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Iris Visions
and Business Values

As
a child I was entranced with flowers and had my own little flower garden
in which I dug to my heart's content. That sense of delight is still
with me, and curiosity, which led me to study flower essences, herbology
and finally aromatherapy. During a massage in 1981 I very plainly heard
an inner voice tell me to make up massage oils with the addition of
various essential oils to further enhance the therapeutic benefit of
body work. Iris Herbal Products thus began, and I channeled my creative
energy into making up combinations that were beneficial, aromatic,
and had meaningfully descriptive names.
As
the years went by I added salves, perfumes, chakra and ritual oils,
bath blends and herbal tonics. With each book I read and course I took
I further refined the recipes and the quality of the essential oils
that I used.
Cathy Hope: Iris
Herbal Products
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At present I use more than 175 essential oils, which come from all
over the world. Of the 70 essential oils which are used most frequently,
all are ethically wildcrafted, certified organic, or unsprayed.
Many products, especially the salves, contain infused oils. Of the
13 infused oils, 10 of them I grow organically in my garden or wild
craft near my home. Most of the essential oil blends were only added
to the catalogue after friends, various massage therapists, their
clients and I used them on ourselves. No ingredient or product of
Iris has ever been tested on animals.
In 1994 I introduced a line of tincture formulas after several months
of research. Over the winter of 1996-97 I found myself led to expand
this research, exploring more fully the traditional herbs of my adopted
Southwest, as well as herbs from the South American rainforest and the
Indian Ayurvedic tradition.
My
most frequently asked question is "do you grow all your own herbs?"
Living in northern Taos County at an elevation of 7700 feet, where the
USDA map says Zone 4, but where I've already experienced -38° F(!),
it is impossible to grow all my own herbs. But I am becoming quite adept
at stretching the boundaries of what is possible, and having rather
a lot of fun as I garden, experimenting with tunnels and straw bales,
and now a free-standing passive
solar greenhouse.
Iris
Herbal Products is mostly just me, though I do occasionally hire friends
to help gather, process, label and sell. All the recipes are mine and
everything is made individually or in small batches as needed, and only
when I'm in a good or calm mood. I'm continually trying to improve the
products and the quality of their ingredients. When filling orders,
all packaging materials and most of the boxes are recycled. Where possible,
only amber glass is used because it is best for the product and easiest
for you the consumer, to recycle.


On
March 25, 2007, Iris celebrates 25 years of herbal adventures, beginning
with its initial formation as an herbalists guild in Atlanta,
GA. Some of my favorite highlights:
*
Studying flower essences at the Flower Essence Society in Nevada City,
CA, and then making my own flower essences in Hawaii.
* Pouring all my old essential oils down the toilet when I first smelled
the better quality oils coming into the states from Europe.
* Discovering
that growing techniques that worked great in Atlanta were utter failures
here in Northern New Mexico as my healthy weeds and stunted veggies
so eloquently proved.
* Exploring
diverse herbal medicinal systems and realizing that all cultures have
important and unique herbal wisdom to share.
* Watching
40mph golf ball size hail destroy my garden and vowing to build a
greenhouse
and then designing and helping to build a passive
solar greenhouse (that works!).
* All the
wonderful stories of customers and clients who have used Iris products
over the years with enjoyment and success.
* All the
friendships I have developed with folks who have patronized and supported
Iris. Thank you!
This
Web-site fulfills a long-standing dream of mine: to make available a
comprehensive line of herbal formulas that are of the highest quality
and yet still affordable. I welcome feedback and answer letters. Thank
you for your support.
Blessed
be, Cathy Hope
IRIS HERBAL PRODUCTS
HC 81, Box 640 - Questa, NM 87556
(Toll free) 1-877-286-2970 - e-mail
Outside of the USA, please call 1-575-586-1802
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