years to get good growth on many herbs so patience is important. I am also limited by the amount of time and energy I have and trying to fit everything else in. I grow calendula, mint, comfrey, yarrow, lemon balm, clary sage, plantago, parsely, lavender, fennel, feverfew, sage, thyme, oregano, rose, artemisia, raspberry, rosemary, prunella, hops, chamomile, and others I'm sure I've forgotten. I also grow rose geranium but not alot since it is one that has to go in my sunroom/shed/greenhouse during the winter. I also use these herbs to distill. I love to use the aromatic distillates alone or with added herbs as a toner or haircare product, or in a lotion/cream. When I don't have enough of something I first search for someone local who will let me harvest and if that doesn't work I purchase it from a supplier.

Information from this interview (and others) was published in the May/June 2010 issue of The Saponifier in the article "How You Can Use Botanicals in Soap and Cosmetics" by Beth Byrne.

Dill Lip Balm and I Won!

2010-05-10T20:39:00.000-07:00

I had a new product this weekend at the market; Dill Lip Balm. This balm is not yet on my website but I'll try to get it up asap. Dill has a wonderful fragrance, is good for the skin and improves the mood - where better to use it than on the lips? The lip balm has infused dill oil and dill essential oil. At some point I'll do an entire blog on dill.

Do you ever enter giveaways on blogs? You should. I just won a blog giveaway from Beth Byrne at Soap and Garden. Beth is a writer, herbalist and a soapmaker. I know Beth writes both for The Essential Herbal and for The Saponifier and she probably does alot more that I don't know about. She gave me a Whipped Shea Body Butter and let me choose two soaps. I chose vanilla sandalwood because I love the scent and rarely have it on hand. I also chose the 'Stain Stick' because my son had just gotten an ink stain on his shirt and we are always getting stained up here on the farm. I haven't used it yet though since laundry is a rushed thing for me.

Blog giveaways are great; I'll need to do more blog giveaways myself!

HSMG Cleans Up Denver

2010-05-04T07:07:00.000-07:00

Some entries in the 'Best Looking Soap' Contest

I spent this last weekend with 303 handcrafted soapmakers in Denver Colorado and what a weekend it was. If you are a soapmaker you should certainly consider this even for next year. It was a wonderful, educational, and entertaining weekend.

Living an hour away, I drove in on Friday morning in time to hear keynote speaker, Ambassador Carol Moseley Braun encouraging us to take 'care' and think about how our decisions and actions (both personal and business) influence the world. It was quite an inspiring speech with great thoughts for small business owners and a great way to start the conference. The rest of the day was packed with great talks that made some choices difficult.

One of the talks was mine on "The Nature of Chemistry". I was nervous wondering how many soapmakers would be interested enough to sit through an hour of chemistry, but people actually came! I thought it went well and got some good feedback. It encourages me to get my chemistry class and skin physiology class finished and online. If you were there feel free to let me know what you thought in the comments. On Friday night Debbie May from Wholesale Supplies Plus hosted a party and gave away thousands of dollars of gift certificates as well as shared great business advice.

The next day started with aromatherapist Robert Tisserand. Wish I'd brought my copy of "The Practice of Aromatherapy" for him to sign. Robert has a gift for critical thinking and puts alot of information in perspective. If you don't read his blog you should; http://roberttisserand.com/blog/. After that it was again a day packed with hard choices. I enjoyed the open business advice given by both Debbie May of Wholesale Supply Plus and Kayla Fioravanti of Essential Wholesale in separate talks.

Later that evening was a party thrown by Essential Wholesale that included drinks, dinner, and exceptional entertainment; a very generous gift from Kayla and Dennis Fioravanti! I think Dennis and Kayla agree that being able to laugh hard is probably a very good thing we can all do for our businesses!

Sunday's programs were just as good and included Donna Marie Coles Johnson who talked about using video on your blog, Marie Gale on labeling and Kevin Dunn educating and entertaining us with his scientific soapmaking (and thoughts on white flecks). This was followed by the Awards Dinner which ended the 2010 conference.

Throughout the meeting were raffle drawings (tickets were sold 25 for $20). The prizes went on and on. I won a bag of clays and kelp from Essential Wholesale (any ideas on how to use kelp?) and a kit for a hair mask from MakingCosmetics.com. I'll enjoy playing with both of these. Sagescript donated a microbiology testing as well. I didn't see who won that so hopefully they will get in touch with me.

Although everything about the conference was good one of the best things was being able to meet people that I have known for years but never meat in person. I look forward to future meetings.

The Farm in Spring

2010-04-28T16:33:00.000-07:00

Colorado had a long cold winter with lots of snow and a good amount of rain in April. With temperatures gradually warming the gardens should do well this summer as long as we can keep them watered during the heat of summer. Chives, clary sage, mint, parsley as well as hops and southernwood are all growing well so far.

Over the winter I have gone over what herbs I used the most of and what I need more of. This summer I will find more room for calendula. I probably use calendula more than any other herb in my products. It is high in carotenoids which help skin cells grow to promote wound healing and help replenish epithelial cells. This is always important but becomes more so as we age. I’ll need more calendula for my own products as well as with hopes of selling calendula extracts this summer. I will also be offering green tea extracts, rosemary extracts, plantain, red clover and raspberry extracts for those interested in using them in products. They are all very good herbs for skin care.

Mint is also low but I know that just being one year older will make a big difference in how abundant their stems are. I make a mint infused oil to use in many of my products as mint helps to soften the skin and leaves a nice feel. I’ll be putting in more lavender of course, probably one to two more rows and then have to decide if I want to dig up pasture for additional lavender. Perhaps another rose bush, but again, with one more year’s growth my roses should be flourishing this summer. I choose my roses based on having high fragrance. I use ground rose petals in soap, salt scrub and facial steams and would like to have enough to distill for the aromatic water. I also make infused oil from rose petals that I think will be an ingredient in my olive oil cleanser.

Much of my time right now is taken up in getting products ready for the Farmers Market. Summer of course is busy for all gardeners and sometimes its hard to find enough time for anything else. Having a high number of products at the beginning of the summer makes it easier to fit in time for weeding, watering, planting, harvesting and drying. I may have to look for help this summer in the form of an apprentice who will trade work for learning experience. If you are interested or know someone who is please point them in my direction.

Besides planning for this year’s plantings I like to go through what dried herbs I have from last year and use up what I have leftover. One fun way to use up these herbs is to do a steam facial. Almost any herbs will work for this but rose, lavender, fennel and mint are especially good for a steam facial. Put a handful of dried herbs in a bowl and pour boiling water over it. Hold your head over the bowl with a towel over your head to help hold in the steam. Let the steam rise to your skin to hydrate, clean your pores and relax your body. What herbs do you have to use up before you harvest this summer?

