Herb Grade Definitions

-Organic Grade
Organic Grade herbs and foods are grown without chemical pesticides or chemical fertilizers. We work with California Certified Organic Farmers (CCOF) as our certifying agency and all organic products are compliant with the USDA NOP (National Organic Program). Our organic herbs also go through an independent pesticide screening to insure its pureness. 
We whole-heartedly support organic farming not only for the purity of the herbs or foods but for the benefit it provides for the people doing the farming and for the environment in general. We feel the holistic approach to healing that characterizes Traditional Chinese Medicine begins with an attitude that treats the earth with respect and the realization that the health of the environment and the health of the body are not separate.
 
-ND Grade (Equivalent to Spring Wind's Premium Grade)
ND Grade herbs are high quality herbs or foods that meet the following requirements:
  • No detected pesticides. (In most cases we test for close to 400 pesticides). We only accept a reading of ND (none-detected) because we do not feel we should be in the position of determining a safe level of pesticide contamination. Also, we are trying to encourage our partnered growers to use sustainable growing methods that do not use chemical pesticides.
  • Each lot is tested and tracked. Testing is done mostly by internationally certified independent laboratories such as SGS, Eurofin, or Intertek. Certificates of Analysis or test results can be provided for each herb upon request. 
  • Sulfur dioxide - We do not accept any herbs that are processed with sulfur fumigation. We test each lot for SO2 via vapor sampling and accept only readings of 1.0 ppm or less. The choice of this level of testing is to allow naturally occurring SO2 (a natural result of decaying plant matter) yet rule out added sulfur fumigation. We sometimes also use titration testing for sulfites. We accept a non-detection result from this test.
  • Other Contaminants If we have any reason to suspect contamination by other substances, we test for them as well. For example, our seeds, grains, and some dried fruits are also tested for aflatoxins. 
  • Heavy Metals - We have started testing each lot of herbs for amounts of Lead, Cadmium, Mercury, and Arsenic. Most herbs contain naturally occurring amounts of heavy metals, but that can be harmful in significant amounts. We only accept lots that meet our specified limits that are based on the European Pharmacopeia.

 

More information about our quality and be found at Quality and Testing