The Herbs In A Bottle Blog

We have listened to our customers and withdrawn all credit card charges

2011-11-28T13:54:00.001Z

In June this year we imposed a 3% charge on credit card transactions. Following the recent change of ownership of Herbs in a Bottle we carried out extensive consultation with our customers and now realise that this imposition had an unreasonable impact. We therefore withdraw the charges with effect from Monday 28th November.

Because of the way we are structured and independently audited it is impossible for us to cut costs by using cheaper herbs (that may well be substandard), missing out key quality tests, or ignoring GMP standards.

This Commitment to maintain high standards was one of the reasons for the mistaken imposition of the credit card charges in June.

Following the arrival of David Carter as our new Managing Director a considerable programme of investment and expansion has commenced. This will result in yet more benefits that we will pass on to you, our valued customer, through sustained quality, service and reliability.

A personal message from David Carter, the new Managing Director of Herbs in a Bottle

2011-11-14T16:56:00.000Z

I thought I would just write a few lines to introduce myself and explain my vision for the future of Herbs in a Bottle. As you will already know, Tony Carter has decided he needs to refocus his future on the technical and innovative aspects of herbal medicine. To this end he has sold the controlling interest in the company to myself. To ensure continuity Tony has agreed to act as ongoing technical adviser and shareholder for the next two years.

I was very excited to be offered the opportunity, as I immediately saw the tremendous potential of Herbs in a Bottle to participate in and contribute to the future of herbal medicine.

My intentions are to maintain the existing high standards of quality, service and reliability to which the company currently operates and to continue our involvement with medical herbalists at every level within our company. To ensure our services are fit for purpose we need the help and cooperation of all our valued clients, customers and friends.

My background, working for strong brand leaders in the agricultural produce industry introduced me to the organic movement to which I have a strong commitment. I have found that enthusiasm and commitment combined with an ethical commercial approach builds businesses with the kind of values and ethics I know we all share.

We already have in place a significant investment plan to grow Herbs in a Bottle with these ethical values. You can be assured that I will be investing in the key areas of people, processes and of course technology. I will do this by reinvesting profits, with the aim of Herbs in a Bottle becoming the premier herbal medicine manufacturer in the United Kingdom, if not the world.

Over the coming months I look forward to meeting as many of you as possible and I do genuinely regard you all as partners in the great enterprise of herbal medicine manufacture. In that spirit, please do not hesitate to send us your feedback, suggestions and ideas for the future.

With very best wishes,

David J Carter,
Managing Director, Herbs in a Bottle

Viburnum opulus or Guelder Rose

2011-10-31T13:43:00.002Z

Today we are making tincture of Viburnum opulus or Guelder Rose.

Constituents of Viburnum opulus include bitter compounds, coumarins, glycoside (viburnin), resin, salicosides (Salicin), tannin, valerianic acid.

Actions of Viburnum opulus include anti-spasmodic, astringent, hypotensive, nervine, sedative, spasmolytic, tonic.

Geum urbanum or Avens herb

2011-09-14T13:39:00.001+01:00

Today we are making tincture of Geum urbanum or Avens herb.

Constituents of Geum urbanum include volatile oil, glucoside, Gein, geum-bitter, tannic acid, gum and resin.

Remembered Remedies by Anne Barker

2011-09-09T16:32:00.002+01:00

A new book on ethnomedica has been published by Anne Barker MNIMH entitled Remembered Remedies.

The book is available: http://www.birlinn.co.uk/book/details/Remembered-Remedies--9781780270043/

An interview given by Anne Barker to BBC Radio Orkney, during the course of field research, can be found here: http://www.nimh.org.uk/?attachment_id=2553

Commiphora molmol or Myrrh

2011-09-06T16:08:00.002+01:00

Today we are making tincture of Commiphora molmol or Myrrh.

Constitutents of Commiphora molmol include volatile oil (m-cresol), eugenol, formic acid, acetic acid, heerabolone); resin (commiphoric acids).

Rosa canina or Rosehip shells

2011-08-31T13:21:00.002+01:00

Today we are making tincture of Rosa canina or Rosehip shells.