Skin Deep - Scratching Below the Surface

2010-04-22T19:25:00.000-07:00

I've been part of an ongoing discussion on the Cosmetics and Beauty Network on LinkedIn recently regarding safe cosmetics. We all agree that cosmetics should be safe but their are several groups that are spreading falsehoods on the internet with the intent of scaring the consumer. For instance, you may have read an article recently that women are using 515 chemicals on their body each day in their skin care products. Well, I'm not saying whether they do or not, but what are those 515 chemicals and what does it matter as long as they are safe? I mean water is a chemical as is oleic acid in olive oil. This story is being used by many Arbonne representatives with the implication that their products are safer. Since Arbonne does not put ingredient lists on their products its hard to say. I for one would never buy cosmetics that did not have an ingredient list on them though; not telling the consumer what is in a product does not make it safe. The Campaign for Safe Cosmetics and the Environmental Working Group are two other groups working hand in hand to scare consumers by spreading falsehoods not only about ingredients but about the way FDA regulates cosmetics. FDA does have regulations on cosmetics that can be read here http://www.fda.gov/Cosmetics/GuidanceComplianceRegulatoryInformation/ucm074162.htm

These discussions on safety introduced me to Dene Godfrey, President of the Society of Cosmetics Science in the UK. Thanks go to Dene for writing this guest blog addressing some of the problems he sees with the Environmental Working Group and their safety ratings of cosmetics. Myself and many of my colleagues who have small skin care and cosmetics businesses and also produce high quality, safe, natural and organic products feel the need to stand up for the truth so that consumers have an option to read reliable information rather than the hype that is put out there by groups promoting sensationalism rather than truth. Now here's Dene's post:

SKIN DEEP
Scratching Below The Surface
by Dene Godfrey

From the EWG web site:
“The mission of the Environmental Working Group (EWG) is to use the power of public information to protect public health and the environment. EWG is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, founded in 1993 by Ken Cook and Richard Wiles.
In 2002, we founded the EWG Action Fund, a 501(c)(4) organization that advocates on Capitol Hill for health-protective and subsidy-shifting policies.
EWG specializes in providing useful resources (like Skin Deep and the Shoppers' Guide to Pesticides in Produce) to consumers while simultaneously pushing for national policy change.”

From the Skin Deep home page:
“In 2004 we launched Skin Deep, an online safety guide for cosmetics and personal care products. Our aim was to fill in where companies and the government leave off: companies are allowed to use almost any ingredient they wish, and our government doesn't require companies to test products for safety before they're sold. EWG's scientists built Skin Deep to be a one-of-a-kind resource, integrating our in-house collection of personal care product ingredient listings with more than 50 toxicity and regulatory databases.
Now in its fourth year and third major update, our Skin Deep database provides you with easy-to-navigate safety ratings for nearly a quarter of all products on the market — 54,866 products with 8,983 ingredients. At about one million page views per month, Skin Deep is the world's largest and most popular product safety guide”

The aims of both the EWG and their Skin Deep database are laudable – who could disagree that cosmetics should be safe? I doubt that any responsible manufacturer would ever knowingly put their customers at risk by placing products on the market that are not safe for their intended use. EWG insist that there is virtually no regulation of cosmetics in the USA, but this is not the case. The FDA requires that manufacturers do not place products on the market that are unsafe to human health and, whilst there may not be the same level of regulation as in , for example, the European Union, it is not true to say that cosmetics are unregulated. The EWG/Skin Deep promote themselves as the champions of safety (in cosmetics, for the purposes of this paper), but this is not actually what they achieve.

The database uses an impressive array of numbers (of products and data sources) and an impressive-looking amount of detailed explanation as to how their system of classification works, including some complicated-looking formulae. For the fine detail, click on

www.cosmeticsdatabase.com/about.php#3

The mainstays of this system are the following:

“Hazard (concern) rating. We developed a hazard rating that represents a synthesis of known and suspected hazards associated with ingredients and products. Hazard ratings within Skin Deep are shown as low, moderate, or higher concern categories, with numeric rankings spanning those categories that range from 0 (low concern) to 10 (higher concern).

Data gap rating. We developed a data gap rating within Skin Deep, primarily to describe the extent to which low hazard scores associated with some ingredients or products are based on definitive data demonstrating safety or, at the other extreme, on a near absence of data either demonstrating or disproving hazard. Data gap ratings are represented within Skin Deep by a numeric percentage ranging from 100% (complete absence of safety data) to 0% (comprehensive safety data). “

Already, several concerns creep in:

1) It is not possible (at least, not without a high degree of subjectivity) to assign a numerical value to a hazard. A hazard is a hazard. It is not logical to compare something that is highly corrosive to something that is toxic by ingestion – it is the same as comparing apples with pears.
2) On whose authority is the “suspected” hazard determined. Again, this is highly subjective. If there are no data, how is it possible to suspect a hazard?
3) How is it possible to rate a data gap so empirically? The impact of any data gap is wholly dependent upon the nature of the data that are missing.
4) They make the statement – “A hazard rating of "low concern" (shown as a green circle in Skin Deep) might be rated in that category because of definitive data proving its safety, or because of a near absence of any safety studies that would illuminate hazards.” How can absence (or near absence) of data ever be shown to illuminate hazards?
5) They claim to offer “safety ratings” – they do not – they only offer hazard ratings.

On looking more closely into the database and, specifically, at various products and their hazard scores, there are many obvious issues. There is a group of closely-related compounds that are assigned hazard scores entirely the opposite of their true relative hazardous nature. There are examples of the same chemical being listed under two different names with different hazard scores.

One word that has arisen many times in this discussion, and on the Skin Deep database is “hazard”, and therein lies the basic issue with Skin Deep. It is entirely based on hazard, with no attempt whatsoever to evaluate risk. It is not possible to evaluate safety of the basis of hazard alone. If a chemical was in existance that required only a single molecule to kill a human, that would be described as extremely hazardous. However, if only one molecule of that chemical actually existed, then the chance of human exposure is insignificant, and the risk to human health is also insignificant. I use an extreme example to better explain the relationship between hazard and risk, which may be summarised as follows:

RISK = HAZARD x EXPOSURE

Because the database only highlights the hazard of the ingredient, there is no possible way the consumer can know the actual risk involved in its presence in a cosmetic product. In our daily lives we constantly assess risk, albeit mostly subconciously. If we avoided every hazard without ever considering risk, we would never cross a road, and we would never stay in our homes (as the majority of accidents occur in the home, so there is a definite hazard associated with being at home). As it is nonsense to live our lives with assessing risk, it is equally nonsense to avoid any particular chemical without assessing the risk. It may even be the case that high exposure to a product classified by Skin Deep as zero is less safe than low exposure to a product classified as 10 on this database. Therefore, the database offers no useful information on the safety of cosmetic products, and is misleading to consumers.

Regarding hazard, it is possible, given the correct dose and route of administration to establish a hazard for EVERY chemical in existence, be it natural or synthetic. If anyone decided to carry out an inhalation study using any chemical either in vapour, mist or powder form, it would result in death. The only substance that would not have this effect is air (although the individual components of air would cause death), and even inhalation of too much air too quickly can result in dizziness and unconsciousness. Therefore every chemical is hazardous.

