Traditional Medicinals’ Corporate Philosophy:

“We are guided by a profound reverence for the power of plants and the knowledge contained within the world’s great systems of Traditional Herbal Medicine. We guarantee that every capsule, lozenge, and cup of tea we make is guided by these principles:

Knowledge

We believe in the healing power of plants and the wisdom contained within the world’s systems of Traditional Herbal Medicine. Our team of herbal experts bring a wealth of ancient and modern knowledge to the creation of our products.

Efficacy

Our products work. No other North American herb company invests in the systems, research, testing and quality medicinal grade herbs the way we do at Traditional Medicinals®.

Sustainability

We believe in living as if there is a tomorrow and our business practices reflect this concern for the future. We mean it when we say we care about protecting the earth. Whether it’s purchasing wind energy or installing solar panels for our electricity needs or using organically grown herbs, we go further to preserve the environments and communities on which we depend.

Partnership

We believe in equitable relationships with our customers, employees, farmers and our community. We believe that a product that’s good for your body should be good for everybody.”

Source: Traditional Medicinals.

Traditional Medicinals Answers Frequently-Asked Questions

Q: What are pharmacopoeial grade herbs and why use them?
A: Our herbal products are formulated in accordance with specific rules of combining and compatability stemming from traditional systems of herbal practice. There are several grades of herbs available, including pharmacopoeial grade, food grade and inferior grades. We follow standards for pharmacopoeial herbs such as those published in the European Pharmacopoeia, which ensures that our teas and other herbal products meet the highest quality standards. Pharmacopoeial grade herbs cost more than the commonly used commercial grade herbs, but we think you’re worth it.

Q: Are Traditional Medicinals products organic?
A: We have been committed to organic agriculture for over three decades. Back then we believed that the herbs in our teas should be grown without the use of harmful fertilizers and pesticides. Now with the USDA National Organic Program, what was once on the fringe has become mainstream.
We continue to recognize the importance of sustainable agriculture and wild collection, working to develop new organic sources of herbs for all of our products. We believe teas that are good for your body should be good for the earth as well.

Q: Are your products suitable for vegetarians and vegans?
A: The ingredients of our herbal capsules, powders and teas are natural and plant-based (no synthetic, petroleum-based, or animal-derived components) and are suitable for use by vegetarians and vegans. Our herbal pastilles and syrups are suitable for vegetarians but not for vegans. The pastilles contain beeswax and honey and the syrups contain honey.

Q: Do any of your products contain caffeine?
A: Yes. Some of our products include caffeine-containing herbs such as maté leaf (Ilex paraguariensis) or black or green tea leaf (Camellia sinensis).

Q: Are your green teas tested for fluoride content?
A: Yes. We have had our organic green tea products tested for fluoride at an independent laboratory and the test results have shown none detected.
There is concern because some green teas have been shown to contain relatively high levels of fluoride. Fluoride-containing drinking water is considered to be a risk factor for dental fluorosis, a condition caused by an excessive intake of fluorides (2 or more ppm in drinking water). Some plants, including the tea plant (Camellia sinensis), are inherently able to uptake and accumulate relatively high quantities of fluoride. The soil and water conditions where the tea plant is grown, as well as the methods of cultivation, are factors that can determine fluoride levels in the tea leaf. Some studies have also shown a correlation between lower quality teas having higher fluoride content and higher quality teas having lower fluoride content.

Q: Do any of your products contain genetically engineered components?
A: No. We do not use ingredients that were produced using biotechnology in our products or at any stage of production, processing or handling. Following a precautionary principle, we believe that the practice of genetic engineering should be halted and in the meantime all products containing genetically engineered ingredients should be clearly labeled as such.
Traditional Medicinals® is opposed to the practice of genetic engineering, which involves the insertion of genes from any source (including bacteria, other plants or even animals) into the DNA of cultivated plants. Genetically engineered crops, altered to be insect resistant, may throw off the balance of nature and cause harm to beneficial insects such as ladybugs, butterflies and other pollinators. We believe that the potential long-term risks to the environment and to human health far outweigh any perceived benefits that could come as a result of manipulating nature in this way. We also see the spread of genetically engineered crops as a serious threat to certified organic and/or biodynamic agriculture due to the inability to control cross-pollination. Many pollinators travel long distances that may put them in direct contact with both certified organic acreage and genetically engineered acreage.

