Sweetgum

Description

Sweetgum Discussion:

American Sweetgum is iconic for the sharp, spiky balls that fall to the ground through the winter, then swept up by the mowers in the spring. Sweet gum is a tree that forms its seeds inside a large, spiny ball. These balls are mostly considered to be a nuisance because they not only cause pain to bare feet, but they are so large that stepping on some could cause a sprained ankle! Crafters collect them to use as ornaments or as decorations. These seed pods only grow on trees that are at least the ripe age of 20 yrs. old, which this fact alone gives us a hint to their medicinal value. They have long been used medicinally, by the Indians.

These fruits are used in Chinese medicine and are known as “lu lu tong”. The medicinal profile is truly impressive! When a plant has such an extensive list of possible benefits, you can assure it may help many. The sad, and surprising part is that it seems absolutely no one sells this herb, aside from us! We were surprised to find that these pods have a highly aromatic smell, similar to a blend of vanilla and cinnamon. This is mainly due to it possessing the same aromatic compounds that those two herbs are known for.

Sweet gum balls are considered to be a great source for shikimic acid, which is highly sought out at the moment for viral support, amongst other benefits. They have a shikimic acid content of approximately 4%, which makes them a superior source, following star anise and pine needle. Shikimic acid is also found in the leaves and bark, but it is most abundant in the premature, green seed pods/fruit. Each tree produces thousands of them! 

It is said that sweet gum balls contain potent antifungal activity against many pathogenic types of fungus. It is also said that they have shown promising results in fighting nematodes and the yellow mosquito species.

There is use of shikimic acid as an extract and then there is the highest suggested use of it in its whole-food form in herbs such as this.  As we have discussed this throughout this website, there are thousands of other compounds that work synergistically and that cannot be replicated.

Here we share a website that discusses how some drug-resistant strains of specific pathogens may actually be more sensitive to constituents of Sweet Gum, Moreso than penicillin. It also mentions that this tree may be a valuable resource for some antiviral medications because shikimic acid itself may inhibit the H1N1 virus.

Sweet Gum has been studied for its compounds for its support with antioxidants, microbes, fungal infections, inflammation, blood pressure, liver cellular regeneration and detoxification, bipolar episodes, free radicals, mood stabilization, sleeping, anxiety, wounds, skin ulcers, and gastric ulcers. As a matter of fact, it has been used in ulcer prevention. To read more details about this, Click Here.

Lastly, here is another informative study to read about the potency and effectiveness of Sweet Gum’s medicinal capabilities. Sweetgum: An ancient source of beneficial compounds with modern benefits (nih.gov)

It is suggested to get this product in tinctured form. Due to the fact that there are no other sources to buy this herb, we must be sure the price of powdered products reflects its rarity. There is enough to go around for everyone, although stock is limited. 

Herbal Product Variations

The sky is the limit! We offer our herbs in multiple methods of administration, which is simply a dramatic term referring to the ways that an herb can be taken. For example, you can get an herb as a standard tincture, a liposhperic/oxygenated tincture, vegetable glycerite, herbal tea, encapsulated, as a loose powder, an infused oil, detox soap, or topical ointment.

I am a firm advocate of saturation, which can be achieved by taking one herb, or blend, in two different variations. The more ways that you can use an herb, the saturated you will become. For example, choose the plant that you want support from and get multiple products, all of which go into the body in different ways. A liquid goes through tissues and into the blood, a powder goes through digestion, and don’t forget the navel, skin, and suppository inserts!

Get to know the herbs that you intend to use! Do its most medicinal compounds require heat, water, or alcohol extraction?

We take pride in the freshness and quality of our herbs. Many of our herbs are wildcrafted by us. We store them in whole form, to hand-grind, fresh – to order. If we cannot pick them, we first seek them out as wildcrafted and in whole form. We feel that wildcrafted is superior, ensuring a denser content of medicinal compounds, freshness, as well as higher enzymatic and antioxidant activity. Wildcrafting also allows us to include multiple parts of a plant. There is a natural synergy between the compounds that cannot be obtained by taking an extracted, single compound. For example, when you use the flower of the green tea plant, the leaf enzymatic activity can be enhanced by up to thousands of a percent! Wildcrafted herbs are always indicated on the label by the abbreviation “WC”.

Standard Tincture – Herbal compounds are extracted in an alcohol base. A tincture is considered to be the highest bioavailability, due to its superior absorption rate. The compounds do necessarily go through the digestion process, rather they are immediately ready for uptake by the tissues, by which they are transported directly into the bloodstream, and circulated to the organs. Tinctures are taken by adding droppers into water or juice. The dropper bulb does not completely fill up with a single squeeze. Yet one squeeze is considered to be “1 dropper”. Tinctures can also be taken by allowing the dropper’s content to sit under the tongue for 3+ minutes, then swallowing it down with a drink of water. Most of our customers find this method troublesome or impossible, especially if they are taking multiple tinctures. Therefore, you may add your droppers to a shot of water or juice. Tinctures of 4 oz. or less, come in a blue, glass dropper bottles. Tinctures of 8 oz. or more, come in blue, PET plastic bottles with a dropper.

