I am happy to answer your questions

6 thoughts on “I am happy to answer your questions”

1. Desiree

   April 23, 2012

   How do you come up with the formulas that you use? Let’s say I want a balm for my dry elbows. How would you work out exactly what goes in that?

   Reply
   1. evan

      April 23, 2012

      Thanks for asking, Desiree!

      First of all, I have a great bunch of books that give me well-researched data on what oils, essential oils, herbs and so on have what uses.

      I have to deliver a seminar soon which will include this subject, so I think I’ll take advantage of your having asked me to put some thoughts together. 🙂 Excuse me if I ramble. It’s late — I’m sure I’ll migrate between thoughts.

      In the late 1960’s, when natural foods started to come into vogue, health food stores and co-ops sprang into existence. They were groovy, atmospheric places with odd, practical, friendly, earthy people. I caught the bug of interest in natural healing and nutrition then.

      Eating health foods more, I noticed that what my body really did need also usually tasted good or I wanted to down it even if it was, for example, bitter. When not so needed, it would taste way less appealing.

      It seemed a piece of wisdom to pay attention to what we naturally incline towards. This led me to decide it best to trust inclinations and intuitions about ingredients, about foods and supplements, scents and so on. Seeing what feels right and appeals is a special part of my formulation process. Backed by science, hard data, I let my intuition loose and feel my way through much of the process.

      Some history: I worked years ago where some well-known herbal formulas are made. I had to answer customer questions and thus had to research like nuts. I learned a TON.

      Learned about the vital importance of soil and cultivation methods, trace minerals, flora, fermentation, temperature and on and on. The importance of detoxification and after that, rebuilding. Learned a lot.

      Now I wanted to learn essential oils, what they do, which are safe and which not, in what amounts and combos. I began to build what is now a large aromatherapy and herbal, natural healing library. It’s wonderful, Desi.

      BTW, I did not overlook old herbals, such as Nicholas Culpepper’s and gained some respect where I had thought him quaint or possibly ridiculous before. A decent amount of remedies in these old herbals have been validated by modern science, isn’t that something?

      I made a few products I wanted and needed. They were Tooth & Gum Powder, All Better, Honey™ and The Perfect Rose™. Some friends went bananas over them and I decided I should offer these broadly.

      In formulating, because I hadn’t found other products I loved as much as I wanted to, no one else’s formulations were even looked at.

      I always keep my eyes open for new findings and when something can be improved, I change the recipe.

      Another aspect of my formulation stems from love of gourmet cooking. It’s influenced my formulation and ingredient-sourcing. I grew up with delectable and nutritious, genuine French cooking.

      French cuisine starts with the freshest ingredients, grown locally, ripened on the vine and ripe when bought (they’ll shop every day). I consider the French use of herbs an art. French cooks will improvise and everything is made from scratch. The inspiration of French cooks has given character to all of my formulation and techniques.

      Got the idea that in general shortcuts would work against quality. And that there is no way to make a great dish from less than great ingredients. Plus, I’m only interested in doing the best I can.

      Whole plants! They are vastly more effective therapeutically than isolated, extracted parts of them or lab copies. A whole plant has the life and synergy of its parts, hte wavelength. Things that are toxic or too strong or useless when taken out of the whole work with the rest when in natural, whole plant context.

      Each plant contains the phytochemicals (natural plant chemicals) to conduct the business of living, to protect itself, propagate, convert and direct energy, cleanse, renew, send messages, etc. These have come to be, over millions and more years, strong, useful, purposeful hormonal essences. Essential oils are basically hormonal fluids. It’s a subtle symphony of life urges, if you stop to catch it.

      Among formulators, the use of whole plants is rare if it exists. Why? because such a product may need refrigeration and is going to be more time-consuming to make and more delicate, for example, on the issue of temperature.

      More work. In business generally, there seems to be a byline: make the cheapest product you can get away with. Sigh.

      Live, fresh, raw, unheated plant ingredients have LIFE. You can’t fake that without actually adding it.

      When the outside of the body is blemished, disfigured, inflammed painful, and so on, the inside of the house is not in order. That’s obvious, don’t you think?

      When I set off to formulate a product, I aim to assist the body’s own cleansing and immune powers to help it restore its balance. Given the right stuff, it’ll usually straighten out. I make my topical products to succeed as much as possible in this way.

      Amounts of essential oils and dilution (how many drops of EO’s, say, per teaspoon) are important to making safe and effective products, ones that accomplish what you want safely and comfortably. Most essential oils are safe and work only in certain amounts and/or for certain ages of people, or conditions, not ever for dogs, etc. This data is a must. It’s available in medical aromatherapy and EO safety books and online, no doubt.

      When you nix essential oils, you may actually get another creation from what would be expected from the separate oils added. It can morph into something else. Fascinating, eh? You can take a few essential oils…let’s say, lavender, peppermint, rose, chamomile, geranium, eucalyptus and cypress. Combinations that differ by amount of drops may yield surprisingly different blends useful for different applications. Good to know.

      Too little, too much, off-balance proportions… All this led me to realize the importance of finding the most optimum amounts of each ingredient as precisely as possible.

      So, how I do it basically is: I research as needed, then I focus throughout the process on what I want to achieve, I use only natural and vibrantly healthy ingredients in as whole, unrefined form as possible, and I feel and test my way through finding the precise recipe.

      You’ve got to trust yourself. I have feelings for which plants are likely to support each other, or not, for when a synergy is approached and attained, I can feel when it has been exceeded and weakened. I trust my senses by now.

      The more I turn to nature, the greater my thrill and respect for it. It orients me to my own place in it.

