Our commitment to sourcing and sharing herbal extracts of the highest quality, purity, and potency means that a little extra mindfulness is necessary to maximize your medicine. Fillers, binders, starches, and excipients all help repel moisture, but they would also degrade the quality of our offerings and can cause adverse reactions in some people. Since we refuse to add such ingredients (devoid of any medicinal value), and because many of our herbal extract powders are naturally sensitive to moisture, following our simple care instructions is extremely important.
Some of our herbs are more hydrophilic (moisture-attracting) than others, which contributes to a hardening of the extract powders over time / as a result of exposure to moisture. Pine pollen, Pearl, and Chaga are some offerings that are less susceptible, but we recommend following the guidelines below for all products.
- Always, always use a clean, dry spoon to handle the powders. This is the number one tip to reduce the chances of contamination and give your herbs the longest shelf life possible.
- Make sure the lid is always on tightly and securely between use, to ensure that moisture in the air stays out of your jars. As the kitchen is prone to (beautifully) messy situations, it also helps ensure nothing spills, drips into, or otherwise sneaks in.
- If you live in a humid climate, refrigerate your herbs as an added safety precaution. The same goes for temporarily humid weather!
- As we share tonic herbs that are safe and most effective when used consistently, these offerings are intended for regular enjoyment! “Regular” means daily or almost daily incorporation into your ritual of choice – whether that’s coffee, smoothie, baked goods, soups, or tonic shots.
- Consistent use preserves freshness and enhances efficacy. If you’re not using these herbs on a daily or almost daily basis, please refrigerate! While unopened jars have a rather long shelf life, as soon as they’re opened, a clock starts ticking.
- If one of your powders does begin to harden or get clumpy, you can break it up with a fork or add the jar’s contents (minus the desiccant pouch) to the blender to restore consistency.
Please keep these guidelines in mind when purchasing from Root + Bones! We realize you may not be used to caring for your herbal powders in this way, but remember that a sensitivity to moisture is an indication of our commitment to quality. We will never compromise when it comes to potency or purity!