Lipospheric Tincture – The herbal world has still not caught up! We ARE the pioneers and first herbal company to offer lipospheric tinctures, as well as essential oils! The way the body utilizes them is similar to how the roots of plants use naturally collided nutrients from the soil!

Lipospheric products truly offer the highest-achievable bioavailability. This involves the same process that is used to create lipospheric vitamin c. The compounds go directly into the tissues and all that applies to a standard tincture can be applied to lipospheric products, and then some. This has been one of the most popular variations that our customers purchase.

In the lipospheric process, we put the product through an hour-long, alchemical, oxygenation application! The herbal and/or essential oil molecules are entrapped in tiny, microscopic bubbles, along with an oxygen molecule. There is an apparent color change of the liquid. Lipospheres are what the pharmaceutical industry uses for drug delivery. To ensure the highest bioavailability, keep your lipospheric products refrigerated. 

If there is trace essential oil in your product, the oil, oxygen, and water molecules are integrated. Normally, when you add essential oil to water, it floats on the top, separated from the solution. When you liposphere essential oil, it is incorporated and evenly dispersed throughout the entire solution. This means that every drop of liquid contains oil, water, and oxygen. No dilution is required, and it is ready for use. Tinctures of 4 oz. or less, come in a blue, glass dropper bottle. Those that are 8 oz. or more, come in blue, PET plastic bottles with a dropper.

Glycerite – Herbal compounds are extracted in a non-alcoholic base of vegetable glycerin. It contains NO alcohol and NO sugar. Although, the taste resembles a sugary syrup, which makes it ideal for children. This variation may also be idea for those sensitive. The only downfall of a glycerite is that it requires a dosage of up to three times higher than a standard tincture, to receive comparable benefits. Glycerites are also taken in the same way as a tincture, in a shot of water or juice. It comes with a dropper and one squeeze of a dropper only results in it being half-full. Still, it is considered to be “1 dropper”. A glycerite cannot be offered in lipohspheric form. Glycerites of 4 oz. or less, come in a blue, glass dropper bottle. Those that are 8 oz. or more, come in blue, PET plastic bottles with a dropper.

Vegetarian Capsules – We hand-grind and hand-encapsulate our products into vegetarian capsules when they are ordered. For this reason, we required a bit of extra time to ship your capsules. Most of our herbs come in size 00 capsules, which offer approximately 750 mg. of herb. Supplements, enzymes, and child/animal capsules come in small, size 1 capsules, which offer approximately 400 mg. of herb. The capsules can be swallowed with 4 oz. of water or juice.

The capsules are slowly dissolved during the digestion process. At which time the herb, or supplement, is released, also digested, and the compounds make their way through the intestinal tissues, and then into the bloodstream. The benefit of purchasing our capsules is the whole herbal form is hand-ground fresh and immediately encapsulated, never sitting on a store shelf. Our capsules come in a stand-up, sealable, mylar, EMF-proof bag.

Herbal Tea – Tea bags are whole herb, hand-ground, and then bagged, to order. There is approximately 1 tsp. of herb per bag. Each bag can be brewed up to three times, each making up to 3 cups of lovely tea. Constituents will be extracted with each brew. Be sure to squeeze the bag gently upon finishing your cup tea. Don’t forget the medicinal residue settled at the bottom of the cup!

We highly recommend making concentrated teas. Generally, this is done by boiling 8 oz. of water down by 1/2, resulting in a 4 oz. cup of tea. Each label specifies the brewing instructions for that specific herb. The boiling time, if any, will vary, depending on the parts of the plant used. Keep in mind that some herbs grind down to a fluffy powder, which create many more tea bags than a silky, fine powder.

It may be best to drink as is, without adding a sugar substitute. Herbal tea has an earthy flavor, intended for the medicinal benefits. You can also brew a large portion of tea, storing it in the fridge for up to 5 days. To get the most out of your tea, drink it throughout the day. Lemon may be added, although we do not recommend using honey with chronic illness. Our teas come in a stand-up, sealable, mylar, EMF-proof bag.

Loose Herbal Powder – Our herbs are wildcrafted, stored, and sourced in whole form, hand-ground when you order it, never sitting on a shelf. The powders come in a stand-up, sealable, mylar, EMF-proof bag.

Topical Ointment – We make an oil-based salve, which is infused with this blend. Each ointment will be scented with a likewise helpful essential oil! In this specific ointment, we add our Sweet Birch essential oil.

Infused Oil – We delicately infuse sunflower and jojoba oils with the herb of your choice. Each infused oil is scented Sweet Birch essential oil. Infused oils 4 oz. come in a blue dropper bottle. 

Organic Detox Soap – We create organic soap, infused with your herb of choice, in 8 oz. portions. Each herbal soap is scented with Sweet Birch essential oil. The soaps are an 8 oz. brick.

All variations are child-safe, at the appropriate dosage. View our child & animal dosage guide by Clicking Here. 

Always use herbs wisely and with common sense, as they are to be respected. Most of our herbal products have been tested by an energetic practitioner, using a bio resonance scanning system. The results have shown that our products are up to 360% more powerful than others! Including some of the brand names! Our customers’ have chosen our products over them because we create products that are unique, from the heart, and emanating healing energy, intended just for you!