The New Elevated Tincture Line

Better Tinctures

With New and Enhanced Formulas

This is the, by far, biggest change that we have ever made to our tinctures—or to any of our products. And we're incredibly excited by it. With this change we're introducing new product artwork which captures the elevated nature of these tinctures.

With our new tinctures, the first thing you notice is the art work. And we are incredibly proud of it. 

The next thing you notice are the new formulas and new sizes. And this is really the first real clue into the real changes at hand. This is the product line up:

Royal Pine Pollen Tincture

This is our single herb Pine Pollen Tincture. Elevated.  Royal Pine Pollen Tincture contains nothing but fresh, pure RAW Pine Pollen (Mountain Harvest Pine Pollen), extracted in USP alcohol (gluten free) and water. In herbal medicine, a tincture made with just one herb is called a simple. But we're not going to call this a simple Pine Pollen Tincture.

For those seeking the pure benefits of Pine Pollen, for sustained effect or for immediate gains, we are confident you will love our  Royal Pine Pollen Tincture. We sure do.

Endocrine Strengthening Formula Tincture

Formulated by a master Western and Chinese herbalist and acupuncturist with over 25 years of clinical experience, our  Endocrine Strengthening Formula Tincture has received its most important reformulation to date. This is Pine Pollen Alchemy.

The Endocrine Strengthening Formula has always taken a long term approach to Pine Pollen. In the past, we achieved this by formulating Pine Pollen alongside established and verified adaptogenic herbs, which work with the body and alongside Pine Pollen to actually recalibrate the endocrine system to correct hormonal imbalances. But we've learned a lot since we first introduced this formula back in the Winter of 2010-2011.

This new formula takes a four pronged approach to helping you achieve your goals.

Firstly, it provides an immediate infusion of Pine Pollen and Nettle Root, supplementing and waking the body up.

Secondly, important adaptogenic herbs like Astragalus, Dang Shen, Chinese Ginseng, Cordyceps, He Shou Wu, and Tribulus, work with the body to improve endocrine function. Overtime, adaptogenic herbs work with the body, most notably with—and through—the immune and endocrine system. Adaptogens can modulate immune function, turning up underachieve immune response and turning down overactive immune response. Additionally, and perhaps most importantly with this formula, adaptogens (also known as tonics) can help improve the endocrine system, again enhancing a sluggish, underachieve endocrine response and dampening down overactive hormonal response.

Thirdly, we add fuel to the fire. Pine Pollen and the other adaptogenic, tonic herbs in this formula enliven the body. They are hot herbs. They are the fire of the formula. But for long term effect—and even in short term effect—fuel is necessary. As we age, it becomes increasingly important to replenish the sustenance of the body.

Blood building herbs like Dang Gui, He Shou Wu, and Shu Di Huang add sustenance to the body, building blood, and restoring fuel.

Fourthly, Chen Pi, Bai Shao (Yao), Chuan Xiong, work to synergize the formula and promote (Qi) circulation. From a Chinese medicine perspective, these herbs help to resolve heat (translated as inflammation) and dampness.

This is the updated, upgraded  Endocrine Strengthening Formula. This formula provide short term, immediate benefit, and its benefits only build in the body for foundational, longterm rewards.

While previously this formula was only available in a  2 ounce bottle, we have added a 4 ounce bottle to the stable.

Elevated Pine Pollen Tincture

Brand. Spanking. New.

Pine Pollen and Nettle Root are a natural. Alone they are superb. Together they are superb. But when married to Chen Pi and Zhi Zi, Pine Pollen and Nettle Root become an actual—a true—formula. This is our  Elevated Pine Pollen Tincture.

Pine Pollen adds phyto-androgens and adaptogenic compounds. Nettle Root unlocks bound (inactive testosterone) and can elevate the ratio of free (active) testosterone to bound (inactive) testosterone as well as elevating the testosterone to estrogen ratio in the body. Pine Pollen and Nettle Root work together in harmony. But the combination of the two does not make them a formula.

To turn them into a formula, we include Chen Pi, which promotes Qi circulation and Zhi Zi is used within the Chinese herbal pharmacopeia to clear heat (again, translated as inflammation) and to calm anxiety/anxiousness.

The majority of this formula (90%) is composed of Pine Pollen and Nettle Root.  This formula makes an exceptional daily supplements and it makes an exceptional pre-workout addition. 

Like our Royal Pine Pollen Tincture, Endocrine Strengthening Formula Tincture, our Elevated Pine Pollen Tincture is also available in a 2 ounce bottle and a 4 ounce bottle. This formula is meant to be used daily, so you're going to enjoy the larger 4 ounce bottle.

