Bio-Specific Process
Our proprietary extraction process is tailored to each herb, preserving its unique compounds for exceptional potency and effectiveness.
At the heart of everything we do
Bio-SpecificTM Process Quality Control from Sourcing to Extraction–crafting the highest quality herbal products since 1981.
Our products are made using our BIO-SPECIFIC™ formulation process, which is based on knowledge of the chemistry, character and energetics of each plant gained from traditional wisdom. This knowledge is combined and balanced with leading modern research and decades of clinical experience.
- Fresh herbs arrive at our lab It begins at the source. We obtain herbs directly from organic growers and ethical wildcrafters. Control over quality—from harvesting at the proper stage of growth to arriving fresh and vital in our lab—is critical to the BIO-SPECIFIC™ process.
- Herbalists/QC evaluate quality & validate species Experienced herbalists carefully examine every shipment of herbs to evaluate quality and work with QC to validate species. Most plants arrive whole and fresh, so are easily identified. The few herbs that arrive in powdered form are sent to highly qualified private testing labs or Rutgers University labs for ID confirmation.
- Herbs are garbled & batched Garbling is the next step in the BIO-SPECIFIC™ process. Skilled lab techs meticulously sort all batches of herbs by hand, removing inferior parts such as woody stems or yellowed leaves.
- Extraction process & spagyric alchemy concentrate plant minerals Our BIO-SPECIFIC™ extractions, developed by David Winston RH(AHG), define the process. Since some herbs like Skullcap, Echinacea and Cleavers lose activity upon drying, we always extracted these fresh. Conversely, the dried forms of many bitter, pungent or acrid herbs produce a more energetically-vibrant extract. Certain herbs such as Astragalus need to be simmered in water before alcohol is added to produce a vital extract. These formulation decisions are an integral part of assuring a superior extract.
We use Certified Organic, USP Pharmaceutical Grade Alcohol in our herbal extracts, never industrial solvents such as hexane or benzene often used to extract standardized herbal preparations.
The key to our BIO-SPECIFIC™ formulations is our unique Spagyric alchemical extraction process. Based on traditional herbal practices of China, India and Egypt, we take the plant to its highest form, liberating its essence for greatest potency. During alchemical extraction we calcine the plant residues. This concentrates the essential minerals of the plant.
Learn more about our Spagyric Alchemical extraction process.
Companies who discard the plant residue in the preparation of simple tinctures lose the essential minerals because they are not soluble in alcohol. When we rejoin our calcined minerals with the liquid extract, we create a product unique to Herbalist & Alchemist—one that contains the full spectrum of the plant’s nutrients. You’ll notice fine sediment in our liquid extracts as a result of the alchemical processing. It’s a combination of filtered herb particles and calcined ash which give our extracts a high mineral content. This is why we recommend that the bottle be gently shaken before use.