For a little light relief, I suggest that you investigate the extreme hazards posed by dihydrogen monoxide by clicking on the link below:

www.snopes.com/science/dhmo.asp

The treatement of data gaps is of particular concern. This is, again, highly subjective. Some ingredients with 100% data gaps are assigned zero, but others are assigned 3, or higher. How is it possible to assign a hazard rating when there are no data? It is entirely possible that many companies, appreciative of the marketing benefits of being able to claim a zero hazard rating on Skin Deep, are designing products specifically using ingredients with a zero hazard rating. There is certainly at least one company using this tactic. This means that products are being manufactured using ingredients with no safety data! Given that the EWG make great play of their claim that the USA do not regulate cosmetics, is it wise of them to encourage this practise, albeit tacitly?

The use of hazard classification alone enables Skin Deep to provoke concern amongst consumers. Without this concern, they would get little in the way of donations.

Another quote from the EWG site:

"Under federal law, companies can put virtually anything they wish into personal care products, and many of them do. Mercury, lead, and placenta extract — all of these and many other hazardous materials are in products that millions of Americans, including children, use every day," said Jane Houlihan, Vice President of Research at EWG.

This strongly implies that mercury and lead are deliberately added into cosmetic products which (apart from a few mercury-based products used as skin-whiteners) is simply not true. Again, the comment focusses on hazard only. I am not going to comment on placenta extract as I don't know why anyone would want to use that in the first place, and I am not sure of the potential risks involved in its use., but this is more evidence of manipulation of information in order to scare consumers in a misleading manner.

At the 2010 Expo West (which, for the benefit of those not based in the US, is the largest natural products show in the country) the Environmental Working Group's Skin Deep Safety Review Group's booth reportedly had a banner which read "If you can't pronounce it, it can't be safe"!

Following this logic it must be the case that if you CAN pronounce it, it must be safe. Try pronouncing “hydrogen cyanide”.

Two final quotes from the Skin Deep web site:

“This scoring system does not account for individual sensitivities or differences between the severities of different health endpoints within a particular category.”

And at the head of every product’s hazard rating:

“Given the incomplete information made available by companies and the government, EWG provides additional information on personal care product ingredients from the published scientific literature. The chart below indicates that research studies have found that exposure to one or more ingredients in this product -- not the product itself -- caused the indicated health effect(s) in the studies reviewed by Skin Deep researchers. Actual health risks, if any, will vary based on the level of exposure to the ingredient and individual susceptibility -- information not available in Skin Deep.” (My bold type; not Skin Deep’s)

Does the average consumer looking at the database even read these disclaimers, never mind understand that they are saying that their ratings refer to the individual ingredients and that information on the ACTUAL health risks of the product in question is not available in Skin Deep?

In summary, the Skin Deep database does not offer any insight into the true safety in use of any cosmetic product. Indeed, by encouraging the use of ingredients with no supporting toxicity data, they are risking the health of the very consumers they pupport to be seeking to protect. This database should be radically amended (and corrected) to better reflect it’s true worth, or closed down.

Dene Godfrey, 20 April 2010

Book Review: Botany in a Day

2010-04-16T11:15:00.000-07:00

Although it actually took me more than a day to read this book, I enjoyed every minute of it. Rather than using the laborious method of “keying out” plants, this book discusses similarities that plants within a given family share. For instance, all roses have 5 petals and numerous stamens. The majority of plants in this book are found in the Rocky Mountain region, but plants from across the county are represented. Looking at patterns seems a more natural way to learn any type of biology as it is a way of categorizing and keeping things straight. Elpel describes ach family of plants by just a few key words to remember. For instance, the Saxifrage family (Saxifragaceae) is a small plant with small flowers, usually 5 separate petals, plus an oblong ovary with 2 styles.

The book starts with a tutorial to bring the reader up to speed on basic taxonomic information, classification systems, evolution of plants, terminology and basic information on some plant families. Elpel then introduces each botanical family with a short description of anatomical features and then significant genera within that family are listed with a brief description. There are no photographs in the book but the illustrations are detailed. There is also a short section on medicinal properties of plants which is presented from the perspective of the phytochemicals in plants.

Now that I know that members of the mustard family have 4 petals with 6 stamen – 4 tall and 2 short and they are all edible, family hikes become much more interesting. We identify the mustards along the way and compare their taste!

Being more of a human biologist than a plant biologist, keys have always caused me grief. Elpel also gives some basic instruction on how to use a key. I suppose a seasoned botanist might find this book a little boring, but a good audience would be the herbalist, hobbyist, gardener or beginning botanist – as well as those of us on the other side of biology who don’t want to be burdened by a key.

This is the fifth edition of Botany in a Day, the first one being printed in 1996. I haven’t compared all of them, but each edition has been expanded and revised. Rather than being just a guide to accompany a field trip, this is actually a book you will enjoy reading by the fire! Some of the proceeds from sales of this book are donated to a Montana park founded by the author, 3 Rivers Park.

Spring Fennel Salad

2010-04-04T17:32:00.001-07:00

Fennel bulb is such an interesting vegetable to eat but I rarely know how to make it. I found a recipe for fennel cucumber salsa here and adapted it for my family. Unfortunately I didn't get a picture.

In a chopper put:
1 peeled cucumber diced
1 fennel bulb diced
1/2 red onion chopped
1 small jalapeno pepper chopped
several stems of cilantro and parsley

Chop lightly in chopper. Hand chop 1 avocado. Mix vegetables together and pour dressing over vegetables.
Dressing:
2 tablespoons honey
3 tablespoons lemon juice
salt and pepper to taste

I served this for Easter on top of a bed of lettuce. It was delicious.

This and That:
If you are near Longmont, you can buy Colorado Aromatics products at the Taste of Wellness Saturday at the St. Vrain Memorial Building in Roosevelt Park.

Kayla at Essential U has been running a series of articles about small business owners. I thank her for this post on my business, click here.

Spring Herbs

2010-03-26T09:32:00.000-07:00

Spring is a time of joyous anticipation, which in Colorado comes between major snow falls. Under that snow however, I know the herbs are starting to stir and getting all the moisture they need. Chives for me is the first sign of spring. I have a small clump near my back door and the sun shines there to melt the snow pretty quickly. I'll probably snip a few inches of chives to put in cream cheese to have with my bagel. They don't dry well so enjoy your chives now (or freeze some). Clary sage, mint and parsley are also visible at times.

At this time of year I am also thinking about what herbs I didn't have enough of last year so that I can plan to put more in. Among these are calendula, mint, lavender and rose. Calendula I probably use the most of in my skin care products. It is high in carotenoids which help skin cells grow to promote wound healing and help replenish the epithelial cells. This is always important but becomes more so as we age.

Given one extra year mint will probably grow quite sufficient this summer so I won't worry about putting more of that in. I make a mint infused oil to use in many of my products as mint helps to soften the skin and leaves a nice feel. I’ll be putting in more lavender of course, probably one to two more rows. Perhaps another rose bush, but again, with one more year’s growth my roses should be flourishing this summer. I choose my roses based on having high fragrance.

Here are some other things I've seen around the beds.
Sorrel is up, maybe this year I'll remember to make some sorrel soup.

Dandelion is always one of the first to appear. I'll pick a few leaves off these to add to a salad. They are quite good when young, especially among other salad greens.And here is salad burnett which I can also pick now for a salad along with what looks to be like calendula leaves starting to pop through.