Q: Do any of your products contain gluten?
A: Celiac patients are advised to avoid food ingredients containing gluten and/or its derivatives (e.g. gliadin). Certain grains such as barley, oat, rye and wheat contain proteins that are composed of prolamins and/or glutelins. None of Traditional Medicinals® herbal –capsules, -syrups, or -teas contain any wheat or rye, or their derivatives.
Herbal Teas: We have tested our herbal tea products that contain barley grain (PMS Tea®) or oatstraw (St. John’s Good Mood®) to determine whether they contain gluten. We found that St. John’s Good Mood® does not contain measurable gluten (detection limit 3.00 parts per million (ppm)) and can be labeled as gluten-free. If the use of an ingredient results in the presence of 20 ppm or more gluten in a food or dietary supplement product (i.e., 20 micrograms or more gluten per gram of food), then it is can not be labeled as gluten-free.
Celiac patients should not use PMS Tea® because it contains gluten which naturally occurs in barley. Gluten-free products are those that contain less than 20 parts per million (ppm) gluten. PMS Tea® contains more than 20 ppm gluten.
Herbal Pastilles (lozenges): As a flavor component, our Throat Coat® Herbal Pastilles contain a small amount of organic maltose syrup, which is made from wheat starch. The proteins, however, are removed in the process of making wheat starch which makes it a gluten-free ingredient. Wheat starch generally contains not more than 0.3% of total protein. The analysis of the maltose syrup used in our pastilles product shows that it contains 0.1% proteins. While our pastilles can be labeled as gluten-free, if you are a celiac patient who responds to extremely low doses such as these, you should avoid the pastilles.

Q: Do any of your products contain artificial or natural flavors?
A: No. We do not add flavors to our products. While it is common for beverage teas to contain added flavors, teas for self care generally do not. We prefer to balance an herbal formula’s taste profile using other complementary herbs or their essential oils, because it is important to experience the true taste of the herbs for best results.

Q: About the use of licorice root in Traditional Medicinals’ products
A: Licorice root is one of the most widely used medicinal herbs today and has been employed therapeutically for several thousand years in western and eastern systems of Traditional Herbal Medicine. It is also one of the most widely used herbs in many Traditional Medicinals®’ herbal formulas. We are occasionally asked about its safety and about some reports that it may contribute to potassium loss and raising of blood pressure.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO) licorice monograph, no adverse effects have been associated with licorice root when it is used within normal therapeutic dosage and treatment period limits. On prolonged use (longer than 6 weeks regular daily ingestion) at overdose levels (greater than 50,000 mg daily), sodium and water retention and potassium loss may occur, accompanied by hypertension, edema, hypokalemia, and, in rare cases, myoglobinuria.
Licorice adverse events have generally been associated with the overdose or binge eating of licorice candies, which may contain concentrated extracts of licorice root. According to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), licorice root is affirmed as Generally Recognized as Safe (GRAS) for use, among other things, as a flavoring agent or flavor enhancer in candies, foods, dietary supplements as well as nonalcoholic beverages including herbal teas.
In a clinical study involving our Throat Coat® herbal tea, which contains both licorice root and licorice extract as primary ingredients, there were no significant changes in systolic or diastolic blood pressure measured during the course of the study with patients drinking 4-6 cups of tea daily.

Q: About use of stevia leaf in Traditional Medicinals’ products
A: Stevia leaf (Stevia rebaudiana) is used in some of our formulas at very low levels functioning appropriately as a taste balancing component. The American Herbal Products Association (AHPA) Botanical Safety Handbook gives stevia leaf a ‘Class 1’ safety rating, meaning that it can be safely consumed when used appropriately, and it has no known contraindications or specific use restrictions. Traditionally, stevia leaf is used as an herbal tea by indigenous peoples of South America including the Guaraní and Mestizos, often in combination with maté leaf (Ilex paraguariensis).

Source: Traditional Medicinals.

Traditional Medicinals Shares Its Sustainability Practices

Solar and Wind Power

“For more than thirty years, Traditional Medicinals® has valued choosing ways in which we can leave a lighter footprint. We know that we play a role in protecting and preserving our environment and the communities upon which our business depends. This is why we purchase renewable wind energy to offset all of our electricity use not supported by the solar panels recently installed at our headquarters in Sebastopol, CA.
Though roughly 75% of our energy comes directly from our own roof top( we are the largest solar-powered tea factory on earth!), to ensure that the rest of the mix of power we draw from the system is replaced with 100% wind energy, we purchase green tags. Matching each kilowatt-hour we consume with a kilowatt-hour of renewable wind energy neutralizes the impact of our electricity use and makes the system a little bit more sustainable for everyone.”