Constituents of Rosa canina include calcium citrates, citric acid, iron, malates, niacin, phosphorous, Vitamins A, B1, B2, C, E, K and P.

Galium aperine

2011-08-26T13:58:00.002+01:00

Today we are making tincture of Galium aperine or Cleavers.

Constitutents of Galium aperine include chlorophyll, starch, galitannic acid, citric acid, rubichloric acid.

Actions of Galium aperine include diuretic, tonic, alterative, aperient.

Artemisia annua or Sweet Wormwood

2011-08-24T11:32:00.002+01:00

Today we are making tincture of Artemisia annua or Sweet Wormwood.

Constituents of Artemisia annua include: sesquiterpene lactones (the bitter sesquiterpenlacton-peroxid artemisinin), flavonoids, essential oils.

Mahonia aquifolium

2011-08-22T13:24:00.002+01:00

Today we are making tincture of Mahonia aquifolium or Oregon Grape Root.

Constituents of Mahonia aquifolium include berberine, columbamine, hydrastine, jatrorrhizine, oxyacanthine, tannins.

To ensure a high quality extract Mahonia aquifolium root has to be ground very finely and then (with the appropriate alcohol concentration) undergo slow percolation.

Today we are making tincture of Rhodiola roseaus

2011-08-17T10:13:00.002+01:00

Constituents of Rhodiola roseaus include Phenylpropanoids (rosavin, rosarin etc), salidroside, rosiridin, flavonoids, tannins, essential oil.

Galega officinalis or Goats Rue Herb

2011-08-15T09:54:00.002+01:00

Today we are making tincture of Galega officinalis or Goats Rue Herb.

Constituents of Galega officinalis include flavonoids, saponins, galegine.

2011-08-12T13:00:00.001+01:00

Today we are making tincture of Andrographic paniculata.

Constituents include andrographolide and neoandrographolide.

Today we are making tincture of Gentiana lutea or Great Yellow Gentian

2011-08-10T13:24:00.003+01:00

Constituents of Gentiana lutea include xanthones, iridoids, alkaloids, phenolic acid, pectin and gum.

Note: the images on this website are copyright, but are generally free to use for bona fide medical herbalists - just ask sales@herbsinabottle.com

Verbascum thapsus or Mullein

2011-06-27T13:46:00.004+01:00

A fine example of Verbascum thapsus or Mullein growing wild in a corner of the Herbs In A Bottle car park. As you can see it is a magnificent and beautiful sight. The herb is currently in season.

We never use herbs collected from unsustainable sources.

Our source of Verbascum thapsus is a small specialist herb farm in Egypt where Mullein is grown on the alluvial soils of the Nile delta. The unique combination of soil, water and sunshine produces some of the finest Mullein in the world. The crops are hand-cultivated, and almost entirely free from environmental pollution.

Clinical Case Management in Cancer Care: Botanical Strategies

2011-03-08T19:47:00.005Z

Speakers:

Chanchal Cabrera MSc, FNIMH, (RH)AHG

Fiona Shakeela Burns MNIMH

Dates:
Saturday May 21 2011 9am to 6pm
Sunday May 22 2011 9am to 5pm

Venue:
Royal Botanic GardensEdinburgh EH3 5LR

Cost:
£120 for the two days. Proceedings will be available to all delegates electronically after the event.

Early bird discount £100 (book before 1st April)

Thirty student places available at £80.

About the Symposium:
A two day intensive course for practitioners looking at ways to design individualized, rational and effective holistic treatment plans. This is a unique opportunity to hear two speakers who have between them over 30 years of experience in working with cancer.

Chanchal has developed an integrated approach, often using herbs alongside orthodox medicine. She has gained insight on how to manage this very modern conundrum.

Chanchal will cover:

• decoding the diagnosis – what the tests mean and how to interpret that information in a clinical application

• designing a targeted treatment plan – specific strategies to address identified risks

• materia medica for cancer – the cyto-toxic herbs

• managing surgery, chemo and radiation – maximizing efficacy and mitigating harm

Shakeela: Healer Heal Thyself:

Cancer has been Shakeela’s most powerful teacher and she is delighted to share some of the unique insights which she gained whilst on her own healing journey. She explains the ‘Seven Keys to Healing’ – the distinct keys that she has identified as being responsible for her recovery and how she now works with these to help other people who are dealing with cancer. Shakeela will explain how some of the ways that cancer is currently misunderstood and hence treated, in our current medical model, positively hinder healing. She will discuss how to go beyond these unhelpful beliefs and attitudes as well as clarifying our role as practitioners when it comes to working in this field.