Besides planning for this year’s plantings I like to go through what dried herbs I have from last year and use up what is left. One fun way to use up these herbs is to do a steam facial. Almost any herbs will work for this but rose petals, chamomile, mint and fennel are some favorites. Put a handful of dried herbs in a bowl and pour boiling water over it. Hold your head over the bowl with a towel over your head to help hold in the steam. Let the steam rise to your skin to hydrate, clean your pores and relax your body. What herbs do you have to use up before you harvest this summer?

This is part of a blog party hosted by Cory Trusty. Who by the way is a Floridian so probably is doing lots with herbs right now and may not understand the northerners snowy spring! You can see what she is up to here:
http://aquarianbath.blogspot.com

Wooden Soap Box

2010-03-25T21:32:00.000-07:00

Wordless Wednesday.

These are soapboxes my husband has made for me.
Cindy
http://sagescript.blogspot.com

Caffeine; friend or foe?

2010-03-23T13:14:00.000-07:00

Some of us are quite dependent on our morning caffeine usually in the form of coffee or tea. Caffeine is in a chemical class called alkaloids which was first defined as a natural substance that reacts like a base, or alkali. Although they don’t have a strict definition, most alkaloids are derived from amino acids and because of that they contain a nitrogen group. They are typically described as having a bitter taste that is tasted more at the back of the tongue. Having their atoms arranged in a ring structure as seen in these structural diagrams is also typical. Notice the 4 nitrogens (N) in both xanthine and caffeine.

Caffeine is more descriptively a xanthine as is theophylline (found in tea) and theobromine (found in cocoa).

Caffeine stimulates the central nervous system which results in increased alertness and thought formation. Other sources of caffeine include yerba mate and guarana plants which are sometimes used for weight loss and increased energy as well as cocoa. Caffeine can also act as an antioxidant, protecting the body from free radical damage.

In addition, caffeine appears to have some anti-inflammatory and vasoconstriction effects which has brought it to the attention of those interested in skin care. It has recently been found in many anti-cellulite products. Some short term studies have shown a positive effect with topical use of caffeine, but no long term improvements have been documented. Caffeine is metabolized in the liver to paraxanthine which has an effect on fat to break it down. Green tea w caffeine has been found to inhibit formation of skin tumors in mice. Tea and coffee both make good additions to skin care in my opinion because they are high in antioxidants. Ground coffee is great in soap and can help remove other less desirable smells (fish?).

Caffeine is similar in structure to another naturally occurring alkaloid in the body, adenosine. Adenosine acts in the body to help promote sleep. Now caffeine is not similar enough in shape to act the same way as adenosine, but rather it blocks adenosine from acting. This blocks the promotion of sleep – or wakes us up! Caffeine can also increase levels of the ‘pleasure inducing’ neurotransmitters dopamine and serotonin making us ‘feel good’. This may be one reason many people enjoy a caffeine drink after dinner. Of course caffeine can be overused and lead to heart rhythm disorders, anxiety, insomnia and mood changes. Withdrawal can cause headache and irritability. So enjoy your caffeine in small amounts.

Just an fyi; There was recently a bill proposed in Colorado by the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics and the Colorado Women's Lobby that would have banned the use of coffee in skin care products because it is a possible carcinogen according to the International Agency for Research on Cancer list 2B. This bill was turned down thankfully as it would have banned a number of other natural ingredients used in cosmetics. Care needs to be taken when organizations who propose to be protecting us get carried away. So for now you can continue to use coffee in your scrubs and soaps, but be vigilant as to what legislation may be around the corner.

Purslane fights xenoestrogens!

2010-03-10T19:43:00.000-08:00

There has been some talk lately about environmental estrogens and for good reason. The National Toxicology Program has some concern that these endocrine disruptors may cause problems with human development and reproduction. Endocrine disrupters act like hormones to interfere with normal function of body hormones such as estrogen. These xenoestrogens can be byproducts of industrial, agricultural and chemical companies and can act as estrogens in both humans and wildlife causing potential ecological and human health impact.
One of these endocrine disruptors is Bisphenol A or BPA which is produced in the production of polycarbonate plastics and epoxy resins. It can be found in foods and beverages because of leaching from packaging. Plastics made from BPA typically have a #7 on the bottom as their recycling code.

http://www.niehs.nih.gov/news/media/questions/sya-bpa.cfm
An interesting study recently has found that the common garden weed, purslane, may have a very practical use in removing BPA from landfill leachates and industrial wastewater, a process known as bioremediation.
In this study, Japanese scientists from Osaka University incubated bacteria free cultures of Portulaca oleracea (purslane) with the endocrine disruptor, bisphenol A (BPA). The concentration of BPA used was one that is frequently detected in landfill leachates (50 micromolar).
BPA levels in the water began decreasing almost immediately after incubation with P. oleracea with more that 90% of the BPA removed from the water within a 24 hour period. Controls were used to verify that BPA removal did not occur without the presence of the plant. In addition to looking for the actual presence of the BPA chemical, activity measurements confirmed that BPA was indeed removed from the water.
Scientists confirmed that the plant was not simply absorbing the BPA and accumulating it in its own tissue and speculated that the plant was metabolizing BPA into a compound that does not have endocrine-disrupting activity.
Besides BPA, scientists also found that P. oleracea was able to remove several other previously identified endocrine disruptors as well. Although over 100 typical garden plants were used in this study, P. oleracea was the most successful.
As if this weren’t enough, purslane is an edible weed that is very high in omega 3 fatty acids. In many parts of the world it is eaten as a vegetable. It should be coming up in many areas now as spring approaches. Look for it in your yard and consider tossing some in a salad – of course make sure it is grown in a clean place.

Imai, S. Shiraishe, A., Gamo, K., et al., Removal of phenolic endocrine disruptors by Portulaca oleracea. J. Biosci. Bioeng. 2007;420-426.

Saving Our Natural Skin Care Products

2010-03-02T14:55:00.000-08:00

Monday was a small victory for those of us in the skin care business. The Colorado Legislative Committee turned down a bill that would have eliminated many of the ingredients used by both small and large manufacturers and loved by customers. Ironically, the very people who are trying to take these things away from us are the people telling you they are trying to protect them; the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics. Its very unclear to me what their motive is and that of their parent group the Environmental Working Group. Out of an apparent fear of chemistry they want to ban an extraordinary number of chemicals from skin care, chemicals that we eat in our food everyday. Their fear of chemistry is such that it prevents them from seeing that many of the chemicals they would like to ban are ubiquitous chemicals occurring naturally in our environment; chemicals that compose the aroma molecules of essential oils, the antioxidants of vegetable oils, and miscellaneous molecules of fruits, vegetables and herbs. Did the relatively few small businesses that supported this bill even read the list of substances to be banned? I doubt it. If they had they would see that passing this bill would have made it impossible for any cosmetic company to manufacture or sell in the state of Colorado, including themselves. Following is a summary of the afternoon in the legislature.

Initially there was much questioning directed toward Representative Primavera about wording of the bill and why the EU should govern what we do. It was decided that those opposed to the bill would speak first with a total time limit for the entire opposition at 40min (not including questions). The Personal Care Products Council (a trade organization) was the first to speak addressing that the US has had legislation in place to control cosmetics ingredients for many years, longer than the EU.

