Company History and Methodology

Essential Oils: Therapeutic Properties & Energietics
For an ingredient list of individual products please see the product page
Olive Oil
Logo and Company Name

Lakon Herbals gardens are still in Vermont and we still conduct our business from our Vermont location in the summer. However, we now have a winter camp at the Southern most tip of New Jersey, a region that hosts a wide variety of native medicinal plants including those we have been using in the product line since the beginning.

We do harvest some of our herbs from this area which hosts a much wider variety of angiosperms due to the temperate coastal climate. We have the best of both worlds with regard to the herbs, with the longer growing season, more light and heat from the sun, and, an iodine rich soil, all fundamental to essential oil and volatile oil development. Here we have lavender and rosemary herb to work with, as opposed to relying completely on essentials oils imported from Europe.

There is concern over the concentration of enviromental pollutants in the Mid Atlantic states. This is a reality in Northern NJ, not in our region. There are many organic farmers here, and plenty of areas to wildcraft. The St. Johnswort we are now harvesting grows abundantly in the coastal wetlands as it thrives on heat, sun, and loves water. It is some of the healthiest St. Johnswort we have harvested, and much more abundant than what we were able to find in Vermont given that so many fields have gone to pasture land. On the topic of farming, this area is not only free of large scale, livestock factory farms, many mainstream vegetable and fruit growers are shifting to organic. As well, the townships are moving to ban the use of pesticides and herbicides for landscaping.

All in all, given the increase in factory farming throughout the U.S., and the agri-chemicals employed by these farms, we feel that there really are few places left that are free of environmental pollutants. My current observations of the plants in Vermont versus those in Southern New Jersey is that a relatively high percentage of the former are showing signs of stress from the thinning ozone and/or environmental pollutants such as viral, fungal, bacterial and parasitic infections. The key is to work with plants that are growing in a well balanced soil conducive to their needs. Therefore, we continue to work with plants that are well adapted to the region, be it here or New England, i.e., those that are healthy, vibrant and rich in medicinal components.

DISCLAIMER: The following information is for educational purposes only and is not intended to replace the advice of a licenced health care worker.

Essential Oils: Therapeutic Properties & Energietics

Bergamont orange-Citrus auranth. ssp bergamia (Italy) 
Common Uses: Antiseptic, antispasmodic, anthimintic, calmative

Birch-Betula alleghanensis-Canada . 
Common Uses: Analgesic, detoxifying, stimulating, antispasmodic, and cooling. Our sweet birch oil is salicylic free.

Lakon Herbals perennial garden, June 2002

Eucalyptus globulous, ssp: Origin: Australia, Tasmania. Now throughout Europe and North America. 
Common Uses: Diseases of the respiratory tract, cough, asthma, pneumonia. Diseases of the urinary tract, infections, cystitis, and diabetes. Fever, rheumatism, neuralgia, migraine, parasites, general debility. Sores, burns, lice repellent.

 Everlast: Helichrysum italicum . France, 
Common Uses: Facilitates in the healing of wounds.Everlast is gaining increased recognition for its ability help prevent the formation of scar tissue.

Hyssop- officinialis: Locally produced oil infusion. 
Common Uses:  External-Eczema, sores, bruises. Internal-Bronchial complaints, rheumatism, urinary tract infections. Flatulence, hypertension, hypotension. Bruises.

Lavender-Lavendula officinalis: France, Italy, Dalmatia.
Common Uses: Antiseptic, infections, rheumatism, depression, fevers. and bronchial complaints. Tonic and nervine.

Lemongrass-Cymbopogon citratus: Java, Ceylon, (Cymbopogon flexuosus-India, Madagascar, Tonkin)
Common Uses: Tic repellent, general repellent, and digestive aide. Antispasmodic.

CAUTION: Lemongrass can be attractive to some species of bees if used in too strong a concentration. Products containing predominant amounts of lemongrass should not be worn outdoors.

Marjoram, Sweet-Origanum marjorana: Hungary, Germany, Yugoslavia, Mediterranean.
Common Uses: Rheumatic conditions, neuralgia, head colds, general stimulant for nervous depression and instability. Antispasmodic, digestive aide.

OrangeSweet-Citrus sinensis officinalis: U.S.
Common Uses: Insomnia, chronic diarrhea, anti-spasmodic. Nervine.

Peppermint-Mentha piperita: England, France, Italy and America.
Common Uses: Analgesic, headache, migraine, repellent, bronchial disorders, intestinal parasites, impotence, liver complaints, hyper-acidity, and indigestion.

Rosemary-Rosmarinus officinalis: Spain, South of France, Italy, Tunisia, Damatia.
Common Uses: Rheumatism, muscular pain and stiffness, general fatigue, weakness, lice, scabies, parasites, vertigo, flatulence, colitis, asthma, bronchial conditions, and disorders of the liver.

Rose Geranium-Pelagonium odorantissimum: Algeria, Madagascar and Guinea.
Common Uses: Antiseptic, analgesic, anti-inflammatory, tonic. Parasiticide, urinary tract infections, gastric and hepatic complaints.

Sandalwood-Santalum album: India
Common Uses: Astringent, aphrodisiac, tonic, antiseptic and chronic bronchitis. Sandalwood oil is especially warming to the skin and is best used mixed with carrier oil.

Ylang ylang-Cananga odorata: Madagascar, Java, Sumatra, Philippines.
Common Uses: Sedative, antiseptic, aphrodisiac.

