Glossary
Following are terms commonly used throughout
our web site, along with their associated definitions.
To review the definition for a particular term, please
click on the link.
- Certified Organic by Oregon Tilth Laws: Is an indication that Gaia Farm does not use artificial pesticides or synthetic chemicals during the production of our plant products. It also shows that the farm has been "synthetic chemical-free" for a period of no less than 3 years before the harvest of plant materials were sold as "Organic". By being a certified farm and facility, Gaia Herbs has agreed to be reviewed by auditors from the Oregon Tilth who examine our documentation, test random samples of our products, and verifies the organic nature of the production facility.
back to glossary terms - Column Chromatography: is an apparatus that can improve the separation of individual compounds for further study. GC involves glass columns that are packed with resin through which a solvent passes. Solutes in the solvent then move through the column at different rates, thus separating the compounds for further.
back to glossary terms - Ecologically Wildcrafted: Herbs that have only been harvested in wild habitats free of chemical/industrial pollution of air, water, soil, and at least 1/2 mile from any traveled roads. Also, the herbs must be procured in places that are not ecologically sensitive to erosion or areas where the survival of other plant and animal life will be jeopardized if the herb is gathered.
back to glossary terms - Gas Chromatography (GC): is a testing apparatus that separates and identifies compounds in relatively pure mixtures. In this process, the plant extract is vaporized and then moved through the mechanism in a stream of gases (Helium, Hydrogen, Nitrogen, or Argon). As the vapors move at different rates, separation occurs within the contents creating clear and solute zones within the column that emerge into the detector.
back to glossary terms - Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry (GC-MS): Often used in final identification of plant constituents as the GC-MS instrument combines the ability to separate chemical mixtures with a very sensitive detector of the molecules’ mass spectrum. The mass spectrum can then be compared with thousands of known compounds to establish accurate identification.
back to glossary terms - High-Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC): a testing apparatus similar to that of column chromatography but has higher speed, resolution, and sensitivity, and can be used to monitor the concentration of solutes.
back to glossary terms - Liquid Extract: is the process by which constituents within a plant are separated from the inert or fibrous material with use of a menstruum. The process of extraction serves to increase concentration of desired constituents as the consumable product contains only pharmacologically active constituents that are more stable, concentrated and represent greater uniformity per dose.
back to glossary terms - Menstruum: is a solvent (usually water, alcohol, vinegar, or glycerin) that is capable of penetrating the plant material to extract the active ingredients. The most efficacious means of extraction generally involve a combination of one or more types of solvents.
back to glossary terms - Supercritical Extract: this process utilizes carbon dioxide (CO2) at critical temperatures (31o C) and pressure (densely compressed air) to create Supercritical Carbon Dioxide (SCO2) as a menstruum to extract the highly lipophylic (fat soluble) portions of a given plant. The Process involves mixing the SCO2 with the plant into a separator tank, where pressure and temperature are controlled. The extract is then precipitated in the separator, and CO2 is recycled into the extractor by a condenser.
back to glossary terms - Thin Layer Chromatography (TLC): a testing apparatus by which drops of an herbal extract is added onto a strip of filter paper to dry and then placed into an air-tight chamber with a liquid solvent. As the solvent moves up the testing strip, the different constituents will move at different rates because of differences in their molecular shape and weight. The retention times utilized in this test help to identify key structures to separate out for further testing.
back to glossary terms - Whole-Plant Standardization: the process by which the full Phyto-chemical spectrum that occurs naturally in the plant is extracted to yield its natural proportions while also guaranteeing bio-active constituent concentration to stated levels.
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