Phyto Essential Matters

Relief from arthritic pain

2012-02-26T05:15:00.005-08:00

The most successful product we developed during our years of farming and essential oil production was our massage blend made with organic Roman Chamomile. This was tried and tested by our clients for over a period of fourteen years and many people grew to rely on it as a natural anti-inflammatory and a source of pain relief.

Now, at Phyto Essential Oils we can announce the return of this popular blend: no 'new formula' just exactly the same effective recipe, the natural alternative to anti-inflammatory drugs, which have well-known and unpleasant side effects. For example, most NSIADs (non-steroidal anti inflammatory drugs), if taken regularly, may have a damaging effect on the stomach lining and in some cases, can cause ulcers.

This, however, is an external preparation which works through the skin, whence it is absorbed into the bloodstream. A small amount (about the size of a 10p piece) is placed in the palm of the hand then massaged into the painful area for three to five minutes, once, or preferably twice daily.

The selling price in our previous shop was £5.00 for a 50ml bottle, but now, with reduced overheads and no VAT (yet), we are able to re-introduce this blend at an amazing £3.50.

Anyone who suffers from arthritis, rheumatism or any kind of joint or muscle pain will benefit from this wonderful product. Just go to the main site and look at 'Massage Blends' in the main menu.

Welcome to a pain-free world.

Take a VAT holiday!

2012-01-20T07:36:00.000-08:00

This is just to remind you that we are not yet registered for VAT, so the prices on the site are the entire cost of the product. In other words, when you get to the checkout you don't get the VAT loaded on to your basket in addition to your purchases, which at current rates means that you save 20% by shopping at Phyto Essential Oils.

It's worth thinking about this because it means that, for the time being, we can offer our oils at cheaper prices without compromising quality.

Happy shopping,

Steve

As Dorothy Parker once said ...

2011-12-04T09:16:00.000-08:00

We are now live! To take a quote from the great American wit and bonviveur, Dorothy Parker, when the death of President Calvin Coolidge was announced: 'How can they tell?'

Well, we are offering a wide range of products of the same quality as those formerly on sale in our old shop, which was based at Phytobotanica. This is no longer in existence, but we have risen, phoenix-like from the ashes of our former endeavour.

I am now standing behind a virtual counter to help with any information you may need about our products, and will pack and despatch them to you in quick time.

One great thing about the new website is that you will be able to read articles by Dr Jane, and take part in online tutorials with her. The popular talks and lectures Dr Jane used to give on the farm will now be translated into web dialogue in which you can take part. Keep looking at the Homepage for details, and let me know if you have any thoughts on any of the topics which may be raised.

'I think this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship.' Who said that, in which film? (just for fun - no prizes)

Please let us know what you think of the site, either through this blog or Facebook.

All the best
Steve

The Last Post

2011-11-11T11:51:00.000-08:00

I'm sorry to say that our shop on the farm has closed, but I have started a new internet shop, which is just about ready to 'go live' as www.phytoessentialoils.com and I hope you will take the trouble to pay a visit. The blog will continue with news and information on the new site, plus listings of all our products, so please let me know what you think about it.

In the meantime, please DO NOT ORDER FROM THE PRESENT PHYTOBOTANICA SITE, because we cannot guarantee to supply from there.

I would like to take this opportunity to thank everybody who has visited this blog, and I hope to hear from you soon.

Very best wishes,

Steve Collins

Back in stock

2011-08-24T03:09:00.000-07:00

Things have been quite hectic this last month, with some good weather and school holidays bringing a welcom influx of visitors to the farm. Most of the lavender and all of the chamomile has been harvested and there are fresh supplies of oils and hydrosols (fragrant waters) now in the shop. We have also re-stocked with the popular Roman Chamomile and Frankincense and Rose creams. On the soap table, we have been experimenting with some new fragrances (I almost put 'flavours') like Tangerine, Watermelon, Musk, Bois-de-Rose, Honey & Oatmeal, Clove & Ginger, in addition to the old favourites like Lavender and Chamomile.

Nag Champa: an exotic fragrance

2011-07-12T08:35:00.000-07:00

What is Nag Champa? Well, to save you the trouble of going to Wikipedia, here's what that ultra-reliable source of information says:

'Nag Champa is an Indian fragrance, commonly found in incense, soap, perfume oil, candles and personal toileteries originating there ... Indian incenses containing Plumeria, known in the West as Frangipani, have Champa in their name. Champa incenses contain a semi-liquid resin, "halmaddi," taken from the Ailanthus Malabarica tree, which gives them their characteristic grey color and damp texture: halmaddi is hygroscopic. The resin also contains a psychoactive beta-carboline. Nag Champa contains a large proportion of sandalwood.'

