Lakon Herbals: Natural skin care formulas-FAQ

Frequently asked questions about our products.
If you have a question you don't see here, please send us your inquiry.

Q-"Why isn't the Oil Of Hypericum a dark red color?"
A-Lakon Herbals St. Johnswort and Lemon Balm Massage Formula is a blend of freshly harvested St. Johnswort and Lemon Balm. These two extracts create a reddish brown color resulting from the chlorophyll content in the Lemon Balm leaves. We also use the whole flowering tops of St. Johnswort not just the flower petals, which also have a significant amount of chlorophyll along with the high level of hypericin also present in this part of the plant. In fact, the entire St. Johnswort plant is quite rich in the component hypericin, which imparts the reddish color. Some believe that oil of hypericin must be red in order to be true and also to be fresh. This is not so. Our extract is prepared within one hour of harvest, and we make only enough to last one year until the next harvest. The presence of chlorophyll from the bud casings and top leaves as well as the lemon balm leaves does not detract from the quality of our formula. Alternately we have received consistent positive response regarding this products efficacy over the 14 years we have been producing this oil.

Q-"Why doesn't the White Pond Lily and Wild Rose has a significant rose fragrance?"
A-This oil is made from oil extracts of wild roses. We do not add attar of rose or rose absolute to the finished product due to the prohibitive cost.

Q-"Why do you not have EPA registration for your product Bygone Bugz?"
A-We would love to be registered with the EPA; however, the EPA requires at least some animal testing to qualify. This is in conflict with our ethics. Also, once a product is registered with the EPA it is required that the label includes warnings and disposal indications, as you would find on a common dangerous chemical. This would be mandatory even if the product contained only water. Once a company uses the term repellent the EPA considers it a dangerous chemical. We have always been known as one of the safest Herbal Repellants on the market since we do not even use marginally toxic essential oils. We feel that EPA labeling requirements would scare our customers away.

Q-"You advertise that Bygone Bugz is safe for children and pregnant woman because it does not contain Pennyroyal oil. What's so bad about Pennyroyal Oil?"
A-Pennyroyal oil contains the liver damaging ketone pullegone, which can cause acute and chronic toxicity in very small doses. It is among the most hazardous of the essential oils and should not be used at all.

Robert Tisserand has compiled a list or essential oils, which should be completely avoided, they are as follows - TOXIC and CARCINOGENIC Essential Oils
Almond (bitter), Boldo Leaf, Calamus, Camphor, Horseradish, Mugwort, Mustard, Pennyroyal (American and European), Rue, Sassafras, Savin, Tansy, Thuja, Wintergreen, Wormseed, Wormwood.

Q-"Is Bygone Bugz good for pets?"
A-It works great for their ears to keep the black flies and mosquitoes from biting. We also recommend it for horses, it works well while riding to keep the flies down.

Q-"Why isn't Bygone in a non-oily base?"
A-We prefer the oil base because it slows down the rate of evaporation of the essential oils which is what makes Bygone effective for such long periods of time.

Q-"What's the difference between the Green Comfort Salve and the Golden Comfort?"
A-Both of these products are made from the same formula with one exception; Golden Comfort contains Goldenseal root. We feel both products are equally potent. However, some people prefer Goldenseal. The basic formula is rich in herbal concentrates that have similar anti-inflammatory and anti-septic propitious.

Q-"What’s the best way to use your oils in the bath?" A-Rudolph Steiner wrote about something called oil dispersion bath therapy. There are devices designed to disperse essential oils into the bath. Basically you can use the following simple technique: put a half ounce or so of the massage oil into a glass container and hold it under the tap letting the force of the water disperse the mixture.

Q-"I have heard that Canola Oil is toxic. Is this true, and where does the oil come from?"

*We no longer use canola oil due to the controversy surrounding GM canola.
A-Canola oil is obtained from the Rapeseed plant. The botanical name of which is Rapum, the Latin word for turnip. Rapeseed is a small black seed that is harvested from long slender pods similar to the mustard plant, which is a distant cousin. Before hybridization rapeseed was high in two components that were considered undesirable. One was erucic acid, a fatty acid that oxidized at a slower rate then normal fatty acids, and glucosinolate, which were thought to contribute to goiter. However, recent strains of the rapeseed, grown primarily in Canada, have little or none of these two undesirable fatty acids. On the contrary, the hybrid used in the production of canola oil for food use is high in Alpha-linolenic acid, one of the Omega-3 Fatty acids. This Fatty acid has many health promoting benefits such as: assisting in regulating the immune system and speeding the bodies’ response to injury. They are also help in the formation of blood clots and in the regulation of blood pressure and are thought to help lower blood serum cholesterol. It is also believed that the Omega-3 Fatty acids might be of help in the prevention and treatment of breast cancer, rheumatoid arthritis and multiple sclerosis.