New Kids on the Block

Introducing the New Members to the Maison/Made Farm

With the new growing season already here, our minds are currently focused on the Maison/Made farm in Burgundy. After the final harvest last year, we put the farm to rest by planting some winter crops that would benefit the soil, protecting the perennials from extreme weather, and then simply leaving the soil to hibernate. Having done so has given us a greater potential for this year’s crop selection since the soil has had the time and nutrients needed to recover and regenerate. And in this soil will come all the new plants that we are introducing to the farm! Some will receive their own brand new plots (we doubled our plot size this year) and some will either be in pots or share a space in our “experimental bed” where we introduce new plants to test if they like our soil and have the ability to thrive or not.

The process of selecting the new plants for 2019 was both exhaustive and exciting. Knowing that we still operate with a small team we knew that we couldn’t introduce ALL the plants that we were attracted to. Of course we kept all the plants that we grew in 2018, and because they all survived the 2nd hottest summer on record for France, we are confident that their offspring should be vibrant and strong. We started with a list of over 60 plants we want to (eventually) grow on the farm and, somewhat painstakingly, whittled the list down to 23… Not exactly a small list, but hey, the sooner the better right?

Of the 23 I’ll highlight 5 of the plants that we are excited about introducing to the farm. These are ones that will make it directly into the Restorative Antioxidant Serum we are already making, and also some products that are still currently in development (yes, more are coming!). If you are interested in reading more about the ones we planted in 2018, head over to our earlier post about why some of these plants were chosen.

Gotu Kola

Gotu Kola (botanical name: centella asiatica) is a plant that’s been linked to medicinal properties for over 3000 years. It is found in most tropical and subtropical countries growing in swampy areas, including parts of India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Madagascar, and South Africa and South pacific and Eastern Europe. That being said, it adapts easily and now grows in many climates (for those of you who noticed that Burgundy is not tropical nor subtropical). In regards to the skin its extract is a rich source of natural bioactive substances, triterpenoid saponins, flavonoids, phenolic acids, triterpenic steroids, amino acids and sugars. It is known to be healing, improving circulation and elasticity. It also has a positive effect on varicose veins and stretch marks as well as eczema and psoriasis.

Oats

Oats (botanical name: avena sativa) are a wonderful plant and a personal favorite of mine. My mom still tells people stories of how I used to clog our bathtub with oats as a teenager (even then I was a fan of using them as a body scrub… 😳) and later learned about the different uses of oats. Milky oats are the oat grains harvested when they are in their milky stage, during which the oat grains release a white, milky sap when squeezed. This stage, which lasts approximately one week, occurs after the oat begins flowering and before the seed hardens and becomes the oat grain we eat as oatmeal. Oatstraw is the name given to the stem of the oat plant harvested during the milky oat stage, when it is still green. The rich and hydrating milky nature of oats is welcome relief for soothing itchy skin and stress-related skin conditions. The milky emollients released from oats into water are very soothing to irritated skin.

Burdock

Budock (Botanical name: arctium lappa) is a wonderful plant whose root is major interest to herbalists and holistic skincare formulators. Rosemary Gladstar (essential the sitting Queen of Herbalism) considers burdock as the best herb for the skin. It can help with eczema, psoriasis, acne, and other skin imbalances which shows its versatility combating inflammation and soothing nature across a variety of skin conditions.

Rockrose

Rock Rose (botanical name: cistus ladaniferus) is a small shrub that develops distinctive white flowers with red markings.The resin in rock rose was used in the Middle Ages to treat wounds, ulcers, dysentery, diarrhea, and catarrh. Like many of the plants we choose for Maison/Made products, rock rose is a fantastic component for aging gracefully, as it is an astringent that reduces wrinkles and fine lines. Because of its inherently strong anti-aging powers, when alongside other powerful oils, it is also excellent for a wide range of other skin imbalances. A truly beautiful and powerful plant we are excited to begin to propagate.

Horsetail

Horsetail (botanical name: Equisetum arvense) looks like some sort of elevated type of grass where the tips vaguely resembles the tail of a horse. Another herb that’s been used for hundreds of years, it was historically primarily used internally as a diuretic that increases blood circulation, helps treat infections, and alleviate arthritis. Maybe better known in haircare, horsetail has also some amazing benefits for the skin in that it has a large amount of “silicon” in the form of silica that is highly absorbable by the skin. Silica aids in the production of collagen, which over time the body produces less and less of which contributes to duller, less tight skin, so the fact that horsetail is rich in silica makes it a strong contender for intelligent holistic skincare formulation.

I think you can see why we are including these plants! We are thrilled to think about the growth of our farm and the wider offering that we can provide by increasing the amount of plants we grow. Personally I’m excited at the prospect of working with these biodynamically grown plants as part of our R&D process. Knowing where and how the raw materials are sourced, grown, and processed makes a big difference in being able to the confidence in achieving real results.

xo,

Carolina