The popular Living Radiance natural herbal supplement line began with a casual conversation.
In the spring of 1999, Herbalist and Nutritionist Jim Williams and his wife Bronwyn were reminiscing about Bronwyn’s grandmother Lena Schofield-Villeneuve, born in 1899. Grandma Lena had often told stories about using herbal tonics to enhance her health. Lena’s stories centered on her own mother, a French woman who relied on time-honored seasonal mixtures of herbs, tonics and oils to keep her eleven children healthy in the unpredictable, sometimes harsh Canadian climate. Bronwyn remarked, “It’s too bad these kinds of tonics aren’t still used in our culture. Clearly the benefits were proven over time.”
Jim’s response planted the seeds for the Living Radiance line. “What if we modernized the “tonic” concept?” The question prompted a brainstorming session – complete with flip charts and basic formula ideas – and reignited his longtime passion for herbal formulating. It also focused attention on developing the first Living Radiance product Winter Radiance. “Successful herbal formulation involves first understanding the many valuable properties of herbs,” Jim explains. “For example, they may be cooling or warming; nutritious or detoxifying; moistening or drying. Harmoniously blending the herbs to achieve a desired health benefit may take months of trial and error.”
Such was the case with the formulation of Winter Radiance. After months of mixing and testing, a recipe deemed worthy of clinical trials was developed. Volunteers, including family members, friends and clients from Jim’s Fort Gratiot, Michigan based wholistic center, Williams Wellness, took part in the trials. Trial members were selected to represent a wide range of ages, body types, activity levels and physical conditions. While monitoring their results throughout the season Jim adjusted the formula, and the perfected Winter Radiance was introduced to an eager market.
The success of the initial formula was followed over the next two and half years by the introductions of Spring Radiance, Summer Radiance, and AutumnRadiance. Each formula was developed and produced using the same exacting standards. “At Living Radiance we prefer the aqueous extract method of herbal preparation,” Jim says. “This process slowly simmers the herbal mixture in pure water until it is reduced to one-quarter of the original volume. The super-concentrated herbal tea is then strained and spray-dried into granules. When taken with warm water the herb tea granules are absorbed quickly, with little or no digestion required. The result is a rapid and safe uptake of the herbs for efficient utilization by the body.” All Living Radiance products contain aqueous extract herbs, plus a quantity of raw, enzyme-rich herbs. The resulting blend combines unparalleled quality, safety and effectiveness with the convenience of easy-to-swallow capsules. Each Living Radiance Formula is carefully adjusted to provide the greatest benefit for each season. Together, these year-round seasonal formulas provide a wonderfully proactive, natural approach to your wellness.
