Red Shiso

By Jean Hofve, DVM

Essences are traditionally made with spring water using brandy as a stabilizer to prevent growth of pathogenic organisms in the product. We considered several other options including glycerin (which is very sweet and sticky because it is made from sugar), and vinegar (which has a strong odor to which animals may object). Ultimately, we decided to go with plain ethanol as our primary preservative. If, as is often the case with animals, the essences will be given by spraying the air or topically applied, we recommend an ethanol-preserved formula because the ethanol will rapidly evaporate without leaving a residue.

However, many people prefer not to take or give their animals anything containing alcohol. After more research on the subject, we discovered a wonderful alternative. SpiritEssence now offers a choice of stabilizers: ethanol (standard) or Red Shiso.

Red Shiso is a Japanese mint used by Green Hope Farm of New Hampshire in their extensive collection of flower essences. Red Shiso is a pink liquid with a mildly tart taste; it is not minty at all. It does have a very slightly sticky texture. Green Hope Farm grows its own organic Red Shiso and prepares a decoction in vinegar, which is now available from their catalog. Here is what Molly Sheehan, founder of Green Hope Farm, says about this herb:

"Red Shiso, when taken into our system in any form, helps us to become 'superconductors,' able to easily and comfortably hold greater light energy. Red Shiso helps every part of our energy system resonate with and accommodate the higher vibrations coming to Earth. With Flower Essences in Red Shiso, you get three vibrational boosts at once. First, the Flower Essences bring their own healing vibrations. Second, the Red Shiso matrix in which the Flower Essences are stabilized amplifies the healing energies of these Flower Essences. Third, the Red Shiso does its own healing work on your energy system . . . Occasionally the Red Shiso in our decoction will cling to the tip of the glass dropper of your Flower Essence. This is an edible, organic residue of Red Shiso and will not interfere with the strength and purity of your Flower Essences."

Essences made with Red Shiso contain no water but are created using the herb in a mild-tasting decoction. There will still be a tiny fraction of ethanol in the bottle, because most of our master essences are in an alcohol base. This can easily be evaporated off by leaving the bottle uncapped for 15 minutes.

Caring for Essences in Red Shiso

Green Hope Farm suggests that before you begin working with essences, that you specifically declare your intention to keep the essences pure and powerful.

When using essences in Red Shiso, before you put the dropper back in the bottle, squeeze out all the liquid and allow air to fill the glass tube and bulb. This keeps the liquid from getting back into the dropper, and prevents problems that could occur from the herb sticking to the inside of the glass tube or bulb. With ethanol-stabilized essences this is not necessary, though it is helpful to squeeze the dropper bulb a few times to help mix the essences before administering.

You can add these essences to your animal's drinking water, but never add water to the essence bottle, since this will cause it to lose potency quickly. As with all essences, try not to touch the dropper tip to anything outside the dropper, including fingers, lips, fur, counter, or even the outside of the bottle. If you accidentally touch something, run the dropper under cold water for 10 seconds before putting it back into the bottle. With ethanol-stabilized essences, hot water is recommended. Store essences upright and away from direct sun.