Some of the speakers were:
Dr. Richard Adamson, NIH, Dr. Philip Guzelian, University of Colorado, Mike Thompson and John Bailey, Personal Care Products Council, Tim Long, Proctor and Gamble, Jordan Lipp a private lawyer, Alan Lewis of Vitamin Cottage, Jerrel & Ellisa Klaver from Salus, one Avon sales associate and myself, Cindy Jones, Ph.D. of Sagescript Institute.

Testimony included these points:
Most things on the list are not carcinogenic or not carcinogenic at levels found in cosmetics.
FDA oversees cosmetics and has done so since the 1970's (Long before the EU did).
Even though the EU bans 1100 chemicals from cosmetics most of those have no relation to cosmetics and include things like diesel fuel.
Many things on the list are regulated more in the US because they are considered OTC drugs here whereas in Europe they are not.
The bill would hurt not only large business but also small businesses making it impossible to manufacture or sell cosmetics in Colorado.
Even considering just the amended version of the bill; because analytical testing ability for substances like lead and arsenic are so sensitive it would be impossible to find any product that did not contain these ubiquitous molecules.
Substances on the lists including acetaldehyde, caffeic acid, methyleugenol, 5-methoxy psoralen, (2-ethylhexyl)phthalate, and safrole may sound scary, but are a natural part of many fruits, vegetables, herbs and essential oils. Non-steroidal estrogens are a natural part of vegetable oils.
There is no evidence that anyone has been harmed by any of the ingredients on the lists.
The law is most likely unconstitutional and opens things wide for law suits that do not have to show harm or even have a client.

Those speaking in favor of the bill included Susan Rolle of the Women's Lobby and cofounder of the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics. In favor of the bill she said "I wish we had more science but we don't". She mentioned several times that cosmetics companies sold different, safer products in the EU than here, but when pressed she could only name one company who did that and sold nail products rather than skin products.
Their scientific expert, Dr. David Norris from University of Colorado, is an environmental ecologist. He addressed the number of environmental estrogens in the waterways and their effects on fish. But he admitted that they probably do not come from cosmetics and that there was no way to identify naturally occurring ones from those that originated in cosmetics. Other proponents included an RN who didn't like the chemical smell of one of the hospital products she was using and a business owner who thought that natural was better. And no, I don't know what these statements had to do with the bill either.

I want to thank Proctor and Gamble, Johnson & Johnson, Estee Lauder, and the Personal Care Products Council for coming. We didn't expect big business there but were glad for the support. Next time call ahead and you can take some small business leaders to dinner!

So there may be some work to do in the cosmetics field to make it safer and perhaps 'self-policing' is not working as well as it should, broad legislation that makes it impossible to work within its bounds is ridiculous. And adding new laws is rarely the answer to any problem.

Hopefully my next blog post will be something more fun.

Colorado Safe Cosmetics Bill

2010-02-24T12:35:00.000-08:00

A bill was recently introduced into the Colorado House that is of concern to me and should be a concern to other manufacturers and users of cosmetics, House Bill 1248 the Colorado Safe Personal Care Products Act. With good intent this bill proposes to make our cosmetics and personal care products safer. Who could argue that? But there are flaws with the bill that would diminish the aesthetic value of our cosmetics and harm small businesses while doing nothing to actually protect the cosmetic user. The author of this bill, Rep. Diane Primavera (D-Broomfield), is a cancer survivor. With no obvious answers as to why she got cancer she decided to blame her personal care products and thought steps should be taken to protect them. Well I’m not saying there is no work to be done in making cosmetics safer, but let me explain some of this bill to you. This bill bans cosmetics that contain any substance deemed a carcinogen or probable carcinogen by the following:

EPA Group A, Group B1 and Group 2B

International Research Committee on Cancer group 1, Group 2A and Group 2B

National Toxicology Program list of reproductive toxicity

NIOSH list of potential occupational carcinogens

Or identified by the FDA as a carcinogen.

One argument for this bill has been that in the European Union roughly 1,100 chemicals are banned from cosmetics while the Food and Drug Administration only bans 10. However, numbers can be deceiving and many of the 1,100 chemicals that are banned are not things that are even used in cosmetics. Nor are most of the substances found on the above lists would never be used in cosmetics. Do we really need to take the time to outlaw glass wool and plutonium from our cosmetics when they would not be used in the first place?

After reading over the lists, there are a few things on the lists of interest that you may want to know about.

1. Alcohol (ethanol) – Sure excessive drinking can cause liver damage and cancer. However, there is no evidence that alcohol on the skin causes any damage. Some cosmetics companies are using alcohol as an alternative preservative to prevent bacterial growth. Alcohol is also a common solvent used by natural perfumers.

2. Lead – no, lead should not be in cosmetics, however, lead is found in probably all water sources. Since this bill does not address limits, any product containing water could be banned.

3. Coffee – did you have your cup this morning? I hope you didn’t get it on your skin. Coffee is used in some cosmetics products such as shower scrubs because there is evidence that it can help prevent cellulite.

4. Pickled vegetables – ok, not a cosmetic ingredient but should a pickle with your sandwich be outlawed?

5. Methyl eugenol – this name may sound daunting but methyl eugenol is a wonderfully aromatic chemical that is found in essential oils of basil, citronella, cinnamon, rose as well as others. Will you really stand by and let someone take roses away from you?

6. Caffeic acid – Again, although the name may sound daunting, caffeic acid is an incredible molecule found in many plants. Many studies have found that caffeic acid can be protective against cancer. How it got on the carcinogens list is beyond me.

7. Estrogens – estrogens are a very large family of molecules that interact with the estrogen receptor. Some are thought to stimulate growth leading to cancer, others can block growth leading to cancer. Phytoestrogens from plants are known to be beneficial to the skin and slow the aging process. Many vegetable oils are high in phytoestrogens and used in skin care for the purpose of antiaging. These include rice bran oil, olive oil, safflower oil, grapeseed oil, shea butter and almond oil. These and more would be disallowed.

8. Safrole- Another aromatic oil found in cinnamon and sassafras.

What this says is that any blanket list needs to be properly interpreted. Route of administration as well as dosage are important considerations. For instance, most cosmetic products contain water which is generally considered safe. However, water by inhalation is fatal. The American Cancer Society warns carcinogens do not always cause cancer or under all circumstances and that a list says nothing about the likelihood of an agent causing cancer.

Cancer research has been a big part of my life. As a scientist I spent 15 or more years studying and researching toxicology and cancer. One thing that I know is that we really do not know in much detail what causes cancer. But we do know that no one has died or gotten cancer from cosmetics products. However, people have gone blind and gotten serious infections from improperly preserved cosmetics. Cancer has also touched my life personally. I have had two siblings die of cancer so I understand the pain of cancer. But this bill is not a solution. The American Institute for Cancer Research suggests that 60% of cancer could be decreased by lifestyle changes that include; loosing weight, stop smoking, decrease alcohol consumption, exercise and eat 9 servings of fruits and vegetables a day.

This bill also puts enforcement on the private citizen allowing a consumer to sue any company using any ingredient on the above lists. The bill is supported by an alarmist group called the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics. Some companies who have signed this agreement will be in violation of this bill. If it passes will they change their formulas or just hope that they are not found out and continue to use the logo for marketing purposes?

