healthnatura
Member
Cascara - Harsh? Mild? Weak?
Let me first say that I'm not a ray Peat expert and I don't pretend to speak for him in any way. What I'm sharing with you is based on my knowledge of the herb and how I would use it myself or with my clients. You or Ray Peat may disagree with me. Like in nature, rules on how an herb should be used are never truly set in stone, but function on a spectrum.
Individual responses to our cascara can vary quite widely. Some can only take very small doses and complain that it is too harsh, while others feel that it is weak and require larger doses to achieve the desired results. Because I don't make a habit of buying competitors herbs I honestly couldn't tell you how we compare to other brands. What I can tell you is that I go through an extensive selection process before I chose any product to add to my line. I look for quality of aroma, taste, lab results and and feedback from trial samples I send out to my network to try.
I believe my cascara is very balanced for a number of reasons. Lets go over a few of them.
1) It's the whole herb not a concentrate or extraction. Once it's ready my producer simply grinds it into a fine powder and sends it on. This can make it feel weaker than other versions that may be more concentrated.
2) Our cascara is grown in the USA in its native soils. I believe this makes for a better more balanced herb compared to cascara grown in other regions of the world.
3) Traditional ageing makes a big difference in the energy and quality of the chemical profile of the herb. Traditional ageing utilizes seasonal changes in temperature and humidity to naturally age and temper the herb. In our case a Native American method where it's harvested, cleaned and then left to age in a building that protects it from direct sunlight and rain is all that is done to it. After a full season has passed it's tested to see if the chemical profile is correct and if it is then off it goes to me and then you. If it isn't ready testing is done periodically till it reaches the proper specifications. Some companies use ovens to artificially heat and cool the herb to accelerate the ageing process and produce a cheaper herb. This makes for a very different herb even though it may have the same "chemical" profile.
Suggested usage:
Start low and build up. Some people overshoot the initial dose and get strong, even harsh feeling reactions. It's always easier to go up than it is to recover from an undesired reaction. If you choose a medium or large scoop with your order I will include a complementary small scoop so you can start with a low dose.
The dose that is right for you can be wildly different from your friends. I've seen doses range from half to one of our small 70mg scoops all the way up to several of our large 1000mg scoops daily. How much you take also depends on your therapeutic goals. Low doses below what would move your bowels tend to be more therapeutic for the organs like the liver, movement of the bile and exploiting the anti-microbial and bitter alkalizing qualities of the herb. Higher doses become more focused on the bowels and the herb tends to switch from being cool and bitter to hot and acrid as it stimulates the bowels in a more aggressive way. Bitter, cool herbs that act harshly on the body can create hot type reactions either because it is over stimulating the system or it is drawing the heat out. Harsh, hot reactions to bitter, cool herbs should be limited in duration or the dose should be dramatically reduced and cycled on and off to give the body time to recover.
Cascara Tea Tonic: 1 liter of hot, not boiling, water. Add 1/8th up to 1/2 teaspoon cascara. Allow to cool to room temperature and then chill. You can then take it as a cold or warm tea as desired. I recommend cold if your goal isn't loosening the bowels.
Let me first say that I'm not a ray Peat expert and I don't pretend to speak for him in any way. What I'm sharing with you is based on my knowledge of the herb and how I would use it myself or with my clients. You or Ray Peat may disagree with me. Like in nature, rules on how an herb should be used are never truly set in stone, but function on a spectrum.
Individual responses to our cascara can vary quite widely. Some can only take very small doses and complain that it is too harsh, while others feel that it is weak and require larger doses to achieve the desired results. Because I don't make a habit of buying competitors herbs I honestly couldn't tell you how we compare to other brands. What I can tell you is that I go through an extensive selection process before I chose any product to add to my line. I look for quality of aroma, taste, lab results and and feedback from trial samples I send out to my network to try.
I believe my cascara is very balanced for a number of reasons. Lets go over a few of them.
1) It's the whole herb not a concentrate or extraction. Once it's ready my producer simply grinds it into a fine powder and sends it on. This can make it feel weaker than other versions that may be more concentrated.
2) Our cascara is grown in the USA in its native soils. I believe this makes for a better more balanced herb compared to cascara grown in other regions of the world.
3) Traditional ageing makes a big difference in the energy and quality of the chemical profile of the herb. Traditional ageing utilizes seasonal changes in temperature and humidity to naturally age and temper the herb. In our case a Native American method where it's harvested, cleaned and then left to age in a building that protects it from direct sunlight and rain is all that is done to it. After a full season has passed it's tested to see if the chemical profile is correct and if it is then off it goes to me and then you. If it isn't ready testing is done periodically till it reaches the proper specifications. Some companies use ovens to artificially heat and cool the herb to accelerate the ageing process and produce a cheaper herb. This makes for a very different herb even though it may have the same "chemical" profile.
Suggested usage:
Start low and build up. Some people overshoot the initial dose and get strong, even harsh feeling reactions. It's always easier to go up than it is to recover from an undesired reaction. If you choose a medium or large scoop with your order I will include a complementary small scoop so you can start with a low dose.
The dose that is right for you can be wildly different from your friends. I've seen doses range from half to one of our small 70mg scoops all the way up to several of our large 1000mg scoops daily. How much you take also depends on your therapeutic goals. Low doses below what would move your bowels tend to be more therapeutic for the organs like the liver, movement of the bile and exploiting the anti-microbial and bitter alkalizing qualities of the herb. Higher doses become more focused on the bowels and the herb tends to switch from being cool and bitter to hot and acrid as it stimulates the bowels in a more aggressive way. Bitter, cool herbs that act harshly on the body can create hot type reactions either because it is over stimulating the system or it is drawing the heat out. Harsh, hot reactions to bitter, cool herbs should be limited in duration or the dose should be dramatically reduced and cycled on and off to give the body time to recover.
Cascara Tea Tonic: 1 liter of hot, not boiling, water. Add 1/8th up to 1/2 teaspoon cascara. Allow to cool to room temperature and then chill. You can then take it as a cold or warm tea as desired. I recommend cold if your goal isn't loosening the bowels.