There are two types of companies in today’s market - those who have nothing to hide and those who do. We want our customers to know exactly what we do, how we do it, and why. That is why we are launching the Ridgecrest Transparency Project. It is our effort to make our manufacturing practices as open as possible and to help educate our customers on our products and the ingredients in them.
We are herb nerds at heart and enjoy this project. We are all looking forward to the positive implications it will have on us, our formulas, and most of all our customers that stand in need of a trusted source of open, truthful information. We will answer the who, what, where, how, and why of each individual ingredient so you can feel confident about what you are putting into your body.
In the coming months, we will be adding information that will help you make informed decisions, explaining the health benefits of individual ingredients, information on our products, sourcing information, and anything else we can think of that you might want to know. We want you to make the best decision you can for your health, and we are confident you will find the answers in our products. Should you ever have any questions that might not be answered within the beginnings of this project - know that, while we are working for complete transparency, you are more than welcome to ask us any question or for any information!
Many aspects of our formulations come from ancient, global traditions. Modern science has confirmed much of the ancestral wisdom found in herbal medicine, and new supportive research is emerging daily. Follow the links below for an educational introduction to the incredible traditional knowledge found around the globe:
Ayurveda: In Sanskrit, Ayurveda means "The Science of Life". This tradition dates as far back as 5,000 years ago in India, though nothing was written down until much later. In this tradition, iti s believed you need to devote your life to balance, including clear thinking, healthy eating, and living a good life. Ayurveda states that everyone has a unique energy pattern, and that balance is key to good health. The three energies of the body are called vatta, pitta, and kapha, and each individual has their own unique blend of the three, so you need to understand your tendencies for imbalance and work to create harmony within your own natural energies within yourself. Ayurveda also believes that the five elements affect your body, and use the symbolism of the elements to describe the factors that play into health, but in this case, the elements are space, air, fire, water, and earth. A trained practitioner can offer multiple avenues for reutrning to balance, including herbs, diet, massage, meditation, yoga, and more intense therapies.
European Herbalism: (coming soon)
Eclectic Herbal Medicine: (coming soon)
Homeopathy: while we no longer are able to use homeopathy due to FDA regulations, we still want to include it as part of our education because it is a form of medicine we love and are passionate about, and in our opinion, is effective and valuable. Samuel Hahnemann (1755-1843) was a German physician who was disappointed by the results from the conventional medicine of his day. He observed, as did his contemporary Jonas Salk (inventor of the smallpox vaccine) that patients sometimes seemed to benefit from small doeses of certain medicines that, in larger doses, would cause similar symptoms in healthy patients. From these observations, Hahnemann framed the rule that "like cures like", a principle that has become known as the "Law of Similars" and the founding principle of homeopathy, a system of medical treatment which has endured for more than 200 years, and now has adherents all over the world. In modern medicine this concept is called "hormesis". Some examples of modern medicine treatments that use the "like cures like" pricinple are Digitalis (in high doses causes arrhythimias, but in low doses treats this same condition), Ritalin (a stimulant that in low doses helps with ADHD and attention disorders), and small doses of allergens (used to de-sensitize allergic patients).You can read more about homeopathy in our article found here.
Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM): TCM gets it's framework from Taoism, using the symbolic language of the Yin-Yang (dark/light, heat/cold, etc.) paradigm and focusing on creating balance and harmony in all parts of the body to find a natural state of health. To explain this, TCM uses the concept of Wu Xing, or the 5 elements (fire, wood, water, metal, earth). Within the body, these five elements exist and are continually in a state of flux, and different symptoms are associated with different elements. To create healing and health, deficiencies and excesses must be brought back into harmony. Because the body is considred to be made up of physical, spiritual, and mental aspects, all are considered when looking to heal. The seasons of the year and other external factors also play a part, because the body is interconnected with and affected by the earth we live in. TCM has been honing itself for over 2,000 years and is one of the largest medical traditions in the world today. A trained practitioner can offer treatments such as cupping, moxibustion, Tui Na massage, acupuncture, herbs, and diet.
Our amazing herbalist, Brittini Gehring, has been trained in multiple herbal traditions and is an encyclopedia of knowledge. With her help we are able to utilize herbal traditions from around the globe to provide health and wellness to our customers, helping your Reach Your Peak™.
The Yellow Emperor: (coming soon)
Hippocrates: (coming soon)
Pendanius Dioscorides: (coming soon)
Constantine Samuel Rafinesque: (coming soon)
Our #1 priority has ALWAYS been to help. In order to do so, we go out of our way to ensure that our products are not only effective but also the highest quality we can provide. If you have any questions concerning the quality or safety of our products, please feel free to contact our Chief Botanical Officer, Brittini Gehring at brittini @ rcherbals.com with further inquiries.