Note:

If you took Chanchal’s 3 day ‘Introduction to Holistic Oncology’ intensive in Manchester 2 years ago, this will be a great follow up with more specifics and formulas, including detailed strategies for specific conditions and more discussion of collaboration opportunities with allopathic medicine. All delegates will get a copy of Chanchal’s papers ‘The Bio-Mechanics of Cancer’ when you register. If you are new to this specialist field this is a good introduction.

Biographies:

Chanchal Cabrera MSc, FNIMH, (RH)AHG

Chanchal has been a member of the National Institute of Medical Herbalists (UK) since 1987 and obtained her MSc in Herbal Medicine at the University of Wales in 2003. Her clinical specialty is helping people manage cancer. Chanchal has held the faculty chair in Botanical Medicine at the Boucher Institute of Naturopathic Medicine in New Westminster since 2004. She serves on the board of advisors of Dominion Herbal College in Burnaby, on the editorial board of Medical Herbalism clinical newsletter and she publishes widely in professional journals and lectures internationally on Medical Herbalism, nutrition and health.

Chanchal is the author of the book ‘Fibromyalgia – A Journey Toward Healing’ published by Contemporary Books. She is a certified Master Gardener and a certified Horticulture Therapist. Chanchal lives on Vancouver Island, British Columbia where she and her husband farm 7 acres. They grow food for 10 households, culinary herbs for restaurants and medicinal herbs for her clinic. They also run therapy gardens for people with disabilities and host internships in organic farming and herbal medicine. In 2009 Chanchal was honored with a Fellowship in the NIMH for service to the profession over 25 years. www.chanchal@chanchalcabrera.com

Fiona Shakeela Burns MNIMH . Medical Herbalist, Advanced PSYCH-K, Matrix Reimprinting and EFT facilitator
Shakeela has been a member of the National Institute of Medical Herbalists (UK) since 1992. She became a Herbalist due to her experience of healing from leukaemia and sarcoma as a child. Her parents chose to take her to a naturopath in preference to orthodox medical treatment and with juices, herbs and radical dietary shifts, she was able to make a full recovery. Thirty years later, having been a Medical Herbalist for 16 years, she became ill with cancer for the second time – this time, metastasisied cervical cancer which had gone to the ovaries and the brain. Orthodox medicine offered no hope of cure and she was pronounced terminally ill by The Royal Marsden, London. With dedication and determination to heal herself, she embarked on her second healing journey and by June 08, just 10 months after the diagnosis, she no longer had any cancer in her body. Shakeela is passionate about the need for real education when it comes to cancer and believes in the body’s innate ability to heal. She now runs a busy practice in Bristol and has since been able to help many of the people who have come to her with diagnosis of cancer
http://dmtrk.net/t/24B-DRL2-3VWI0-599YD-1/c.aspx
http://dmtrk.net/t/24B-DRL2-3VWI0-599YD-1/c.aspx
http://dmtrk.net/t/24B-DRL2-3VWI0-599YE-1/c.aspx
http://dmtrk.net/t/24B-DRL2-3VWI0-599YE-1/c.aspx

Clinical Case Management in Cancer Care: Botanical Strategies

Saturday 21st May:

9.00 – 9.30: Registration.

9.30 – 12.00: Shakeela Burns: Healer Heal Thyself

12.00 – 1.00: Lunch

1.00 – 2.30: Context and Intention: The foundations of healing, therapeutic strategies (refresher from 2 years ago program)

2.45 – 4.15: Working with Chemo: Part

14.30 – 6:00: Working with Chemo:

Part 2

Sunday  22nd May:

9.00 – 10.30: Pain management in cancer

10.45 – 12.15: Managing bone metastases

1.15 – 2.45: Materia medica for cancer – the cyto-toxic herbs

3.00 – 4.00: Materia medica for cancer – the cyto-toxic herbs

4.00 – 5.00: Question and answer session with Shakeela and Chanchal

Tea and coffee is provided in the morning and afternoon sessions during each 15 minute break.

