Lavandula angustifolia is the 'official' and 'true' Lavender for use as a herbal medicine or essential oil, which comes in a wide range of forms and varieties.

Lavandin (pronounced lavan-deen) is a hybrid flower that was developed specifically to produce larger volumes of flowers with a high percentage of essential oil, though its quality is considered to be inferior. 

They are simply two different species of the same genus. Echinacea angustifolia is generally considered to have higher medicinal benefits. In both cases, the highest quantities of active botanical elements are found in the root of the plant rather than the aerial parts.

There are two main types of Cinnamon. The 'true' Cinnamon, Cinnamomum verum/zeylanicum, is native to southern India and Sri Lanka. This is woody in flavour and has traditionally been used in the UK and most of Europe. Meanwhile the Cassias (Cinnamomum cassia/burmanii) are mainly found in China, Indonesia and Vietnam. They are much hotter and sweeter and are more popular in the USA.

Yes!  We've recently added this product to our range.

We also stock Cocoa powder, which is not classed as "raw" because it has been warm air dried. 

Cocoa and Cacao can be used interchangeably to describe products from the dried fatty seed of the Theobroma cacao plant.  Historically different European countries have tended to choose a different version of the product name.

Specifications are available for both our raw Cacao and Cocoa powders, please ask for more information when placing your order.

Yes we do!  The vast majority of our products are food grade/suitable for internal use, although some are sold for non-food use only, such as Green Clay, which is often used to speed healing of wounds. Many of our food/internal grade products are particularly suitable for pets - and although we are a wholesaler, anyone can order from us.  Our current most popular products with customers purchasing for horses, dogs and other pets are Turmeric powder, Black Peppercorns, Slippery Elm powder, and Rosehip shells.  We also supply a range of blended products for use in pet food manufacture - if you have a blend or blend idea in mind, please get in touch.  
 

At this time, we only stock external grade Clay.  Our previous sources of internal grade Clay became unable to supply sufficient safety documentation and testing results for us to feel that we could satisfactorily continue to sell the product with confidence.  We’ve investigated other possible sources and continue to do so but at this time we haven’t identified a new source that will meet our quality standards.  We do still supply Green Clay for external use.

Following the changes to the Traditional Herbal Medicinal Products Directive in 2010, we decided that compliance with the extensive new certification requirements (approvals are required per tincture, and are expensive to gain) would not be cost effective for us.  So we reluctantly decided to cease manufacturing our own tinctures.  The legislation has, overall, had the effect of reducing the range of manufacturers of herbal tinctures and we think this is a shame!  However, we can and do still source tinctures from certified manufacturers to meet our customer’s requirements.  If you are looking for a supplier of tinctures in the UK, we would recommend Rutland Biodynamics and Avicenna.

As a company we believe in delivering the highest possible quality herbs to our customers, and working closely with suppliers on continuous improvement.  Our specifications are based on the EU Pharmacopeia (where applicable) and balance maintaining the essential properties of the herbs with product safety.  We hold BRC grade A certification for food safety, covering all our dry herb products.  Please contact us for copies of our specifications, and if you have a particular specification that your herb products must meet, please discuss it with us as we can in many cases source to meet your exact requirements.

Only when completely necessary!  We believe this is a key difference between us and other herb traders, who can tend to steam sterilise many of their products as a precautionary measure. Where sample testing indicates our microbiology specification for a product cannot be met, or a customer’s own specification cannot be achieved without steam sterilisation of the herbs, we arrange for herbs to be gently steam sterilised.  However, we always prefer to avoid it if possible as even gentle steam sterilisation can have an effect on the essential oil content and other properties of the herbs.  We work with suppliers to minimise any requirement for steam sterilisation of future harvests.
 

No, we sell a range of organic carrier and vegetable oils, from Avocado to Coconut to Wheatgerm, as well as herbal macerates, all quality assessed by our herbal liquids specialist Jane Wallwork-Gush.  However, we choose not to stock Palm oil on environmental grounds. 

PURE ORGANIC ESSENTIAL OIL
Our standard Organic Herb Trading essential oil will be produced using either expression (e.g. in the case of a citrus oil) or distillation (e.g. in the case of Lavender). Our oils are always organic and we source the best of each type from suppliers and producers all over the world.
CONCRETE
This product is prepared from materials of raw/vegetable origin like leaf, root, herb or bark. It uses hydro-carbon solvents (rather than distillation or expression) where the raw materials will be adversely affected by heat. Because of the solvent used it never produces an organic product.
A concrete is more concentrated and stable than a pure essential oil, and also more viscous. On completion of extraction, a semi-solid residue of essential oils, waxes, resins and other oil-soluble) plant chemicals remains
ABSOLUTE
An absolute is obtained from a concrete (above) as a 2^nd phase process of solvent extraction, using pure alcohol. It can retain traces of the alcohol used and is therefore never an organic product.
RESINOIDS
Resinoids are also rarely organic. They are prepared from natural resinous materials (Frankincense, Myrrh) by extraction using either petroleum ether or hexane.
 

We have developed a number of in-house tea blends which showcase our exceptional herbs and are formulated to make the most of their properties, as well as tasting great! The blends are available off-the-shelf, or for larger volume orders can be personalised for your range by adding additional ingredients of your choice.

Our latest blends are now available and they all contain ingredients widely associated with effective detoxification and support of the digestive system - our Detox Daily blend contains Fennel seed, Aniseed, Dandelion root, Burdock root and Liquorice root. There is also a blend showcasing organic Green Tea for a smooth caffeine lift and plenty of beneficial antioxidants - this Cleanse Blend with Green Tea contains Fennel seed, Nettle leaf, Dandelion root, Cassia bark, Liquorice, Peppermint and Green Tea, and is also available as an option without Green Tea.

Our Turkish Fennel seed is sourced specifically for its excellent qulaity - it has a high essential oil content, but is low in estragol which is undesirable in high concentrations.

The blends are sold wholesale-packed and certified organic, ready for packing into pyramid bags or loose. Prices start at £16/kg - please ask for a quote for your preferred quantity and the list of the organic contract packers that we work with, crucial to getting your product on to the shelves. 

If you have a bespoke project or existing blend you'd like to talk about, we'd love to hear from you - please email us or call on +44(0)1823 401 205.

All our products are subject to programmes of testing to ensure that our specifications are met, including testing for compounds that have been identified as potentially hazardous to health in high quantities, such as PAs.  For those items within our range that may be naturally high in PAs (such as Comfrey, Coltsfoot and Borage), we advise customers that these should be for external use only.  In addition, we risk assess our other products for growing or harvesting methods that may increase the likelihood of accidental inclusion of plants naturally high in PAs, and carry out appropriate due diligence testing.