Sep 26, 2015

Entrevista con Amber Bardon de Gaia Natural Products

Amber es la nueva edición al equipo Gaia. Empezó en el 2015 y trabaja enla producción y diseño de los productos. su especialidad son las plantasmedicinales, es Fito terapeuta y se esta sacando un masters en Nutrición.Es la hija menor de un padre Irlandés y madre Escocesa y se crio en lasmontañas de Mallorca, la razón porque estudio plantas y porque tiene unapasión por la isla y su flora. Tiene los pies en la tierra, es una chicapractica en la vida en el trabajo.


Nombre: Amber Bardon

Edad: 29 años

Ocupación: Fitoterapeuta y Production Manager








Tres características triviales tuyas?

Siempre creo que tengo la razón
Me encantan las fiestas
Soy una anfitriona terrible

¿Como empezó todo?



Pues siempre me han interesado las plantas, desde que era niña, supongo que tiene que ver con que siempre estaba fuera en el campo.
Cuando me hice mayor empeze a buscar maneras de aprender sobre los usos de las plantas, la historia de sus usos e incluso en culturas diferentes. Mi madre fue mi primera paciente/víctima, pobre. le prepare una pócima cuando se resfrio un invierno y se lo bebió, que buena madre, aunque casi vomitó al hacerlo. Yo supongo que tenia unos 10 o 11 años. Mis hermanas pocas veces han probado mis pócimas, pero eso creo que es cosa de hermanas.

Nos encanta el estilo natural de gaia y los productos gaia, de dónde te inspiras?

De la naturaleza. solo tienes que mirar a tu alrededor para pillar inspiración.

Como ha evolucionado tu estilo en el último año?

En el último año? Pues me he enfocado mucho en el uso de plantas en el mundo cosmético hay filosofías diferentes sobre cómo curarse y como la naturaleza te puede ayudar. 

¿Cómo describirías tu estilo?

Entrene para ser una curandera del oeste, utilizando plantas de europa y norteamérica. supongo que mi estilo se basa en la medicina visto de un lado holístico, pero de momento no practico la medicina natural.

¿Café o una manzanilla?

Vaya pregunta más difícil porque los dos me han salvado en ocasiones difíciles, pero supongo que el café me ha salvado un par de veces más.





¿Cuales son las razones de porque la gente busca maneras más naturales para curarse? 


Creo que la gente se están dando cuenta que ellos mismos tienen el poder de ayudarse, también está el problema de los efectos adversos de los farmaceutics

Si hay que describir tu personalidad con un tipo de plant cual eres tu? 

Esta es una pregunta interesante porque he hecho un par de estudios Goethean sobre las plantas y siento que no puedo relacionarme con  una sola planta...sería decir que me parezco a algun famoso...no se si puedo hacer eso. 

Donde te ves en 5 años?


Mi plan de cinco años?...pues espero que conduciendo un coche nuevo por un camino largo y desconocido, escuchando a mi hermana por la radio, y de camino a Herb Fest para escuchar y conocer a algunos de los herbalistas más conocidos del mundo.





¿Que son tus pasiones aparte  de las plantas?  


La musica...me encanta la musica y los jamming sessions...muchas veces me emociono. también me encantan las montañas, creo que jamas podria vivir sin las montañas, o lejos del mar, solo pensarlo me llena de miedo. 


Mejor estación del año?
La primavera!!! y en Mallorca tenemos dos!! 


¿Almendras o higo chumbo?

Que pregunta mas horible…. almendras

¿si ganaras 20, 000 euros que harias?


Montaria una fiesta en casa de mis padres que duraría dias y dias. habrá música y comida para todos mis amigos y familia, y nadie se tendría que preocupar...creo que voy a necesitar más dinero..va aser muy grande!





Interview with Amber Bardon Production Manager at Gaia Natural Products



Amber is a new member of the Gaia Girl Team. She joined in 2015 and is  working with the production of all Gaia products and in the development of new products. Her special area is healing plants and their properties. She is a qualified herbal practitioner and currently working on her nutrition masters. She is the youngest of three daughter to Scottish/ Irish parents and she was born and raised in Mallorca. She has a deep understanding and love for the island, its nature and culture and has a very hardy and down to earth approach to life and work. We have caught up with her to find out more about her life and her passion. 





We caught up with Amber to talk a bit more about herself and her work producing for Gaia…


Name: Amber Bardon 

Age: 29 years

Occupation: Herbal Practitioner & Production Manager for Gaia 


Three trivial facts about yourself?