What are your thoughts?

Link to news:
http://www.9news.com/rss/article.aspx?storyid=132829
Link to the Bill
http://www.leg.state.co.us/CLICS/CLICS2010A/csl.nsf/fsbillcont3/399D0F36FF7CAE54872576BD006FDDEC?Open&file=1248_01.pdf

Links to other articles
http://essentialu.typepad.com/my_weblog/2010/02/colorado-safe-personal-care-products-act-take-action-immediately.html

http://www.soapguild.org/blog/2010/02/from-the-president-colorado-safe-personal-care-products-act/

http://soap-queen.blogspot.com/2010/02/you-can-die-from-salt-too.html

http://www.indiebusinessblog.com/2009/11/02/campaign-for-safe-cosmetics-a-new-report
/comment-page-1/

http://roberttisserand.com/2010/02/tunnel-vision/

Old Fashioned Valentine's Day

2010-02-14T01:09:00.000-08:00

Kids exchange the craziest Valentine's Day cards now. I really like these old ones. I found these cards in an old trunk of my Father's after he died. They are cards he evidently exchanged in school. In celebration of this feast of St. Valentine I wanted to share these with you along with some of their contents:

I cannot turn my thoughts away from you, My Valentine.
To-day, and if I had the wings to glide I'd soon be standing at your side!

Orators have shouted forth
Their wise and flowery speeches
But I can't say a thing except
"Lets you and I be Each's"

People love flower
Flowers love dew
Some may love others
But I love you.

Come back to me
Send me a line
Its you I want -
My Valentine

If a body meets a body
Looking thru a fence
Can't a body Kiss a body
Without great offense?

Have a great Valentine's weekend everyone.

Cranberry Bread

2010-02-07T11:21:00.000-08:00

Its cold and snowy outside again good day for baking. We've got cranberries in the refrigerator and our chickens have started laying a few more eggs; enough that I can use for baking at least. When they come into full force in the spring maybe I'll make some egg soap?? But here is the cranberry bread recipe I made this morning:

Mix together
1/2 cup butter
3 eggs
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 1/2 cups buttermilk
1 tablespoon grated orange peel

Add and mix well with a beater
4 cups flour
1 Tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt

Add
3/4 cup coarsely chopped walnuts
2 cups chopped cranberries

Put mixture into 2 loaf pans.

Bake at 350°F for 55 to 60 minutes or until done (a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean). Cool in pan for 10 minutes then eat! Great for a cold day.

Now I hope the snow stops by the time we go to our SuperBowl Party.

Kitchen Cosmetics Blog Party

2010-01-20T19:22:00.000-08:00

Winter has done a good job of making itself known this year I'm sure everyone is suffering from dry skin that needs a pick me up. Because of this I decided to host a blog party on kitchen cosmetics. A blog party is when several blogs link together and post an entry on a similar topic. Be sure to read to the bottom of this entry for the other participants in this party.

Besides the wonderful skin care products offered by Colorado Aromatics and other small independent companies, there is also alot that you can do for your skin in your own kitchen using simple ingredients. My all time favorite is the yogurt facial. Use full fat yogurt though, although not good for your arteries, high fat is best for your skin. Yogurt contains alpha hydroxy acid (lactic acid) which will help to exfoliate the dead skin cells to leave your face looking rejuvenated with fewer fine lines.

Yogurt facial
1 small container of yogurt - I use plain but a fruit yogurt would be ok too.
1 tablespoon of dried herbs - this can vary depending upon what you have in your spice cabinet.

Parsley is great for its high vitamin A, C and K content. Other good herbs for the face that you might find in your spice cabinet are fennel, sage, basil and calendula. You might also check your tea cabinet and try chamomile or mint.

Mix the herbs in the yogurt, add a teaspoon of honey if you'd like and smooth the yogurt over your face with fingers. Now sit and enjoy a cup of tea while your face becomes moisturized and rejuvenated.

Visit these other blogs for recipes too:
Mountain Mary posted some recipes for salt scrubs. Exfoliating is a great way to get more moisture into the skin.
http://mountainmarys.blogspot.com/2010/01/kitchen-cosmetics-blog-party.html

Maryanne Kudera posted a few recipes here; one of which uses 'old champagne'. Personally, I would never leave champagne around long enough for it to get old but you might try it.
http://maryannkudera.blogspot.com/2010/01/kitchen-cosmetics.html

Maggie at Prairie Land Herbs posted a recipe for a lemon egg shampoo. When spring arrives our chickens will be laying too many eggs for us to eat so I'll try it then.
http://prairielandherbs.blogspot.com/2010/01/first-up-obligatory-weather-related.html

Cory Trusty of Aquarian Bath posted instructions for making an herb infused vinegar and them some great recipes using it. http://aquarianbath.blogspot.com/2010/01/kitchen-cosmetics-do-it-yourself-body.html

Keep the Kitchen Cozy

2010-01-17T13:20:00.000-08:00

This winter has been more than cold in many parts of the country and keeping warm can be a challenge. Rosanne Tartaro of Sunrose Aromatics mentioned this link to the farmers almanac (www.almanac.com) which had suggestions for keeping warm. Number 5; "Keep the Kitchen Cozy" resonated with me and I wanted to expand upon it.
In many households the kitchen is the center of attention; people gather here to play, eat, and talk. Turning down the heat in other parts of the house might even encourage this, but its important to keep it cozy. Here are some of my suggestions for a cozy kitchen:

Keep a pot of water on the stove. This serves two purposes; it helps increase humidity which is dangerously low in the mountain west and you can use it as a simmering potpourri. Check your spice cabinet for cinnamon sticks, whole cloves, allspice, pieces of nutmeg too small to grate or experiment with other spices. Orange peel also works well in the potpourri. Check your tea cupboard too for mint, chamomile and other aromatic teas.

Drink lots of hot beverages; teas, coffee, hot cocoa. You can use this as an opportunity to experiment with different flavors. Add mint or orange peel to your tea or cocoa - hey, maybe even your coffee, but I've never tried that.

Make soup early in the day and let it simmer on the stove a long time.

Candles can give the kitchen a warm glow, but remember to blow them out.

And is there anything that makes a kitchen more cozy than home baked bread? Although yeast breads can take quite awhile there are many options for quick breads. I like to make this ginger bread:

2 cups flour
1 teaspoon ground ginger
3/4 tsp baking soda
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
pinch of cayenne pepper (to taste)
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup light molasses
3/4 cup milk (or buttermilk)
1/4 cup butter
3/4 cup sugar (or slightly less)
1 egg

Cream butter and sugar together, mix in egg. Add remaining ingredients and mix together. Pour into a greased 4x8inch pan. Bake at 350 degrees F for 35-40 minutes. Cool and cut into squares. This bread can be made as spicy as you like it and is very warming!

What are your suggestions for keeping warm during these dark and cold winter days?

