She Chuang Zi (Cnidium monnieri seed), unsulfured herb
[MW5364SF]

Raw Herb Format: Whole Herbs

This Raw Herb product is sold in a whole herb format. This herb may also be available in a 5:1 concentrated extract powder form, which can be found by browsing our Extract Powders. You can also search for every product in our store which contains this herb by using our Search Tool. For best results, you should enclose the herb name in quotes when using the Search Tool.

Plum Flower Brand Unsulfured Herbs

Plum Flower follows strict traditional guidelines for the correct preparation of herbs (frying, baking, steaming, etc.) to ensure effectiveness and to decrease the potential for side effects. When preparing herbs in the traditional way, Plum Flower uses updated equipment and procedures to ensure stable and uniform quality. Plum Flower Unsulfured Herbs are more natural in color, texture, and venation and in some cases may look very different than conventional herbs in the marketplace due to their absense of sulfur.

Herb Processing

Most Plum Flower herbs are sterilized with heat or high-pressure alcohol steam. Irradiation or ethylene oxide sterilization is never used. Following sterilization, the herbs are processed and oven-dried. This actually sterilizes the herbs a second time and ensures that herbs are well dried. Herbs that are more delicate or rely on essential oil components for effectiveness are carefully shade or fan dried. Other herbs are best sun-dried. Drier herbs prolong shelf life without preservatives and are lighter, giving you more per pound. To help prevent spoilage Plum Flower also applies Modified Atmospheric Packaging concepts, namely vacuum packing the herbs after drying, then injecting the outer package with harmless nitrogen to further inhibit the growth of aerobic microorganisms and molds.

Herb Quality

Plum Flower Brand herbs are exceptionally clean. The herbs are washed in industrial stainless steel rotating drum cleaners equipped with water jets. This initial wash helps remove dirt and dust, thereby lowering bacteria and heavy metal levels right from the beginning. Herbs are also subject to a very careful grading and sorting system. Most herbs are hand-sorted to make sure there is no extraneous matter, soil, powder, pebbles or dust in the herbs you buy. Plum Flower ships most of its herbs in vacuum packed double bags, further protecting them from damage, insects, dust, and dirt during the shipping process. Plum Flower Brand herbs are carefully monitored for impurities at an in-house lab where it tests for microbial levels and sulfur residues. In addition, outside labs test for DDT and Hexachlorabenzene, two non-permitted pesticides, as well as lead, arsenic, mercury, and cadmium heavy metal levels.

Shelf Life and Freshness

Plum Flower Brand herbs have a shelf life of 24-36 months. In contrast, commercial sulfured herbs can look unchanged 5 to 6 years or longer after purchase, making it difficult to tell how fresh they truly are. The sulfur also acts as bleach, covering bruises and other signs of decay. Without preservatives, our Plum Flower Brand unsulfured herbs naturally reveal their freshness and quality. From the fields to you, Plum Flower makes every effort to provide the cleanest, safest, freshest and highest quality Chinese herbs available today.

Raw Herb Ordering Guidelines

1.	Raw Herbs and Extract Powders are offered as a convenience for professional herbalists and those customers who have the experience and knowledge necessary to safely prepare their own formulas. Chinese Herbs Direct is unable to provide any guidance on the preparation, dosage or usage of Raw Herbs and Extract Powders. For any questions on these items, we ask that you consult a licensed herbalist or health care provider prior to ordering.
2.	In order to offer the freshest herbs possible, we do not keep a regular inventory of most Raw Herbs and Extract Powders in our warehouse. You should therefore expect to wait an additional 5-7 days (beyond normal delivery times) for your order to be received.
3.	We guarantee our Raw Herbs and Extract Powders to be fresh and of the highest quality available. However, we are unable to extend this guarantee beyond freshness and quality (i.e. no refunds for ordering the wrong herb, changing your mind, etc.).