THE DRAMA BEHIND RED SHISO 

Here is a drama that looked like bad news but was, in fact, good news.  In May 1994, agents of the New Hampshire Liquor Commission descended on Green Hope Farm and announced that we were under investigation for violating the state's monopoly on the sale of alcoholic beverages. Brandy is a common preservative in herbal medicine and the one that we used to stabilize our Flower Essences until 1994. On that spring morning when this changed, I watched burly agents encircle the farm, flash their badges, and seize inventory. During the raid, which involved a pack of world-weary men intimidating a gathering of grandmothers, babies, and young mothers, I heard the Angels telling me that all was well. This scene from a TV docudrama did not look like my idea of, "All is well." I silently yelled to the Angels, "Didn't those men just tell us they were going to shut us down?"

Part of me was able to let go and let God. There were moments when I was calm and confident that somehow this was divine order. Part of me was not ready to choose peace. Instead, I chose to exhaust myself by pursuing political and legal solutions to solve what I thought of as a problem. I bent a lot of ears, asking why vanilla extract or commercial mouthwash, both products with a much higher alcohol content than our Flower Essences, could be sold in New Hampshire, but we were to be shut down for selling alcohol without a liquor license. I asked a lot of people why I could not get this necessary liquor license but a bowling alley could. 

Finally, I realized that I needed to trust the flow of events. The state of New Hampshire was determined to pursue the protection of their monopoly and prevent us from using alcohol in our Flower Essences. The Angels said this was good news. That meant there was another stabilizer awaiting us. This meant that the Liquor Commission agents were taking Green Hope Farm Flower Essences towards a better stabilizer and further into the light as surely as were the Angels at my side. From this place of newfound serenity, I asked the Angels and Elementals to guide us towards an inspired solution and an alternative stabilizer to replace the brandy. In other words, I finally surrendered the situation to God.

We were led to use a Japanese herb, Red Shiso, as our preservative. Of all the possible preservatives, which we researched in our quest, the Angels far preferred Red Shiso. This is a stabilizer virtually unknown in the west, yet our guidance from the Angels was clear. Red Shiso it would be. We launched the Red Shiso-based Flower Essences in October 1994 without knowing what your response would be. From the start, we were awed by your willingness to embrace the new stabilizer and be part of our evolution. Over the years, your enthusiasm about Red Shiso has matched ours. 

We are grateful to have been led to this beautiful plant friend. We delight in playing a part in bringing Red Shiso to the western world's attention, thus helping Red Shiso to fulfill its mission on the planet. Like many a fairy tale, this one had a very happy ending.  

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