Organic Ingredients

“We use pharmacopoeial grade herbs that are also certified organic and kosher whenever possible. Some of our herbs are cultivated on farms using sustainable agricultural methods and some are sustainably wild harvested under organic certification rules for wild crops. All of our ingredients, with the exception of bee products (e.g. honey) used in our pastilles and syrups, are plant-based (no synthetic, petroleum-based, or animal-derived components) and suitable for use by those seeking a healthy, natural lifestyle, including vegetarians and in most cases vegans as well.”

Sustainable Farming

“[We have a] network of herb growers, collectors, cooperatives, farms and estates from around the world….Not only do they provide excellent quality herbs and teas, they work in ways that preserve and enhance their environments and communities, with commitments to sustainable farming (and wild collecting methods), community development and caring for the earth for the generations to come. Without them we could never fulfill our company mission.”

Reduce, Reuse, Recycle

“Every choice makes a difference. At Traditional Medicinals®, our low impact packaging and recycling plan help us leave a lighter footprint for all of us here today – and tomorrow. These sustainable steps are a normal part of our daily business practices.

• For twelve consecutive years, Traditional Medicinals® has received the Waste Reduction Awards Program (WRAP) award, recognized for our outstanding efforts to reduce waste!
• Each employee has an individual recycling container to make it easy to recycle paper, plastic, glass, metal and anything else we can. Paper is one of the largest sources of waste from businesses, so in addition to recycling, we constantly seek ways to minimize our office paper use.
• Our tea cartons are made from recycled paper board (at least 55% verified post-consumer waste) and shipped in recyclable shipping cases.
• We use tea bags made from unbleached manila hemp (Musa textilis) pulp attached to a cotton (Gossypium spp.) string.
• You can compost your used tea bags, string and all, rather than throwing them in the trash. They will make great soil later on!
• You can also help support our efforts by easily recycling your empty Traditional Medicinals® tea boxes – check with your local trash service to determine whether they pick up recycling or not.

Check out the recycling informaton messages on all of our tea cartons; we print useful tips on the inside of every box.”

Source: Traditional Medicinals.

Traditional Medicinals’ good works recognized

Over the decades Traditional Medicinals® has been acknowledged for its community involvement, environmental practices, and leadership in the natural product’s industry. Here’s a partial list of awards:

Environmental and Sustainability Award

2008 Nutrition Business Journal
Presented to Traditional Medicinals® by Nutrition Business Journal for Environmental and Sustainability business achievement.

2007 AHPA Herbal Industry Leader

Presented by the American Herbal Products Association (AHPA). The AHPA Herbal Industry Leader is presented to companies that set an example of outstanding business practice or organizations that work to move the industry forward above and beyond normal business practice.

2007 AHPA 25th Anniversary Founding Members Honor

Traditional Medicinals® and six other companies were honored as AHPA Founding Members, companies that were actively involved in the decision to create AHPA and continue their uninterrupted active involvement as members today.

Waste Reduction Award Program, WRAP

(2008, for twelve consecutive years)
Presented to Traditional Medicinals® for Improving the Environment by Reducing Waste
State of California Environmental Protection Agency, California Integrated Waste Management Board.

Marketing Excellence Award

2006 Marketing Organic Products Conference
Presented by Marketing IQ, a subsidiary of the International Quality and Productivity Center, to Traditional Medicinals® for excellence in developing and marketing of a line of new “Just for Kids” Organic Teas. Winners were selected based on product innovation, consumer awareness and market penetration.

Best New Beverage Item

2005 Kosherfest New Product Competition
Presented by Kosherfest to Traditional Medicinals® for “Just for Kids” Organic Cold Care Tea. Winners were selected based on criteria that included: newness, quality, uniqueness, taste, salability, merchandisibility, best in category and retail price point.

Community Approach to Sustainability Award

Presented by the California State Senate and S.E.E. Green to Traditional Medicinals® in recognition of its commitment to sustainable environmental business practices.

Socially Responsible Business Award

Presented by the natural products industry to Traditional Medicinals® for its socially responsible business practices, care of the environment, employee empowerment, education, health, and involvement in the community.

Human Race Corporate Champion Award

Presented to Traditional Medicinals® and its employees for fund raising efforts in support of Sonoma County’s Children’s Health Center and the Homeless Women’s Shelter.

Source: Traditional Medicinals.