Marty asks:
“What basis do you use to develop your herbal formulas? What is your thinking process? How do you determine quantities of each herb to get the just the right blend?”
Unfortunately, there is no simple answer to these questions.
Formulation can be much more art than science. This is especially true when science is very limited on many of the herbs and there is zero science on combining different herbs. At best, this leads to some extrapolations about what may be happening on a chemical level.
But that’s where more traditional models help too. With a holistic understanding you can better make up for this lack of scientific understanding.
But perhaps I’m going over your head.
So let’s back up and give examples. Over the coming days and weeks, I’ll use the formulas available at Lost Empire Herbs as examples, and you’ll come to see there are different frameworks that are used in doing this.
Let’s start with the first formula we launched, Phoenix Formula.

This formula contains four herbs:
At that time, these were most of the herbs we had!
Each one is very powerful in its own right.
Looking at this through the Taoist Three Treasures model, this formula was designed to really ramp up Jing and Qi. (Meanwhile, it has no focus on Shen.)
Here’s a video blog post that covers this in relation to Phoenix.
Pine Pollen, He Shou Wu and Shilajit are all powerful Jing herbs.
Ant Extract and Shilajit are powerful Qi herbs.
Pine Pollen is quite yang. He Shou Wu is quite yin. Shilajit is quite strong in both.
By working on the deep foundation (Jing) while providing everyday energy (Qi) this formula delivers one of its promise of helping to transform people’s health in a noticeable way.
Working on the foundation of the house while also redecorating the rooms, if you will.
We can look biochemically at the action on the hormones, the antioxidation, the ATP production and more. But that wasn’t how this one was designed. Instead, it was looking at what are some of the best Jing and Qi herbs available, and how can these be combined in an effective manner.
With any formulation you come up with something based on theory and experience. And then you try it out. You get feedback.
Many times you tweak the ratios or ingredients based on the feedback and go from there.
Other times you hit the ball out of the park from the get go. Phoenix seems to be one of these rarer but solid examples.
Based on 11,600 units sold and 4.8 out of 5 starts based on 130 reviews, it looks like this formula is having its intended impact for many.
Glenn Cornwall said, “I feel a deep in fusion of energy and solidity” when using Phoenix.
And Jorge Reyes wrote, “Nothing subtle about it. You feel a surge of energy when you take this supplement.”
More on the art and science of formulations shortly…
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