External Use Only

Extracts in this section are for external use only. They are not intended to be swallowed.

These are botanicals whose traditional place has always been in oils, balms, salves, soaps and compresses rather than in a dosing cup. Some carry constituents that make them unsuitable to take by mouth — pyrrolizidine alkaloids, thujone, pulegone, sanguinarine — while remaining perfectly usable in a topical preparation by someone who knows what they are formulating with.

We list them here, clearly separated from the rest of the catalogue, so there is no chance of one being picked up as an internal extract. Every product in this section carries its own warnings. Read them. Patch-test before wider use, keep these preparations away from broken skin and away from children, and do not use them during pregnancy or while breastfeeding.