Whole Plant means that we are using all or most parts of a plant to craft our products, as opposed to isolated parts. This includes root, leaf, stem, flower and seed. As often as possible, these plant materials are sourced locally, from my own gardens, or ethically gathered from the bountiful forests, meadows and properties in my community of Trent Hills, Ontario. If that is not possible, they are purchased through other ethical and local herb suppliers.
When the whole-plant method is not used, extractions, bio-identical or derivatives of a plant are often referred to as ‘natural'. This is misleading in that they are actually manipulated and lifeless. Even if there are parts that originate from a plant, they are heavily processed and harmful to the environment. The plant world relies on eachother to function-- they are a union. Removing some of their compounds defeat the purpose of using the benefits of plants.
Formulating with whole plants is laborious, expensive, and complex, as it cannot be done on a mass scale, especially as a small business relying on local materials, in a 5B growing zone, where plants are finite and the growing season is short. There are also numerous factors that can hinder the quantity, success and efficacy of a truly natural product.
Once the plant material is finally collected, it is processed and prepared for the next step in production, in most cases a carrier oil. They will never go into a synthetic chemical solvent, nor will chemically extracted, or synthetic counterparts be added to take the place of what a plant can achieve. For example, why add chemically produced hyaluronic acid when the Marshmallow plant is nature's HA.
So why does Sunday's Company follow the plant path? Because the plants hold the magic within them. They contain the nutrients, minerals, energetics and actions that we need.
