Sourcing and Formulation

Quality that Begins at the Source

What we make is only as good as what we begin with.

That’s why at RAW Forest Foods, we trace our ingredients back to their roots—literally. Using the Dàodì-informed method, we source from regions where the plant has always grown, where it belongs, where it thrives. It’s an approach that preserves the spirit of the plant and honors the traditions that first understood its gifts.

Our products and formulas are crafted in certified organic, FDA-registered, and cGMP-compliant facilities in the U.S. We choose wildcrafted and organic ingredients not just for their purity, but because they carry more lifeforce and elemental strength in them.

Our secret to crafting products that make you feel truly alive? We start with plants that still are.

Dàodì-Informed Ingredient Sourcing

Ethical Harvesting, Rooted in Kinship.

Fifteen years ago, we set out to do things differently. That began with how—and with whom—we source.

Our products and formulas are rooted in real places and real relationships. We know the hands that harvest our Mountain Harvest Pine Pollen™, the shaded forest farms where our Reishi mushrooms are grown, and the rhythms that guide them both.

By working directly with these communities, we ensure not only quality, but fairness, sustainability, and deep respect for the land.

Because what we create here is only as good as the intention it comes from.

Jūn-Chén-Zuǒ-Shǐ Formulation

Where Ancestral Wisdom and Scientific Precision Come Together

We follow a formulation method rooted in classical Chinese herbalism: Jūn-Chén-Zuǒ-Shǐ. It’s a framework that treats each herb as a part of a greater whole. In practice, this means every ingredient is selected for how it supports, balances, and elevates the others. This is how we create formulas that feel aligned, robust, and deeply supportive.

Specialty Sourcing at RAW Forest Foods

We honor every plant we work with. But with certain herbs, it feels more like a conversation that shaped how we harvest, how we formulate, and how we listen.

Mountain Harvest Pine Pollen™

At the heart of our work is the wild pollen that began it all.

Each spring, we return to the pristine forests of Chun’an County, China, to harvest Mountain Harvest Pine Pollen™. It is gathered by hand from ancestral Pinus massoniana trees during a fleeting three-day window when the pollen is at its peak.

This is wild pollen: single origin, site-verified, and harvested with reverence in partnership with the local communities who know this land best. 

It’s how we stay rooted—in the land, in the seasons, and in the deep ecology of herbalism.

To learn more about how we gather and honor this herb, we invite you to explore our piece on Sourcing Mountain Harvest Pine Pollen™ and our Dàodì-informed practices.

Learn More About RAW Forest Foods