Please book early:

To book a place please email: dee@napiers.net

Information about accommodation, b\b, hotels, hostels and campsites can be provided.

There will also be an option to meet up for a social on Saturday evening.

Statutory Regulation of herbalists

2011-02-16T14:10:00.003Z

Vinny, Emma and Chris from the office, on the Save Herbal Medicine lobby of parliament back in the cold uncertain days of November 2009.

Herbs In a Bottle is delighted at the news today that the government is proceeding with Statutory Regulation of herbalists via the Health Professions Council.

Welcoming the news Tony Carter writes:

"It is wonderful to hear that Statutory Regulation is going ahead. So many people have worked extremely hard to achieve this fantastic result, and it is very moving to think of all the dedicated and conscientious work which they have put in over nearly twenty years. This news confirms the professional status of herbal medicine in the United Kingdom, and assures its survival far into the future.

"I would like to thank all the staff at Herbs In A Bottle (and also from the former Proline) who enthusiastically joined in the campaign during the government consultation period. At one stage the general office was packed with staff filling in their consultation forms and sending off letters to the local MPs. Also those who went up to lobby the House of Commons on a bitterly cold day in November 2009.

"This is good news for herbalists and good news for herbal medicine manufacturers, but above all it is good news for the country - for all those patients who rely on herbal medicines for their health and well-being.

"This is also a very satisfying slap in the face for Ben Goldacre, Ezard Ernst, David Colquhoun and all the other self-appointed 'experts' and publicity seekers who have made it their business to oppose Statutory Regulation. Their negative campaigning entirely failed, and today the government made the right decision for the right reasons!"

New product Sceletium

2011-02-07T12:06:00.005Z

Sceletium tortuosum is a succulent South African plant that is receiving a lot of attention by researchers looking for an alternative to kava kava and St John’s Wort (particularly relating to energy, depression and low moods). Anecdotal evidence centres on its use by indigenous tribes, where the herb is masticated or smoked to produce a euphoric awareness that mellows into a state of relaxation. Herbs In A Bottle is introducing this herb into our product range

Pharmacology

The mood-enhancing properties of sceletium are the result of several alkaloids which include mesembrine, mesembrenol and tortuosamine. These interrelate with the dopamine and serotonin receptors in the brain. The major alkaloid present in Sceletium is the powerful serotonin-uptake inhibitor Mesembrine.

Research strongly indicates that doses of Sceletium can elevate moods and decrease anxiety, stress and tension. There are no hallucinogenic incidents, and no withdrawal symptoms after long-term use. Very few side-effects have been reported. There are no recorded contraindications (but because of the neuro-receptor activities of Sceletium it is possible there may be interactions with other pharmacokinetic drugs.

Safety in pregnancy is not proven.

Sceletium and Mesembrine

Pharmaceutical Biology

1998, Vol.36, No.3, pp. 173-179

© Swets & Zeitlinger

The Distribution of Mesembrine Alkaloids in Selected Taxa of Kanna and their Modification in the Sceletium Derived `Kougoed’

Michael T. Smith , Courtney R. Field , Neil R. Crouch and Manton Hirst

Univ. Natal, Botany Dept., Pietermaritzburg, South Africa Natal Herbarium, Ethnobotany Programme, National Botanical Institute, Kaffrarian Museum, Kingwilliam’s Town, South Africa

Twenty species from nine genera of the Mesembryanthemaceae (Aptenia, Bergeranthus, Delosperma, Drosanthemum, Glottiphyllum, Lampranthus, Oscularia, Ruschia, and Sceletium) as well as the reportedly psychoactive preparation `kougoed’, prepared from `fermenting’ Sceletium tortuosum, were screened for the presence of the mesembrine alkaloids. Using gas chromatography (GC) with a nitrogen-phosphorous detector (NPD) three putative alkaloids were detected in Sceletium tortuosum whose mass spectra corresponded to those of 4’-O-demethylmesembrenol, mesembrine and mesembrenone. All the Mesembryanthemaceae plants investigated were shown to have Dragendorff-positive compounds on thin layer chromatograms (TLC); those containing mesembrine alkloids, as shown by later GC MS analysis, exhibited similar Rf values to the Sceletium alkaloids. Howev! er, using the technique employed in this study which encompassed the use of column and gas chromatography, the only genus containing mesembrine alkaloids to any significant extent was Aptenia. Alkaloid levels were found to be extremely low in all other taxa investigated.