Winter Indoor Fun

2010-01-07T13:28:00.000-08:00

As winter drags on here in Colorado it can make one a little anxious. Here are some things to help pass the time and entertain! Have you ever had a 'blooming tea'? This is a centuries old form of art from China. Put this small bundle of hand tied tea leaves into a clear glass teapot. After you pour hot water over the tea it begins to unfurl to reveal a secret flower hidden inside. The flowers inside vary from jasmine, chrysanthemum, globe amaranth flower, osmanthus, and others. These are wonderfully entertaining to watch and beautiful, inexpensive entertainment for yourself and children. And of course you are aware of the many health benefits of green tea both internally and topically. Do a google search for blooming teas and you'll be surprised how many sites there are and they are not expensive.

Also, although I have not read the original research on this; here is a link to a news article that says green tea can inhibit the H1N1 virus! Drink up.
http://www.worldteanews.com/index.php/20091229841/Health-/-Wellness/Ito-En-Study-Green-Tea-Inhibits-Swine-Flu.html

Nuts are a great wintertime treat and often given as gifts during the Holiday season. I love trying to crack the walnuts open while trying to keep the halves perfectly in tact. There are many crafts you can do with walnut shell halves. If you put a cotton ball in there you have a small fairy bed. You can cut tiny paper ears and glue a yarn tail on to make a tiny mouse. But my favorite is to make candle boats to float in a bowl. Just use birthday candles, drip a little wax from them in the bottom of the walnut half to stabilize them and carefully set in the water. In this picture I have also floated some rose petals. Have each person in the household make a boat and see which one lasts the longest if you are competitive. But do enjoy the candlelight given off from your boats. And eat those walnuts, they contain omega 3 fatty acids that are good for your skin, heart and your brain!

Do you have fun activities you like to do in your house to while the cold winter away?

Its a Swap!

2010-01-02T12:32:00.001-08:00

Online communities can be great fun; finding people with similar interests to share with and to learn from. Another great fun can be a swap. In a swap, each person participating makes a gift for each other participant in the swap. Each person mails their box of gifts to the organizer who then divides the gifts into separate boxes to send out so that everyone gets one gift from every other person in the swap. These swaps are not only fun but very educational and a chance to try out someone else’s products and learn from them. Swaps can have various guidelines or be open. For instance, while learning how to make lotions I participated in a lotion swap. These types of swaps also involve swapping formulas. A recent swap I participated in was through “The Essential Herbal” Community, a magazine and a YahooGroup. The guidelines of this swap were that the gift needed to be from your garden in some way. Following are the participants and gifts of the 2009 Fall Garden Swap:

Beth Byrne of Soap and Garden contributed a beautiful bar of Cool CukeAloe Mint Soap. www.soapandgarden.blogspot.com, www.SoapAndGarden.com

Karen Creel of Garden Chick made tins of healing balm from comfrey, plantain and calendula. http://www.gardenchick.com/garden-blog/, www.gardenchick.com

Susie Miele of http://goatladysoap.blogspot.com made a comfrey salve.

Marita Orr http://www.withseedsofintention.com made a delicious wild cherry cough syrup.

LaDonna http://www.gracioushospitality.com made lovely beaded earrings. These were packaged with calendula petals.

Katrina Kruczko made mango apple soap.

A Luscious Lemon Sugar Scrub was made by Deborah Stiffler of "Scent-sational"

Diane W. of www.brushwoodfarm.com made Melissa Aloe soap and Propolis Myrrh lip balm.

Betsy May made a Sweet Dreams herbal tincture.

Deb Hammett of Whisper of Essence made cucumber aloe cream soap.

Tina Sams, editor of The Essential Herbal Magazine made an Elderberry Elixir and some herbal teas. http://theessentialherbal.blogspot.com, http://www.essentialherbal.com/

Marty sent a lavender sugar and a recipe for lavender lemon sugar cookies to use the sugar. http://www.MartysMajik.com

Kay sent evening primrose seeds harvested from her garden.

Julie Dees-Pickhinke made bath tea, soap & chamomile tea http://mooncatfarms.blogspot.com, http://www.MoonCatfarms.com

And:

Cindy Jones (myself) of Colorado Aromatics at Sagescript Institute made cucumber mint toners from hydrosol distilled from cucumber and mint grown on the farm and other herbs. http://sagescript.blogspot.com, http://www.sagescript.com.

Imagine how much fun it is to open the mailbox one day and find all of this there! Now you can see how much fun a swap might be! Swaps do not have to be among online communities either, you could organize your garden group, church group or any group to do a swap. Let me know if you’ve done anything similar and how it worked out.

Grape Juice for Your Heart!

2009-12-26T16:07:00.000-08:00

Concord grape juice contains high levels of flavonoids that have been shown to have antioxidant activity in the test tube. A study from the University of Texas compared the antioxidant power of concord grape juice to that of vitamin E and found both had similar antioxidant abilities within the body, specifically towards low density lipoprotein (LDL) also known as “bad cholesterol”. Oxidation of LDL is thought to be an early step in the formation of atherosclerosis.

A group of 36 patient volunteers participated in this study. To make sure all participants were on a standardized diet as far as dietary flavonoids were concerned, volunteers were first put on a low flavonoid diet for two weeks and remained on that diet for the duration of the study. After two weeks, volunteers were randomized to receive either 400 IU of alpha-tocopherol or 10 milliliters of concord grape juice per kilogram of body weight daily. This amounts to approximately 700 ml of grape juice per day for an average sized person or less than one quart (24 ounces). Since the authors of the study had already determined that 400 IU of vitamin E was enough to decrease LDL oxidation, they used that amount to compare with concord grape juice.

After two weeks of supplementation blood samples were taken for analysis. Both supplements were well absorbed which was demonstrated by significant increases in flavonoids in the blood of the grape juice group and significant increases in blood levels of vitamin E over baseline in the vitamin E group. Both groups showed significant decreases in the oxidation rate of LDL, by approximately 10%. This suggests a protective effect for both supplements in regards to atherosclerosis, something that has already been documented for vitamin E.

Grape juice had an additional antioxidant effect as well. Grape juice but not vitamin E demonstrated significant antioxidant protection in the plasma with a 20% decrease in oxidation of plasma proteins. The diverse nature of flavonoids allows them to dissolve in both water as well as an oil or lipid environment. Vitamin E on the other hand is only soluble in oil environments. This may give grape juice flavonoids an advantage to provide additional antioxidant protection to water environments such as the plasma.

One draw back, patients supplemented with grape juice also increased their triglyceride level during the two-week study. The authors suggest that this was a transient effect that would not be important in healthy individuals but may be a concern with diabetic patients or patients with already high triglyceride levels.

Flavonoids found in grape juice include catechin, epicatechin, quercetin and anthocyanins. Some of these flavonoids are readily found in other fruits, vegetables and herbs as well. This is good news for those who don’t drink wine and yet want the antioxidant benefits associated with it. However, if you do drink wine, you can get these benefits from red wine as well.

A version of this article was previously published in Herbs for Health Magazine.
http://www.herbcompanion.com/health/natural-healing-improve-heart-health-with-concord-grapes.aspx

Ref: O’Byrne DJ, Devaraj, S, Grundy SM, and Jialal, I., Comparison of the antioxidant effects of Concord grape juice flavonoids and alpha-tocopherol on markers of oxidative stress in healthy adults. Am. J. Clin. Nutr. 2002; 76:1367-74.