Eros' Arrow Aphrodisiac Elixir Tincture

For immediate effect.

While the majority of our products are intended to be used daily and over the long term to produce maximum effect, our  Eros' Arrow is intended to be used when you want the effects. This is our Aphrodisiac formula, our love potion #9. And it is to be used when you're ready to stoke the flame of desire. Ignite a forest fire. 

Highlighting the overall evolution of our products and the unique needs and wants of our customers, Eros' Arrow has also been reformulated in this relaunching of our line of tinctures. We kept everything you loved about the old formula, and added select herbs to produce sustained effects. Not just a flash in the pan, but a slow burn.

Eros' Arrow is build around Pine Pollen and Kava Root. This combination provides the stimulation and the relaxation needed to allow desire to build, but that's just the backbone of the formula. It also includes Deer Antler Velvet, Du Zhong, Polygala, Epimedium (Horny Goat Weed), Sou Yang, and eleven other aphrodisiac herbs or herbs to support and enhance the effects of the aphrodisiacs included in the formula. We are so excited about our new  Eros' Arrow Aphrodisiac Elixir Tincture and we are so excited to finally be able to share it with you.

Eros' Arrow is only available in a  2 ounce bottle. Unlike our other tinctures which are meant to be used daily, Eros' Arrow is meant to be used intermittently, which is why we're offering it only in a 2 ounce bottle.

True Dual Extract Tinctures

A Little Backstory

After you notice the new artwork and after you notice the new formula (Elevated Pine Pollen Tincture) and the updated and upgraded formulas (Endocrine Strengthening Formula and Eros' Arrow), you'll notice that we have completely changed how we are producing out tinctures.

To be perfectly honest, we always left that we could offer you a better tincture than we were previously offering. That's not to say that we didn't like them or think they were great—we did and they were—or that our customers loved them (read the reviews, the good and the bad are all published). It is just to say that we wanted to offer something more. It took us over nine months from start to finish to launch this new line of tinctures, and it was worth it.

When we first started making Pine Pollen Tincture—before RAW Forest Foods was even founded—we were using the “folk” method for measurements and tincture production. This is filling up the container used for extracting the tincture in with herbs, and then adding alcohol to cover them. While imperfect, this does produce a pretty good and very reliable extraction. Is it how many, many tinctures are produced.

After RAW Forest Foods was established and we moved to create a more standardized product for our customers, we switched from using whole herbs to using powdered extracts as the base of our tinctures and moved to using weight to volume measurements to produce known extraction ratios.

This change allowed us to achieve a stronger extraction ratio than we were previously able to offer and it allowed us to produce a standardized, homogenous product. This are the tinctures we have been offering for years.

However, when starting the tincture with powered extracts, some constituents of the plants are lost. Energetically, making tinctures from powdered extracts produces a much different product than making tinctures from whole herbs, and whole herb extracts are much, much more effective. More potent. This is what we are offering now. 

We are using more material at a greater cost to produce these 1:2 extracts than we were when producing the old 2:1 extracts.

Our New Elevated Line of Pine Pollen Tinctures

Pine Pollen presents its own limitations in tincturing when using the whole herb, not the powdered extract. It is incredibly absorbent, and it seemingly just absorbs an unlimited amount of liquid, eventually creating what is best described as a solid mass.

This doesn’t work for tincturing.

To get around this, we are using a true dual extraction method. This allows us to tincture fresh Pine Pollen and to do it in a way that is producing a much stronger, more potent tincture than we would be able to if we were using a single extraction, as is common in tincturing.

With these extracts, we prepare the tincture as we would any other tincture: Combining the herbs with a blend of alcohol and water. This creates the menstruum. When making standard single extract tinctures (commonly incorrectly referred to as dual extract because of the inclusion of water and alcohol), you let the menstruum sit for two or more weeks, press the liquid out, discard the solid plant material out (the marc) and bottle the liquid, the tincture.

Now, we’re adding in a second, very important step to the process. And this is what we mean when we say true dual extracts.

To obtain a complete, more thorough extract than would be otherwise possible, we’re making a decoction of the menstruum. This adds a level of extraction just not possible with standard tinctures and produces a more potent extract than available when using only alcohol and water. In fact, some compounds from the herbs can ONLY be extracted using heat. This is combining a physical and chemical extraction. It is just not possible to reach this level of extraction without adding heat.

This line of tinctures marks a huge leap forward in our evolution of always pushing the envelope in wanting to give our customers better products. It’s not that our old tinctures were bad—they were great—it is just that we wanted to provide something better. We knew something was lost when using powdered extracts and we knew we could offer something better.

You can see our  full line of tinctures here.