When a `modern’ technique for the preparation of a fermented Sceletium product, `kougoed’, was carried out it was found that levels, as well as the ratios, of the three alkaloids changed markedly. Substantial increases in total alkaloid levels were observed when the Sceletium material was crushed and bruised prior to drying for alkaloid extraction whereas no such changes occured when intact plants were oven dried at 80°C prior to alkaloid extraction. It is speculated that of the many potentially usable Mesembryanthemaceae plants available to the indigenous peoples, Sceletium was selected because it is the only genus with alkaloid levels high enough to! eli cit a psychoactive response. The traditional preparation technique also appears to have evolved as a method of producing a dry, stable, and relatively palatable preparation of increased pharmacological activity.

Twitter

2010-10-29T10:28:00.002+01:00

Herbs In A Bottle now has its own Twitter account.

You can find us on http://twitter.com/#!/herbsinabottle

Herbs In A Bottle at the NIMH Conference

2010-10-25T12:18:00.003+01:00

Above: Emma and Katie on the Herbs In A Bottle stand at the annual conference of the National Insitute of Medical Herbalists.

At the AGM (held on Friday) Tony Carter was re-elected Treasurer of NIMH.

Talking about the conference Tony said:

"For the ordinary NIMH member the conference is great fun, but when you are on Council the four days are quite an intensive time with committee meetings, formal sessions and responding to questions that can be fired at you at any time. Not that I am complaining - serving on NIMH Council is a great honour, and I'm happy to do whatever it takes to keep the organisation moving forward. NIMH depends to a very large extent on volunteers acting together to get things done."

Herbs In A Bottle had a stand at the Conference that was managed by Emma Suddards:

"I worked with Katie Dobiesz running the stand. As we are both qualified medical herbalists we took it in turns to sit in on some of the talks on Saturday - I especially appreciated the case studies. It was good to network and nice to see so many customers face to face.

Prescription Service

2010-09-10T14:55:00.006+01:00

Above: Katie Dobiesz.

The Prescription Service of Proline Botanicals has now completely rebranded under the Herbs In A Bottle identity.

Medical Herbalist Katie Dobiesz talks about the service:

"The new branding is wonderful. I think Herbs In A Bottle perfectly captures the spirit of what we are trying to do. The Prescription Service launched about six months ago and we have been building up a loyal following of practioners.

"The way it works is simple. Practitioners 'phone in their prescriptions, we make them up and send them out directly to the patients. The saving in time is considerable, which is especially important in many cases."

Herbs In A Bottle comes to life!

2010-09-01T12:31:00.003+01:00

Above: Vincent (Marketing) and Sue (Dispensary) examine the new Herbs In A Bottle branding.

The launch of the new Herbs In A Bottle branding has been an exciting moment for herbal medicine.

Completely replacing the old Proline Botanicals trading name, Herbs In A Bottle has already had a terrific response from practitioners throughout the country. The sales office reported one of the busiest weeks of the year, despite the holiday period. This surge in orders is expected to continue as more practitioners take advantage of the celebratory 5% discount during September*. Emma in the Sales office said: "Everyone has been intrigued and interested in the rebranding, and one lady told us it was about time we updated our image!"

Commenting on the rebranding Tony Carter said: "For a long time I had been uncomfortable with the old Proline Botanicals branding. To be honest, we chose the Proline name years ago with hardly any thought, and always intended to rebrand when the time was right. But the success of the company took us by surprise and the right moment never seemed to come along. Now we have an opportunity to completely rebrand the company under the Herbs In A Bottle image. As a name Proline always seemed to have a clinical edge to it, and Herbs In A Bottle reflects more our personality - friendly, foward-looking and absolutely focussed on herbs.