Got that? The fragrance is basically a mix of Frangipani and Sandalwood: a unique and heady combination. By the way, 'hygroscopic' refers to a substance which absorbs water from the air. Our soaps do that, which is why a dew sometimes forms upon them when the humidity is high. This is because the glycerol in the soap base is a well-known hygroscopic substance, but I digress.

I have purchased a quantity of Nag Champa incense sticks from our supplier in India, and I am able to offer these at the amazing price of just £1 for a packet of around twenty sticks! Moreover, 10p from the sale of this incense goes to the Freedom charity, to teach English to low income Indian workers, in order to enhance their career prospects. You can buy a box of 12 packets for £10.

Peace and love,
Steve

Soap Opera

2011-06-24T04:27:00.000-07:00

We had been running low on our stock of soaps of late, so last week saw a veritable orgy of soap making activity. I'm glad to say that the soap table is now full again, with freshly-made lavender, chamomile, coconut and patchouli: an interesting fragrance, often, but not exclusively, associated with the 1960s hippy generation. Also on the table is the ever-popular violet (think of Parma Violets, which you can buy from the Country Shack, next door), sweet pea, melissa (lemon balm) and an old favourite, sweet orange and geranium.

Recently, a lady in the shop picked up a bar of soap and asked 'what does this do?' I couldn't think what the correct response should be, or which special properties that particular bar of soap might have had, so I just said 'it gets you clean', which wasn't the reply she had been hoping for.

So there's our new slogan: Phytobotanica soap gets you clean! No? OK, back to the drawing board.

Steve

Distinguished visitors

2011-06-14T08:08:00.000-07:00

Last week we were delighted with a surprise visit from Tetsuo Miyabe, an honoured client of ours and a world-famous aromatherapist and artist, who has conducted workshops in New York, as well as Japan. Tetsuo studied architecture and formerly worked in an office building design firm in Japan. After studying Aromatherapy in England, he resigned his job and started his own aroma service in Hiroshima and Yamaguchi prefectures in Japan, where he lectures and leads popular, widely attended workshops about making natural bath and body products. He maintains special focus on the use of aromatherapy in combination with spatial environments, exhibits, and performance.

Accompanied by his wife and a good friend (more details and a group photograph later), Mr Miyabe toured the farm and selected a wide range of oils from the shop, before relaxing in the cafe.

On that day we were also running a course for a group of students from South Trafford College, so it was a hectic time for all concerned, but a very enjoyable one. It's always very gratifying to meet our mail order clients, and in this case it was an extra special pleasure.

My thanks to all concerned.

It's getting warmer

2011-06-02T13:37:00.000-07:00

At last the temperature seems to be rising slightly, the hens are no longer sheltering in the shop and my labrador Bailey has moved into the shade of the laboratory cum mail-order packing room across the yard. The lavender plants in the nearby field have taken on a purple sheen and are about to burst into glorious flowers.

We still have a lot of after-sun (I just typed 'after sin') creams on the shelf: it's a bit early for those, but the last few of our our rollerball insect-repellent bottles have been sold, and I'll be making some more tomorrow. They are a blend of citronella oil in a white lotion base and when applied to pulse points are an effective means of deterring the little menaces which can blight an otherwise pleasant summer's day.

Last weekend was busy with a country craft day, despite indifferent weather, and we are hoping for a pleasant weekend ahead, so I'm looking forward to to seeing you on the farm. We are open seven days a week, so come rain or come shine I shall be manning the counter, but if you can't make it, I can always send out any of the products you may require. Please see the main website for details.

See you soon,

Steve

Hot Stuff

2011-05-23T13:17:00.000-07:00

We made some new friends last weekend on our 'Flava of Chilli' day. There were guest purveyors of breads, cakes, sauces and all manner of chilli products, accompanied by some cool Latin Jazz. In the shop we made a modest contribution with big 725cl bottles of sweet chilli sauce - just a few left at £2.95 each.

It was nice to meet a reader of this blog, and I'm so sorry I didn't get the lady's name, but she gave me an interesting new addition to my vocabulary: 'woolaholic'. I've met quite a few '-aholics', such as 'shopaholic', 'workaholic', 'chocaholic', and of course the original alcoholics, but this lady has a penchant for the sheep-derived thread. So maybe we'll see some nice sweaters, scarves and gloves for the winter, which unfortunately still seems to be with us.

Speaking of the weather, we nearly lost our marquee on Saturday evening. When we were about to lock up for the night we noticed that our big tent was about to take off over the fields. It had moved several yards to the North and was leaning drunkenly against the vegetable plant display. This led to a last-minute dismantling session in the gathering dusk; fortunately there were no casualties, human or animal, and the sightly bent framework was eventually stowed away in one of the farm buildings. Never a dull moment, but this is one piece of excitement we could have done without.

