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Fundamentally our philosophy is like that of any other Green business.
We are committed to organic, and to not leaving a bigger footprint than necessary. Founded in 1985, Lakon Herbals began offering therapeutic skin care formulas prepared from native medicinal herbs. As word spread of the efficacy of the formulas our business grew to a line of fourteen products consisting of nourishing skin care oils, fine aroma-therapeutic massage oils, and quality medicinal salves and custom made blends. All of the formulas were inspired by the abundance of wild medicinal
plants native to Vermont and New England; and by a need for therapeutic
blends rich in the life force of these herbs.
The commitment of Lakon Herbals has always been to offer our customers
the purest and most highly therapeutic and nourishing products available.
We believe that the extraordinary
effectiveness of our formulas is a blend of intuition and research, spirit and science. Our farming practices are completely organic, as well, we wildcraft only from areas that we know are free from agri-chemicals and enviromental pollutants.
In order to fully comprehend how saturated we are in hazardous chemicals one needs only to take a stroll down a well-to-do neighborhood in American suburbia. Gone are the days when the air is filled with the sweet scent of lilacs, the orange blossoms and climbing roses. Although these flowering shrubs are ever abundant, their aroma is far too often trumped by the pervasive haze of weed killers and pesticides. Those perfect lawns and bug-less bushes are added testimony to the ever-growing popularity of using hazardous chemicals as fertilizers, pesticides and herbicides. Our rivers and water supplies choked with nitrate loving algae reflect the shortsightedness of this madness.
Along with the burgeoning market for garden chemicals, weed killers, insecticides, etc., is an ever growing database on the health hazards many of these chemicals present. The WHO (World Health Organization) in conjunction with the UNEP (United Nations Environment Program) ILO (International Labour Organization) have joined to form the International Program on Chemical Safety (IPCS). They have recently published a report outlining the biohazards of endocrine damaging chemical pollutants. This report is and the following statement is available on their website:
"Endocrine disruptors (EDCs) have been defined as exogenous substances that alter function(s) of the endocrine system and consequently cause adverse health effects in an intact organism, or its progeny, of (sub) populations. EDCs encompass a variety of chemicals, including natural and synthetic hormones, natural plant constituents, pesticides, monomers and additives used in the plastics industry, detergent components and breakdown products, and persistent environmental pollutants. Target organs/systems potentially affected include male and female reproductive systems, the nervous system, and the thyroid and immune system. Of particular concern, are reports that EDCs contribute to impaired physical and mental development in young children, increases in breast and prostate cancer, decreases in sperm count, and abnormal reproductive development (resulting in altered population levels) in wildlife species." (1)
Chemical fertilizers, pesticides, herbicides and repellents are a booming industry in America. Beautiful, weed free lawns and perfect rose bushes dowsed frequently with chemical blends come at a high expense as their endocrine disrupting components accumulate and persist to wreck havoc in otherwise healthy organisms, human and animal, and often traveling on air currents to distant regions.
There are alternatives to chemical sprays and cocktails.
Other forms of natural pest control are companion planting with marigold, mint and garlic. Garlic clippings make a great repellent for flea beetles when placed around cucumber plants. Mint can be cultivated underneath apple, peach and other fruit trees to ward off disease and pests. In Europe, wild mustard has long been employed for pest control on farms. As well, Neem Oil has come to the forefront as an organic form of pest control here in the U.S., although its properties have been known in Asia for centuries.
There are alternatives and it's never too late to make the switch. And please keep in mind that when you choose to use a potentially hazardous chemical its effects may be cumulative, leaching into your neighbors backyard, poisoning birds, wildlife and even your own children running barefoot across the yard, or tracking the pervasive poisons into your own home.
In conclusion, many have asked us why we do not have organic certification if we are so committed to organic farming methods. The answer is that the certification really does not prove that a product is 100% organic as the standards have been weakened over time to accommodate companies and farms that wish to use the term organic when in fact they are using ingredients somewhere along the line that would not qualify. Certification dues are expensive and we are a very small company making labor intensive formulas that sell for close to what many are selling single herb extracts. Many have testified that our products are purer than certified organic.
1) IPCS Global State-of-the-Science Assessment of EDCs
http://endocrine.ei.jrc.it/gaed.html
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