Apart from the change in name practitioners should not notice any alterations in the production and delivery of their orders. The company retains the most stringent quality GMP processes, independently audited. The range of phytopharmaceutical products remains the widest available in the United Kingdom. Value for money continues, with Herbs In A Bottle prices in real terms among the lowest you will find anywhere.

* practitioners who place an order during September will receive a 5% discount - only one discount per practitioner.

We love herbs for their own sake

2010-08-06T12:44:00.006+01:00

Above: Sue reading Bartram's Encyclopedia of Herbal Medicine in her break.

When Sue Pearce joined Proline Botanicals as a Dispensary Assistant in February 2009 she little thought it would change her life. Now eighteen months on Sue is devoted to herbs, and is following a distance learning course to discover more about herbal medicine. Sue describes the course:

"It's the New Vitality Introduction to Herbal Medicine. You study at your own pace, and usually it takes about a year to complete. The course was recommended by Katie, who is one of the medical herbalists working at Proline. So far I've covered Anatomy and Physiology, Materia Medica, Diagnosis and Pharmacy. It's great, I'm really enjoying it. It all started when I asked questions about the work I was doing. It's opened up a whole new perspective and has made the Dispensing department much more interesting.

Proline Managing Director Tony Carter said: "We are happy to sponsor Sue through her course. It benefits everyone when personnel are enthusiastic about their work and keen to learn more. Walking through the company each morning I am always struck by the great sympathy our people have for handling herbs and refining them into fine medicines."

Sue works in the Proline Dispensing department which allows practitioners to order capsules made up to their bespoke prescription (for more about this service please call Emma on 01780 753366).

More about the New Vitality course: http://www.newvitality.org.uk/

New range of Chinese herbs to be launched 1st August

2010-07-05T11:11:00.007+01:00

Above: interesting article that appeared in the Guardian recently about the Tibetan harvest of Cordyceps sinensis (if you click on the image it will enlarge so that you can read it). There has been growing interest in TCM medicines over the past decade. Coupled with this interest has been an increasing insistence on quality of ingredients and environmental sustainablility of supply.

Proline Botanicals is about to launch a new range of herbs used in Traditional Chinese Medicine. A 40-page colour catalogue has been produced focussing on the new range, listing over 280 different herbs and approximately six hundred products including tinctures, powders and cut herbs. Fifty of the most popular classic herbal formulae have also been included.

All the herbs have been imported from China.

The new catalogue will be available from 1st August.

Commenting on the new range Tony Carter said:

"This is an exciting new initiative for us. We try to introduce at least one big new development each year to ensure the company continues to grow. This year we are expanding our range of herbal products by forty per cent through the addition of medicines used in Traditional Chinese Medicine.

"We are aware of course that the TCM market in the United Kingdom is mature, and that there are many existing reputable suppliers of TCM medicines. However we believe that our unique quality systems and emphasis upon GMP audited procedures will be valued by many practitioners. Because our products are manufactured in the UK, under our complete control, we can guarantee that they are free of any animal ingredients and uncontaminated by heavy metals, analgesics, antihistamines, hormones or any other extraneous material.

"Our aim is to produce the purest TCM herbal medicines possible, and to make them available to practitioners at fair prices. Inevitably there will be difficulties to be experienced - TCM is a complex and sophisticated medical culture and will require careful study and attention to get things right. We are confident we will succeed."

Visit from Hadlow College

2010-03-17T12:22:00.003Z

Above: Emma (far left) with the students from Hadlow College.

On Friday 12th March Proline Botanicals hosted a visit from Hadlow College in Kent. Sixteen medicinal horticulturalists, herbalists and commercial horticulturalists comprised the party.

The visit took place in the afternoon and included a tour of the Proline site, a buffet lunch and informal discussions between Proline staff and the students. Emma Suddards led the party on the tour which looked at the way dried herbs were milled, herbal fluid extracts were percolated, capsules and tablets were made and finished medicines were stored prior to despatch.

