Chemical Additive in Your Herbs. To Sulfur or Not to Sulfur

When purchasing dried fruit, 9 out of 10 people will pick the bag that looks prettier than the one that has fruit turned brown. Go beyond the beautiful color because that beautiful color is deceiving. It may even carry toxins. Sulfur dioxide is used to prevent discoloration in dried fruit but it's carries some significant side effects. The most common reactions are diarrhea, allergies, headaches and asthma.

Now what about the herbs you buy?

Do your herbs contain sulfur dioxide (SD) and does SD effect the fundamental quality of the herbs?

Chinese herbs are derived from natural plant and mineral products. Like any natural product, they are vulnerable to mold and insect infestation. To control the decay and mold many herbal products and natural supplements are sprayed with sulfur based fumigation. This process kills bacteria, mold, insects and may also be used for bleaching/ cleaning raw herbs.

But can it change the chemical constituents of a particular herb? In some cases we know for a fact the answer is YES! Our herbs are not fumigated with SD! We believe the byproduct of fumigation is unacceptable as it often changes the nature of the herb.

Sulfer dioxide is commonly used by some farmers to cosmetically improve the appearance of the herb Dioscorea, (Shan Yao) Pueraria Root ( Ge Gen) and dried ginger (Gan Jiang). In high sugar content raw herbs SD causes the herbs to taste more acidic, in herbs containing fatty oils such as persica (tao ren) used in our PMS Relief, fumigation leaves a pungent oil od! or. Frag ile herbs such as Chrysanthemum (Ju Hua) should never be fumigated with sulfur dioxide because it damages Chrysanthemum's fundamental qualities.

As a preservative, sulfur dioxide is often used in dried fruit because it's antimicrobial properties preserve freshness, reduce rotting and help maintain the appearance of the fruit. Sulfur dioxide is an important compound in wine making. It serves as an antibiotic and antioxidant, protecting wine from spoilage by bacteria and oxidation. The Center for Science in the Public Interest lists two food preservatives, sulfur dioxide and sodium bisulfate as being safe for human consumption except for certain individuals who may be sensitive to it, even in small amounts.

Our labs conduct sulfur dioxide residue tests before our herbs are processed to insure the our natural herbal products are sulfur free. When I visited wholesale herb markets in China, the un-sulfured herbs were noticeable different in color and price (see above picture) from the same herbs treated with sulfur. Untreated herbs were always more expensive, what does that tell you?

Center for Science in the Public Interest.. http://www.cspinet.org/reports/chemcuisine.htm#sulfites


Comments

PacHerbs said…
Thanks for publishing my article. More at htt://www.pacherbs.com
February 7, 2011 at 8:11 AM
Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Our Need For Speed Is Going Herbal

Image
Do you have enough energy to stay ahead of the game? You can if you know the rules of the game. Building, storing and keeping energy are the keys. But todays fast paced, multitasking world creates many different stressors on our bodies.Often physical and emotional stress can drain us. With so much on our plates, how do we take enough time to give our body the fuel it needs to cope in our ultra-fast, get it done yesterday environment? Eat well, build muscle and fat to store energy and then our bodies have enough to survive and thrive. These rules have always applied, but getting the right, high octane fuel is not so easy in our modern world.This is where coffee comes in handy.It is the perfect natural stimulant, right?Its cheap, works fast and gives us that energy boost we desire.Yet, coffee does not contain anything that PRODUCES energy, it simply causes your body to release adrenaline into the blood. Adrenaline is a hormone that produces the fight or flight response.It is also known a...
Keep reading

Renaming Sleep Aids Ambien Now Called Intermezzo

FDA just approved a subligual Ambien for "insomnia in the middle of the night followed by difficulty returning to sleep" It has taken a few years, but the FDA has now approved Intermezzo, a low dose drug with the same active ingredient as Ambien. Zolpidem tartrate will now be in a sublingual tablet form rather than the sleeping pill, Ambien. A rose by any other name would smell as sweet, said Shakespeare and in this case Intermezzo is still Ambien and the side-effects are the same. For people who have difficulty staying asleep and can't fall back to sleep we recommend an herbal sleep aid that has been used for centuries, safely. If you are looking for a completely safe and natural sleep aid that can be taken in the middle of the night and works without side-effects you owe it to yourself to try Traditional Chinese Herbal Medicine. The herbs in our iSleep Herb Pack have been used safely and effectively for hundreds of years and clinically tested on thousands of patients...
Keep reading