Some new products

2011-05-16T05:28:00.000-07:00

In the picture you can see a selection of new items on sale in the Lavender Farm shop: just click on the image for a more detailed view. The roses are an incredibly fine and effective use of soap leaves, and they would make fantastic presents. They come in threes, nines and singles, and are superb examples of the soap-maker's art. Also shown are carved wooden ash-catchers for incense sticks, incredible value at just £1.00, and round wooden stands with brass inlay, for incense cones or sticks, which retail at £2.95. There is one old favorite in the picture, the back-scratcher/massager, back in stock at £3.00.

These items are not listed on the web site as available on mail order, but if you would like any of them, and can't get to the farm, just give us a ring or email and we can arrange to send them out.

Cheers,

Steve C

Roman Chamomile Massage Blend

2011-05-16T05:22:00.000-07:00

The day after my last post (hand me that bugle), a lady came into the shop and bought my entire stock of the Massage Blend. I'm sure this was a coincidence and not connected with the blog, and I was down to my last six bottles; but still, it was an unexpected purchase. I had to dash straight over to the lab and mix a new batch, which is now on the shelf.

Panic over.

Versatile Chamomile

2011-05-10T04:30:00.000-07:00

This pretty plant, which looks like a large daisy (as you can see from this photo of last year's harvest), has remarkable properties. The essential oil, extracted from the plant by steam distillation, when added to a smooth moisturising cream base is very effective for treating skin conditions, especially eczema and psoriasis. Our Roman Chamomile cream is probably the best selling line in the shop, retailing at £6.00 for a 60g jar.

But chamomile has other properties. It is of proven value as an anti-inflammatory agent, and can be mixed with a carrier oil such as Grapeseed or Sweet Almond to make a pain-relieving massage blend. Many customers with arthritis, rheumatism and various other sorts of joint or muscle pain, speak of miraculous results after a few applications of our Roman Chamomile Massage Blend. It's simple to use: just take a small amount of the blend (about the area of a 10p piece) in the palm of the hand and work it into the painful area, massaging gently for about 3-5 minutes. If you do this twice a day, morning and evening, you will find that the pain will soon begin to subside. We offer a 50ml bottle of Roman Chamomile Massage Blend for £5.00 (including VAT), available in the shop or on mail order.

These are just two of the amazing properties of the chamomile plant. Of course, if you just want to relax, you could follow Peter Rabbit's advice and enjoy a cup of Chamomile tea, or visit the farm and enjoy the unique fragrance of the chamomile fields.

New lavender plants

2011-05-08T01:14:00.001-07:00

Just look at these fabulous new lavender plants, now on sale for £5.95 each or two for £11.00. The varieties are Munstead and Hidcote: good English lavenders with strong colour and fragrance, which would be perfect for any garden.

More details about growing lavender to follow.

One good turn ...

2011-05-07T05:33:00.000-07:00

Wood-turners are like buses. I'd better explain that: we all know the old cliche that you wait for ages then two arrive.

Just recently I was approached by not one but two wood-turners, Ann Porter and Brian Clarke, and we now have their work on display in the shop. You can get some idea of the design from the two photographs I have attached, but you really need to handle these products to appreciate fully their quality.

On the subject of crafts, we also have a variety of new necklaces and bracelets made by Kathryn Higginson, which are on sale at £3.95 and £1.95 respectively. Great value for original and unique pieces.

'bye for now,

Steve

Aloe Vera and Seaweed eye gel

2011-05-05T05:11:00.000-07:00

A lady has just visited the shop and said that our eye gel is the only one she can use on her sensitive skin. She has tried other creams, spending up to £40 on 'special' products, to which she invariably had an allergic reaction. Our gel, on the other hand had a soothing effect and actually improved the condition of the skin around her eyes.

At £6.50 for a 60g jar, that's not a bad result.

See you soon,

Steve

A View from the Counter

2011-05-04T02:01:00.000-07:00

Hello and welcome to our new blog. I'm Steve Collins and you can usually see me behind the counter in the Lavender Farm shop.

Today we have taken delivery of a big consignment of new and different products, which we are are unpacking and displaying right now. I hope you like them.

We are always looking for ways to improve our shop and if there's anything you think we ought to stock, or perhaps (perish the thought!) that you don't like and think we should remove, please let me know.

I look forward to seeing you and hearing your comments.

Best wishes,

Steve C

(I have to use the initial of my surname because we have no less than three Steves on the farm, so you can imagine the confusion. But it does mean that, if you go into the yard and shout 'Steve' you can be sure of getting a reply!)