Commenting on the visit Emma said:

"We were really pleased to host a visit from such enthusiastic and interested students. Having recently graduated myself in herbal medicine I realise the value visits of this kind have in bringing the procedures to life. Creating herbal medicines to GMP standards is a fascinating process and involves many different stages - it was a pleasure to be able to show the students how we keep up the quality standards across over three hundred and fifty different herbs and nearly two thousand individual medicinal products."

If you work in an educational establishment and wish to bring a party of students to Proline Botanicals please contact us.

Visit by Middlesex herbal medicine students

2009-11-23T15:03:00.000Z

Above: Tony Cater (left) guiding the Middlesex students on their tour of Proline Botanicals.

Kerstin Falkenstein, 3rd year Herbal Medicine student at Middlesex University, gives an account of the visit:

"On Tuesday the 10th November 2009 the third year Herbal Medicine students went as part of the Herbal Therapeutics module organised by module leader Anne Stobart on an excursion to a well known manufacturer of herbal products. ‘Proline’ is a modern enterprise situated on the outskirts of Stamford in Lincolnshire. The first impressions were not exactly matching our maybe more romantic ideas of herbal manufacturing, but none of the students has ever been to a herbal supplier and so we were all in for a bit of a surprise. The staff and the director of the company Mr Tony Carter gave us a warm welcome and over tea explained the concepts and strategies of his business.

‘Proline’ is a company priding itself on very high standards of quality concerning the herbal products it provides. The herbal raw materials are audited by their in-house quality team with inspection, batch and laboratory testing of all ingredients before they can be used in any of their products. The laboratories are equipped with high standard technology in accordance with their Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP) status. Mr Carter puts particular emphasis on an excellent hygienic and clean environment in the rooms dealing with plant material ensuring the purest quality of the end products thus avoiding any cross contamination.

We got a first glimpse of this regime when Mr Carter provided us with protective hats and gowns before taking us on a tour around the place. And, indeed, pristine it was – all rooms were covered in white plastic walls, equipped with strong extractor fans and easy to clean sloping floors. We were shown pill forming machines, percolators for tinctures, analytical equipment as well as the huge packaging and storage department. The tinctures are kept in amber glass or PET bottles, which are said to prevent the leeching of xeno-estrogenic plasticisers unlike for example polyethylene containers. Concerning the tinctures ‘Proline’ favours the process of percolation over maceration because of the higher yield of active chemical constituents from the herbs, a quality issue established in vigorous laboratory testing according to Mr Carter. They offer only two types of tinctures – 1:1 and 1:3 in order to avoid confusion of varied specifications across the range, which simplifies production as well as consumer choice. Despite an obvious great investment in technical equipment and quality control measures ‘Proline’ manages to keep the prices of their products at a competitive level.

The company does have a variety of customers, supplying a number of herbal product manufacturers in the UK which then sell these products under their own label like ‘Neals Yard Remedies’ or ‘Napiers’, but also providing service for small herbal businesses and lone practitioners. They also export their products to countries like Iceland, Norway, Sweden and Denmark.

Although, this company does herbal manufacturing on an industrial scale, the advantages concerning quality control and high standards of end products are obvious and in accordance with consumer expectations. With the process of regulation growing increasingly stringent, also in view of the 2011 implementations they are certainly able to meet the standards required by governing bodies like the Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency (MHRA).

This excursion offered an interesting in-sight in large scale commercial manufacturing of herbal products. It is far removed from the lone herbalist’s dispensary with self grown herbs and jars of macerating tinctures on the window sill, but to comply with rigorous government policies this type of herbal manufacturing is probably a good way forward to keep herbal medicines marketable and accessible for the British public."

NIMH rally and mass lobby of Parliament

2009-11-05T15:21:00.000Z

Above: Emma and Chris on the front line at the NIMH demo in Westminster.

Proline Botanicals supported the NIMH demonstration and lobby of Parliament on Monday 2nd November. Several members of staff made the journey up to London and braved the cold to demonstrate in support of statutory regulation of herbal medicine. In the picture above you can see the "Honk for herbs" banner Emma made, which got an enthusiastic reaction from the lorry drivers on the busy road in front of Parliament.

