Frequently Asked Questions
1. Your product has sugar and corn syrup in it. Isn't that bad for you?
In Traditional Chinese Medicine, nothing natural is either completely good or bad for you. We believe first and foremost in moderation of all things, including sugar. Our partial organic herbal extract is powerful, and in it's raw form, quite bad tasting. Our FIRST product is targeting children's ear infections primarily, as we say anyone can eat a gummy, but most children will not take a pill, and most ear infections are in children. Therefore, we made a compromise, driven by manufacturing realities, to put our extract into a gummy form and make it palatable. To make gummies have consistent texture and quality, they need corn syrup and sugar. We could have a product for children that is powdered extract only, but a parent would be able to get it into their child only once. Our gummies come with 2 grams of sugar each, and because they do, THEY should be the treat. Don't follow them up with a candy bar, soda, or low quality juice. We also believe very strongly that over-prescription of antibiotics for ear infections hurts us all. It creates super bacteria and doctors are now worried that pediatric ear infections no longer even respond to antibiotics and are fighting against parents to prescribe them. A few grams of sugar is much better than several full courses of antibiotics and the total destruction of all immune boosting friendly bacteria in a child's developing body.
We are proud of the fact that the coloring and flavoring in our product is natural. Our coloring comes from naturally red açaí extract and black carrot extract. Even though we don't promote or recommend anyone eating a lot of sugar, at least it's natural. This leads us to the next question we get asked frequently.
2. Does ECOHERBAL have the extract in pill form?
We are currently creating an organic capsule version of our EAR FORMULA. It has our proprietary herbal earache extract plus organic apple, kiwi, lycii, and purple grape extract. This product will be available in Summer 2008. Please check the website for updates about our organic capsules. This could be used by either adults, such as swimmers, divers, or any chronic ear infection suffering adult, or older child who can swallow a capsule. Parents who object to sugar can open the capsules and put it into some sort of carrier, such as juice for a younger child who cannot swallow a capsule.
3. Do chronic ear infection sufferers need to take more gummies than the suggested dosage?
Our "suggested use" is merely just that — suggested. Our 100% natural gummies are VERY SAFE and gentle and can be given freely as long as they are needed. If you child's dosage says one gummy, but they need two, give them two. Many herbal remedies are very much dosage specific, so one person may need more than the person standing next to them. They are best taken AT THE FIRST SIGN OF EAR DISCOMFORT! The QUICKER you give them to the child or adult, the better and the fewer gummies they will need. They are ideally bought BEFORE you experience any discomfort, especially in people who suffer from chronic ear infections. It is best to have them on hand, ready to be taken at any time of the day or night when the FIRST SIGN is felt of the ear ache. Often if taken RIGHT AWAY, only one or two dosages are needed. If you wait until the ear infection has set in, it will take longer to unravel and more dosages will be needed. For chronic ear infection sufferers, please check out our HEALTH TIPS PAGE.
4. Who are you and what is your background?
April Palmer, LAc is a licensed acupuncturist and herbalist with fully-accredited master's level training in Traditional Chinese Medicine and Chinese Herbal study. Palmer has been in private practice since 2001, developing and prescribing many formulas that she has clinically proven time and time again. Many of these formulas were developed as needed to address common complaints not helped by traditional methods or medicines, such as ear infections. Also, many of the herbal remedies available off the retail shelf have limited value and are created without real knowledge of herbal medicine, warranting the need for formulas developed by an expert.
5. I bought the gummies and there appears to be an oily film on the inside of the bottle. Is that normal?
Our gummies are a natural remedy and are coated with oils to keep them from sticking together. If the bottle is shaken excessively or turned upside down, as is the case in standard shipping methods, these oils will coat the inside of the bottle. This is normal and a part of producing a natural product. This has no impact on the effectiveness of the product. We could have opted for chemical methods to keep the gummies from sticking together but it would counteract our effort to provide natural remedies.
6. Do I have to keep the gummies in the refrigerator?
Our gummies are somewhat heat-sensitive and we ship them to hotter climates with a "cold pack". Refrigeration is unnecessary for typical home storage but they must be kept out of direct heat and kept at a temperature of 75° or less. DO NOT leave them in a hot car, place them near open flame, or leave them in direct sunlight as they will begin to melt and stick together. If they stick together, the effectiveness of the product is not compromised but will not look as "pretty".
Our product is natural and should be stored as if it were a food product. If you live in a hot climate, please use extra caution protecting the gummies from heat.