In general it is thought that high nutrition foods are better than supplements probably because they contain a wide variety of nutrients rather than one isolated in a supplement. With this being the season for thinking about what to grow come spring, perhaps grapes would be a good choice!

Cookies with This and That

2009-12-11T09:54:00.000-08:00

Its been hard to post lately because of the busy time of year. We have had successful markets in Boulder, Longmont and Denver recently. The Colorado Proud Directory just added our farm. They also put out a gift guide. The publication 'Yellow Scene' had a mention of us for local products.
We are hoping to do markets in both Denver and Ft. Collins this winter. All this while still working on remodeling and updating our workshop space. The extreme cold weather has made some things difficult though so hopefully it will pass soon. Unfortunately, some of the rose geraniums I was getting ready to cut for facial steams have been nipped in the greenhouse. They will survive but need time to put on more greenery. We just added smaller sizes for our knuckle balm and our sole pleasure foot butter which have been well received and are thinking ahead to summer to make sure we are growing enough herbs for demand.

I'll leave you with a recipe for Snickerdoodle Cookies. My son made these this week to take to work. Its always nice to have something baking in the oven when its cold outside. I've added lavender buds to sugar cookies before, but I bet they would work well in these cookies too. Try about a tablespoon of dried lavender buds or dried lemon balm leaves. The herbal aroma is a reminder of summer. Take time to sit down with a cup of tea and a cookie near the fire.

Mix together
1 c butter
1 1/2 cup sugar
2 eggs
Sift together and stir in:
2 3/4 c flour
1 tsp baking soda
2 tsp cream of tartar
1/2 tsp salt
Chill dough slightly to make it easier to work with (optional)

Use hands to roll into small balls the size of walnuts. Roll in a mixture of 2 tablespoons sugar and 2 teaspoons cinnamon. Place 2" apart on greased cookie sheet. Bake until just beginning to brown on edges but still soft.
Temp: 400 degrees F
Time: about 8-10 min
Makes about 4 dozen cookies.

Herbal Aesthetics - Tree Ornament

2009-12-01T11:37:00.000-08:00

Herbs are full of aesthetic properties that include color, texture and fragrance. It is a joy to find different ways to use them. If you love using herbs you are in luck because Cory Trusty at Aquarian Bath is hosting a blog party this month based on Herbal Aesthetics. So after you spend some time here, go over there to see the other blogs participating in this topic.

I don't consider myself a 'crafty' person so crafts that I do have to be simple, so that is what you will find here. Two of my favorite herbs are rose and lavender. They have amazing fragrances as well as textures. Lavender flowers are tiny flowers that range in color from gray to dark blue. Roses start as small buds and then blossom into large petaled flowers with colors that include yellow, pink, and red. All summer long I dry as many roses and lavender stems as I can. With roses I dry both the whole flowers and the small buds. I look forward to spending time with these herbs in the winter after the growing season ends.

A small bowl of dried lavender and rose buds looks beautiful in a bathroom. A drop or two of essential oil can add to the pleasure. Because both of these herbs are also good skin care herbs I use crumbled rose petals and lavender buds in a number of skin care products such as bath salts and scrubs. I also distill both of them for their aromatic waters or hydrosols.

But the aesthetic project I will show you here is how to use them as a Christmas tree decoration. I purchase the very inexpensive, clear, empty, hard plastic ornaments and simply fill them with either lavender or rose petals or buds. It is an inexpensive yet beautiful way to use herbs and is a great winter reminder of the beauty of the garden. These last quite a few years and every year you can liven them up with a drop or two of essential oil dropped in the ornament. You can either hang these on your tree or simply put them in a bowl to view. Herbs that work well for this should be ones that retain their color and scent well and do not fall apart. Rosemary might be another herb that works well for this, although I've never tried it.

Here are some older posts you might enjoy that deal with crafts and aesthetics:
http://sagescript.blogspot.com/2009/01/scented-paper-valentines-day-project.html
http://sagescript.blogspot.com/2008/08/wedding-herbs.html
http://sagescript.blogspot.com/2008/05/mothers-day-tussie-mussie.html
I'd love to hear some of your ideas for using herbs aesthetically, please post them in the comments.

Digging Echinacea

2009-11-29T21:09:00.000-08:00

I dug up some echinacea roots a couple weeks ago. This is not only an important immune stimulating herb but also has antiviral activity making it an important herb for cold season. Although the active principles may be more concentrated in the roots, you can certainly find them in the leaves and flowers too. In the summer if I have flowers that break off I will just dry them and mix them with roots that I dig in the fall. I usually wait until the plant is 3 years old before using to be sure it has a good root system. Echinacea will reseed rather freely so I typically have several clumps growing in various places, so digging up one clump still leaves me with other clumps.
To do this, I use a shovel to dig up the roots, shake and break off the excess dirt and cut off the dead stems. I then bring the roots into the house and use a vegetable brush to clean the dirt from the roots; cutting some apart as necessary. I then let the root clump dry and will store it in a glass jar until needed. A coffee grinder can then be used to grind the roots into smaller pieces that can then be used to make tinctures or teas. Echinacea is an important part of my Thyma-Flu product.

Parabens and this and that

2009-11-20T09:38:00.000-08:00

A quick blog today with some news and links.

A new report just came out on parabens that I found interesting. Having read previous papers about parabens I have been skeptical of the bad press they have received supposedly because of them affecting the hormonal systems of the body which lead to cancer. This new study indicates that although parabens are well absorbed orally they are poorly absorbed through the skin and are well metabolized before they reach the blood stream. And the metabolite found in the blood, p-hydroxybenzoic acid, had no hormone (estrogen) action in the body.

This study was presented by Florian Schellauf at the Scandinavian Society of Cosmetic Chemists (SCANCOS) in Sweden and has not yet been published in a peer reviewed journal, so I will wait before making any definite conclusions.

In fact, parabens themselves are natural substances found in food and so we are exposed to them through food. Parabens is the name given to a group of p-hydroxybenzoic acid (PHBA) esters. Parabens are biodegradable and natural. A growing number of manufacturers are now using Japanese honeysuckle extract in their products. This is a source of parabens and by using it the manufacturers are getting around the negative public perception of using parabens. We may have done parabens a big disservice and could find that they are actually the best and most natural preservative we can use. Lets keep an open mind on this. Here is more reading on the subject.

http://www.cosmeticsdesign.com/Formulation-Science/New-data-on-parabens-suggests-no-adverse-hormonal-effect-on-the-body

Here is another interesting article on parabens, a copy of a Paper on Natural Parabens by Anthony C. Dweck http://www.naturalingredient.org/Articles/toni1.html

http://www.ecomall.com/greenshopping/methylparaben.htm

Colorado Aromatics will be at the Cornucopia of Local Saturday November 21 and at the Winter Farmers Market at the Boulder County Fairgrounds Saturday, December 5.

http://www.boulderfarmers.org/longmont/longmont-about.htm

Check out Pamper yourself Denver's article about our natural spa gift sets:

http://www.pamperyourselfdenver.com/beauty-blog/great-holiday-gift-sets/