The Importance of Olive Oil and Why We Use It

Ancients and contemporaries have favored olive oil for its extraordinary health benefits. Clinical research supports this, olive oil is high in the natural anti-oxidant benzoic acid, not found in other oils such as almond. Another important component of olive oil is chlorophyll, an important agent in that it facilitates absortion allowing the skin to breath and process the nourishment provided by the herbs. Research by Rudolph Steiner sheds additional light on this marvalous oil. He found that olive oil, which is fixed and non-drying was a perfect balance, energetically, for the volatile nature of essential oils, and when blended strike a natural balance most easily absorbed by the skin.

For additional information on the chemical and nutritional properties of oils please visit the following sites.

The following link is to an informative, scientifically based essay on Fats, Oils, Fatty Acids, Triglycerides - Chemical Structure by Antonio Zamora.  Zamora sheds light on the subtle descrepencies between chemical analysis of lipids (fats and oils) and purported fact regarding which oils and fats are healthy and which are not. A must read for anyone concerned with heart disease or cholesterol. http://www.scientificpsychic.com/fitness/fattyacids.html

ALTERNATIVE  HEALTH CONSULTING

Glen Pavelich - Saskatchewan, Canada

In the following article Dr. Pavelich discusses the chemically unstable nature of polyunsaturated oils. One of the main reason we use olive oil is because it is far more stable, less likely to turn rancid, due to the naturally anti-oxidant properties. http://www3.sk.sympatico.ca/paveg/links/fatcraze.htm

 The following excerpt from Dr. R. Peat is a sample of the wisdom that can be found in the following essay on the toxicity of unsaturated oils. 

“Traditional diets established over thousands of years, when compared with the changes introduced by industrialization, provide information that could never be obtained in medical experiments. These newsletters explore social and biochemical aspects of nutrition’.

http://members.efn.org/~raypeat/nutri.html

 Lakon Herbals ingredients are all GMO free. We use only cold pressed, pure or virgin olive oil.

Logo~Mythology & Origin

The Lakon Herbals logo is an image of the Goddess Pasiphae embracing an Olive tree. Pasiphae played several roles in Greek Mythology. She was a moon goddess, mistress of the herbal arts and one that also had oracular powers. The olive tree falls under the dominion of the moon in the herbal alchemical arts and was associated with peace, fertility, the renewal of life, grace, strength, beauty and the Golden Age.

Logo illustration and design ~ jayne ollin, 1986.
Stylized Lakon Herbals Logo Font ~ Mac Lore, 1986 

Company Name~Meaning & Origin

In 1986 while searching for a name for my company, I came upon the word Lakon in Frank Water's - Book of the Hopi. I had always been drawn to the Hopi, their faith and culture, particularly for their belief that what we see and experience in the outer world is a reflection of our inner condition, not always to be taken literally of course. I have not lived among the Hopi, but I have lived in the South West and traveled through the desert regions of New Mexico and Arizona. These trips provided me with a tremendous appreciation for those tribal communities who have sustained their culture and identity not only against the relatively harsh elements of a desert ecosystem but amidst the encroaching industrial development of tribal lands. When I ran across the word Lakon a sense of familiarity swept over me. The definition I found (to paraphrase from memory) was an ancient word having no meaning. After considerable deliberation I felt resolved that this was the name for my product line, which at that time consisted solely of the Green Comfort Herbal Salve, and the Baby Oil. As a mother of two young children these were the products that seemed to make the most sense given that there were only two other herbal skin care lines in the North East at the time - Cloudworks and Autumn Harp. Cloudworks seemed to be phasing out of their baby products and Autumn Harp was gearing up for mass production of their lip salves and phasing out of their handmade herbal formulas. Several months later I found another reference to the word Lakon, this time a detailed description of it as the name of one of the many Hopi Womens societies. According to Frank Waters this particular society were renowned for their skill in the healing of diseases of the skin.

My ultimate decision to choose such a sacred name for my company reflects my philosophical approach to life. In essence I was responding to what I felt was a need, a vocation which at that time made sense. Even though we were struggling to make ends meet, there were synchronious events that continued to endorse us. There were many, many times when I would be in such despair over the pile of bills, the daunting accounts payable, and make the decision to close the business, and then get a phone call from someone I had never met telling me that one of the products resolved an agonizing skin condition they had had for years...had tried everything...even other herbal products...and nothing worked...but one of my products. This happened so many times we lost count....fret over bills, think about throwing in the towel, and then comes the extroidinary call. I began to realize that I didn't own the business, that I had not picked the name, it had picked us, and we were just following along, like the blindfolded alchemist following Maria Prophetissa . In keeping with the philosophy or spiritual beliefs of indigenous people worldwide, one does not decide to become a healer, nor can money buy you the gift. Nor is it a glamourous position. Over the years many have chided us for keeping a low profile, we think of ourselves akin to the mysterious solomons seal, whose berries are concealed, unlike the showy but false solomons seal. We work within, not without, and trust that others will receive what is most needed from us. Over the years we have gone through many changes, from nationwide to local, back to nationwide. Now, I run the company alone, with intermittent help from my family, and of course my husband, friend and life companion, William Morrison. Our service now is primarily to practitioners and a growing mailorder customer base of people who need and understand the few standard formulas we make. We continue to work with plants where ever we are. Our gardens here in Cape May New Jersey are beautiful and filled with a wide variety of medicinal angiosperms!

Respectfully,
jayne ollin