      I love the smells, the mixtures, the feeling of unrefined, unheated, healthy plant ingredients and above all the sense of connection. This has been a beautiful and humbling thing to do.

      It’s not Man the Almighty coming in to twist plants to his will! Ha ha ha ha!! (evil laugh) It’s a person quieting the mind to perceive intentions and functions in nature and by connecting, to gain knowledge of an ethereal but very practical sort.

      I always feel that I am to some extent convening and communicating and that there is between me and these living essences an unspoken permission and respect granted. I make no pretense to assume that I am creating without help. I am perceiving living essences and thought and using these with delicate permissions.

      Guess that says it best. What a journey it’s been!

      Thanks for asking and plunging me into this reflection.

      Love and thanks,
      Evan

      Reply
2. Ofra Friedman

   April 29, 2012

   Hi Evan, I love your blog and the great articles you post.
   Can you recommend any type of drinking-water? Do you recommend drinking distilled water or can you recommend any specific alkaline water machine?
   Thanks, Ofra

   Reply
   1. evan

      April 30, 2012

      Ofra, I am so glad you love the blog! Hooray!

      I’ll be sure to convey this also to Desi!

      hugs,
      Evan

      Reply
3. evan

   April 29, 2012

   I am going to get back to you on this after Choir tonight. 🙂 Definitely not distilled, though…it is “empty” of minerals which are a natural part of water so it draws minerals from the body. I’ll write more ASAP, Ofra.
   XOXO,
   Evan

   Okay, more thoughts about good water — OFra, sorry I couldn’t get back sooner.

   Yes, I do very much like alkaline water and have a Kangen machine — which I am thinking of selling because I haven’t been using it. I got lazy and didn’t keep up its maintenance and it purified tap water and the minerals from that just left me unsatisfied. By the way, acidic water is best for topical use, alkaline for internal.

   For drinking, I do best with water that’s just a bit alkaline. A pH of about 8.0 is good for me, maybe 8.5. (Neutral pH is 7). Above that, and this is just a feeling on my part, I couldn’t confirm it, my body seems to react and my guess is that it’s compensating by going somewhat acid. I’ve been told that I am just detoxing at the higher pH of 9.0 and that’s a detox reaction but honestly I’ve done detoxes left and right and this did not feel that way to me. A really terrific person introduced me the Kangen machines so I do tend to think I may be an anomaly, a water weirdo. She also showed me gobs of stupendous health testimonials from drinking alkaline water and I don’t doubt these at all.

   One objection I have to machines that purify or process water from the house is that the water it starts with is tap water. Unless I’m missing some really important or newer info (and that is quite possible, so let me know, anyone reading this), it isn’t going to have the minerals that high-quality spring water has.

   My favorite water is spring water that is slightly alkaline. Well water can be great, but I’ve only heard about it and haven’t drunk wonderful well water. For feeling healthy and well hydrated, my very favorite waters have been spring waters that have a neutral to slightly alkaline pH (about 7.5) but if I could find one that has 8.0. I’d be happier. Those are Evian, yum! it has a slightly alkaline pH (but bought by Coca Cola company and ouch, it’s so expensive), Fiji and Eternal, all neutral to a bit alkaline, approximately 7.5 pH. Eternal was recently bought by some huge corporation (ugh) but before that it was sourced in New Zealand.

   I hate to keep finding objections but there is one more BIG one. I don’t want to drink water from plastic bottles. Not if I can help it. I am so mad at the companies putting water (and darn, that includes Evian, Eternal, Fiji and Zephyrhills) in those small plastic bottles.

   I haven’t solved that one yet, though, because the 5-gallon spring water bottles that get delivered are plastic. I’ve requested glass. It’s not likely since the breakage rate (thus insurance) and the added weight in the truck which costs in gas and maintenance, make glass bottles too expensive for Zephyrhills to offer. The best water I had before this DID come in glass, Mountain Valley. Possibly it still does, I don’t know. This water was wonderful but cost about 3 to 4 times the cost of Zephyrhills. Bummer.

   I would be in water heaven with a mildly alkaline, spring water in glass bottles if were to have a great mineral profile and lots of great electrical energy. Some springs, have a lively electrical energy and this is another factor that makes great water. I don’t fully get it myself but I can feel it.

   I suggest checking out the Hado Institute (http://www.hado-energy.com/about_hado.php). Dr. Masaru Emoto discovered the most moving, amazing, beautiful, so, so beautiful, facts about water as a means of communication. Water changes structurally in the presence of thought. Lest anyone poo-poo this (“lest,” lovely old word meaning in case), I want to say, read one of his books. A good start is The Hidden Messages in Water. The structure of water can be imprinted upon by thought and emotion or it is thus imprinted all the time, so taking on the quality of what surrounds it. Murky, formless disgusting water can be changed to beautiful crystalline water with thought. I use this data. I start with my spring water and imprint it with positive, healing thought. Read the book…it’s not as nutty as it sounds. 🙂

   My natural doctor did introduce me to a water that is not yet on the market but is oxygenated and seems quite remarkable. I may put it on the website — I have a few more questions to ask about it.

   Hope this helps and I hope, too, that you or others pipe in with more data. It’s been a while since I really dove into this issue. (ha ha!! dove in…didn’t meant that but it fits!)

   Love,
   Evan

   Reply
4. Ofra Friedman

   May 6, 2012

   Thanks, Evan. That is helpful. We have a double filtration system in our house, but I really don’t like the taste of the water which is apparently for the reason you mentioned. I used to get a delivery of Mountain Valley a few years ago. I am going to order again.
   Thanks! Ofra

   Reply