Describing the day Emma said: "I felt the day was reassuring for those people who are passionate about herbal medicine, showing that we won’t back down against bureaucracy. I think it highlighted to plenty of people that your voice can be heard (that is, people who went to speak to their MPs) and I’m sure we made a great impression on the people of London! As for the banner- we were stood up by the monument and I thought a better way to get some noise and attention would be to involve the traffic going past. So we traded placards with someone and wrote on the blank side ‘Honk 4 Herbs’ to try and get the people driving past to notice and get everyone at the demo fired up. And Chris and Vinny helped by encouraging the drivers to join in and speaking to those who were stopped at the traffic lights about what the demonstration was about."

In other initiatives, all of the Proline staff have been completing the Dept of Health Consultation forms and writing to local MPs Quentin Davies, Alan Duncan and Stewart Jackson.

NIMH Conference in Lancaster

2009-10-21T11:33:00.000+01:00

Above: Emma on the Proline stand at NIMH Conference in Lancaster.

It was good to see so many friends at the NIMH Annual Conference in Lancaster last weekend. The Conference was a superbly organised event, and was widely praised by attending NIMH delegates. On the Saturday Michael McIntyre led an inspiring session on the need for Statutory Regulation of herbalists and the danger that if Stautory Regulation did not go ahead herbalists would no longer be permitted to buy herbal medicines (this is due to EU legislation coming into force in 2011).

Make sure your voice is heard - closure of public consultation is 2nd November.

For more information see: http://actnow.nimh.org.uk/

A great day for herbal medicine

2009-10-12T13:22:00.000+01:00

Above: James Wong greeted guests as they arrived at Proline.

It was a great day for Proline Botanicals when James Wong opened the New Extensions at our Essendine facility on Friday 2nd October. Guests assembled from all over the country including medical herbalists, herb suppliers, and contract manufacturers. Many people travelled long distances to attend the event, including one guest who got up at 3am to get to Essendine by 10am!

Above: after a champagne reception James Wong unveiled a plaque formally declaring the New Extensions open.

James Wong, is the presenter of the BBC2 series Grow Your Own Drugs. He is also a co-presenter on the long-running BBC rural affairs series Countryfile and author of the book Grow Your Own Drugs: Easy Recipes for Natural Remedies and Beauty Treats, a tie-in with the television show. He trained to Master's degree level at the University of Kent and at theRoyal Botanic Garden, Kew.

Above: after the formal opening the guests divided into three groups to tour the Essendine facility - here you can see the green group waiting to start.

Left: Proline's Dave Wood leading a party through the new suites of clean rooms - guests expressed themselves as stagged and amazed at the scale of investment that has been made in herbal medicine.

Left: Proline has the largest range of herbal medicines available in the United Kingdom - approximately 1,750 different products.

Left: the orange group examining the new dispensing service where herbalists can ask Proline to make up their bespoke formulations - and even have them despatched straight to the customer.

Left: the warehouse where raw herbs are stored. Upon arrival at Proline herbs are rigorously checked for accurate species, infestation and adulturation. They then go through extensive laboratory analysis, including HPTLC analysis.

Left: after the tours came the lunch which Fia Dobiesz had prepared for the event. All the food was home-made. Many guests expressed astonishment at the quality of this lunch.

Above: following the lunch there were speeches by Jane Gray President of NIMH and Tony Carter before James Wong gave an entertaining talk about his television series Grow Your Own Drugs.

Above: there was also ample opportunity for guests to talk to James Wong informally.

Left: Emma and Sue with James Wong.

Commenting on the day Tony Carter said: "The Open Day was the culmination of years of planning and a demanding twelve months of construction, fitting out and commissioning. I would like to thank all the Proline staff who made the day such an outstanding success and also Fia for putting on such a splendid lunch. It was a great day for herbal medicine."

If you have a group (minimum of 10) you wish to take on a tour of the Essendine facility please contact us.

Save herbal medicine

2009-10-07T12:13:00.000+01:00

All visiters to the Proline site are urged to join the NIMH campaign to save herbal medicine.

The government is making a hash of its attempts to regulate herbalists in the United Kingdom, which could result in many herbal medicines becoming unobtainable.

Please go to www.nimh.org.uk where you will find materials to help you lobby your MP and the Department of Health.