1. I always think I am right.
2. I love parties.
3. I am a terrible hostess.



So how did this all start? Have you always been interested in plants, their properties and making them into healing products?

Yes. I have always been interested in plants, mainly because I spent most of my childhood outside in the countryside and as I got older I found ways to learn about their uses throughout history and  even in different cultures. My mum was my first patient/victim, I gave her some horrible potion I had concocted for her sore throat, poor thing almost threw up, but for my sake was very brave and drank it all up. I must have been about 11 or 12. My sisters have rarely tried my concoctions, but that is a sister thing




We love the  natural back to basics style of the Gaia products, where does the inspiration for it all come from?


From nature. You just have to look around you and that gives you all the inspiration you need.

How has your take on how we can use plants and herbs to heal ourselves   evolved in the last year?

In the last year? I suppose I have focused on the use of plants for cosmetic uses.



There are many different philosophies on how to self heal/ allow nature to to help you. How would you describe your style?

I am trained as a western Herbalist. This means that I focus mainly on plants that have been used in Europe and North America,  I guess my personal style is based around modern medicine viewed in a holistic way, but I am not a practicing herbalist right now. 




Chamomile Tea or Coffee ?

This is the toughest question because both have saved me in tricky situations...but coffee has probably saved me more. 





Why in your opinion are people looking more and more at ways to help themselves in more natural ways?

I think people are beginning to realise that they are able to help themselves. That when they are sick they have the power to cure themselves. then there are the side effects of many modern medications.


When you could describe your personality with a type of plant which one would you be? 

This is interesting because I have done a few Goethean studies of plants and I kind of feel that the question is asking me to relate myself to a celebrity, which I dont think I am capable of doing. 



Where do you see yourself in 5 years?



My five year plan...hopefully in a new car, listening to my sister on the radio, cruising down some road on my way to Herb Fest to listen to some of the best herbalists out there and being completely content with life.


What are your passions besides plants/healing  and natural cosmetics.

Music. I love music and jamming sessions, I get terribly carried away.
I also love mountains...I could never live without mountains, or far away from the sea, the thought fills me with dread.


Best season of the year and why?

Aaaah Sprrrring!! and in Mallorca we have two!!!




Almonds or Prickly Pears?

What a terrible question... Almonds.



If you won 20.000 Euro what would you do with it?

I would have a massive party up at my parents house, that would last for days and there would be music, food and drink for all my friends and family and nobody would have to worry about anything. I might need a bit more money though, it’s gonna be huge!!!








Sep 12, 2015

Secret Places

Hidden places- secret treasures- autumn forage the Gaia way.



Autumn is here and its time to forage for all those treasures that Mallorca's abundant nature is providing for us. The summer heat is over and now begins that wonderful run up to winter which seems like a blessed second spring that we are given every year. It is a pleasure to be out of doors again, to rejoice in walks in our forests and hidden gardens. 



                                     

Our valley used to be a market garden for our village and there are many abandoned gardens full of fruit, herbs and, in their over grown state - wild medicinal plants. 




We are gathering, almonds, the algaroba* Carob fruit*, prickly pears, pomegranates, laurel leaf, rosemary, winter jasmin blossom, figs and if we are lucky autumn roses and rosehip. We process all of our harvest into fine products. 



Fruity exfoliants





Ripe Pommegranate

The first of the winter flowering Jasmin blossoms 


After the first, sometimes violent rain storms most plants get wonderful fresh green leaf tips and that is the time to gather. We have been distilling fresh green pine needle tips, wild thyme, mint & rosemary. 
Rosemary in flower 

Pine with fresh green rain fed tips

My personal favourite is a deserted, hidden garden with a small forest spring at ground level. You can tell that somebody has really loved this garden at some point as there are many thoughtfully placed plants and trees- my favourite a white rose bush that has been gown over a tall tree stump of an almond tree. 



It has hundreds of small white roses of an old fashioned kind that you never see commercially anywhere. There is an old fashioned hollywood swing and a small spring fed pool- it is totally iddillic- and no I am not saying where it is. 




We take regular walks there throughout the year,  passing through this garden. We always find something that inspires us to use what we forage and in thinking up new products.




The secret spring




Working with Amber, who has studied herbal medicine we have are becoming ever more aware of the sometimes forgotten plants and their properties. We have gathered, infused, macerated and distilled many plants this year and are busy preserving more for our winter use