Spring Herbs

Spring is a time of joyous anticipation, which in Colorado comes between major snow falls. Under that snow however, I know the herbs are starting to stir and getting all the moisture they need. Chives for me is the first sign of spring. I have a small clump near my...

Caffeine; friend or foe?

Some of us are quite dependent on our morning caffeine usually in the form of coffee or tea. Caffeine is in a chemical class called alkaloids which was first defined as a natural substance that reacts like a base, or alkali. Although they don’t have a strict...

Purslane fights xenoestrogens!

There has been some talk lately about environmental estrogens and for good reason. The National Toxicology Program has some concern that these endocrine disruptors may cause problems with human development and reproduction. Endocrine disrupters act like hormones to...

Saving Our Natural Skin Care Products

Monday was a small victory for those of us in the skin care business. The Colorado Legislative Committee turned down a bill that would have eliminated many of the ingredients used by both small and large manufacturers and loved by customers. Ironically, the very...