Our Story
Introducing Jhoane & Carl – Mama Bear & Papa Bear
Cedar Bear Naturales® was founded and co-founded by husband and wife team L. Carl Robinson, MH, TT, CCHt, RH(AHG), and Jhoane Robinson, CRMI, CKYI. Jhoane is the President/COO, and Carl is the Chairman/CEO of the company. Cedar Bear® was the first liquid herbal products company to do an across-the-board alcohol-free approach to making potent liquid herbal concentrates utilizing a revolutionary alcohol-free glycerin-based process, and was the first in the liquid herbal products industry to develop and offer full lines of liquid herbal formula blends – yes, the first! The first to do 'true' alcohol-free premium, children's, pet's, equine, and our women's formula line for women's specific needs – all totally alcohol-free! That means we're the original and have been offering potent 'true' alcohol-free liquid herbal formula blends longer than anyone else for decades, which makes us more experienced at doing so. That's why Cedar Bear 'Genuine TincTract® Made' herbal glycerites are not your typical tinctured, percolate, or macerated weak glycerites, but due to the TincTract® process, developed by Carl over four decades ago, are the strongest, most potent and concentrated 'true' alcohol-free liquid herbs available, possessing none of the denaturing and inert-rendering effects of alcohol, but retaining an herb's constituents ratio & synergy intact nature, and tasting remarkably good like no other liquid herbal products. And 'Genuine TincTract® Made' products don't have any added flavorings or preservatives because they don't need them and never have.
First, the Mama Bear – Jhoane's story
Jhoane – The Mama Bear
Let's introduce you to the co-founder, majority owner, and president/COO of Cedar Bear Naturales®, Jhoane Robinson,
Jhoane, as a mother of 5 children, first met Carl, who has 6 children, in 1992. One of her young children had a health problem that medical science was not able to deal with, and out of urgency she spoke to someone who knew Carl and had experienced her own health miracle with him. She told Jhoane about Carl, and gave her his phone number.
Shortly thereafter Jhoane gave Carl a phone call to arrange a health consult for her child. When they first met for that consult it was all business. When the consult was over Jhoane and Carl had some small chat and from that decided to get together on a more social basis. Over time it became obvious to the two of them that they had a lot in common, had experienced similar life experiences both events-wise and spiritually, and they found they really liked each other. Jhoane and Carl were married on New Years Day 1993.
Their marriage resulted in a blended family of 11 children. Jhoane recals that in the early years of their marriage there typically was no less than 8 of the children present in their household at any time. Her and Carl's experience with raising a blended family is where Jhoane came up with the term "Super Parenting.' That super parenting experience involved the use of TincTract® herbs and herbal formulas. In fact, all of the 11 children were raised on the 'Genuine TincTract® Made' liquid herbal glycerites, and now their grandchildren are being raised on TincTract® products. Many others of their expanded family members, friends, and working associates have also raised their children on TincTract® herbs and their own grandchildren as well. TincTract® herbal glycerite herbs and formulas have a multi-generational loyalty with many users and their families.
Going back further for Jhoane, she was the daughter of a medical internist who graduated from the first graduating class of medicine at the University of Washington and was the co-founder of the largest medical clinic in the Northwest United States based out of Seattle, Washington. It was a strict medically orthodox household she grew up in. Herbs and herbalism were never discussed let alone recognized in her household. Jhoane was aware of herbs but due to her upbringing never gave them great thought – that is, until Carl came along.
It would be an understatement to say that Jhoane is a driven person. She has always had her eye on being the best, but also knew she couldn't do it alone and that to get to the top takes a dedicated support team.
Going back to her youth, some of her accomplishments included: being the first amateur in both U.S. National and Canadian National Championship Arabian Horse competitions to win against seasoned professional competitors; being the youngest of competitive skiers in the Northwest to be invited as a professional ski instructor; extensive university and private music (vocal), acting, and voice-over training for film, television, radio and theater under some of Hollywood's most famous and sought after music and acting coaches, to which she entered the world of acting and became a SAG (Screen Actors Guild) member; was herself a sought after acting and voice-over coach for one of the largest acting agencies in Salt Lake City, Utah; became the first person in Utah state to be certified (both alliance and independent) as a Reiki Master Instructor (CRMI); certified instructor in yoga (CKYI) and meditation; became an authorized instructor of the Shun Chun (an ancillary branch of the Shaolin tradition) mortal healing art. These accomplishments were punctuated by Jhaone periodically experiencing health crashes of an unknown cause. All of this happened before Jhoane met Carl.
A short time after being married to Carl, Jhoane got more professionally involved in writing. Literature and writing were part of her university curriculum, She was already an accomplished children's poet and story teller when she took up writing about natural health and herbs. Over the next decade of being a lead writer and associate editor for a nationally distributed health & herbal journal she would also become an accomplished literary and traditional herbalist, that, of course, included children's health and herbal needs, and women's health and herbal needs.
She also became an accomplished pet care herbalist as her and Carl eventually moved their family and business to rural Northeast Utah where they acquired a 35 acre property they turned into a gardens farm with livestock (cows, sheep, and goats), fowl (chicken, ducks, and turkeys), their herding/watch dogs, and a plethora of ever present cats, all of which needed their own health care. You might say Jhoane became the resident holistic herbal pet care specialist.
When Jhoane is asked, 'What is the biggest thing that brought you to the attention of herbs for health?' Her typical response is, "My own years of reocurring health crashes that could not be figured out, until after Carl and I were married and a few years later, during another health crash, he identified that I was experiencing some kind of autoimmune condition, for which he custom formulated a TincTract® remedy for me to 'build' my immune system. I had seen how good his TincTract® herbs were with our kids but never gave serious thought to my own use of TincTract® herbs, until then. It was like a miracle that I had never experienced before and one I have never forgotten."
Since then Jhoane has recognized that many people, both women and men, who get involved in the holistic natural health care arena are often individuals who have come through their own serious, sometimes life-threatening health crisis. It's almost like a badge of honor to have done so, so to speak. There's more to Jhoane's story, but space doesn't permit further detailing, except to say that she has been a support and bulwark to Carl's work, Cedar Bear Naturales®, and all that implies. Carl has said many times that Cedar Bear Naturales® has largely continued to exist through difficuluty and personal family losses because of Jhoane's unwavering support of him and Cedar Bear. When she is asked how they do it, she simply replies, "We do impossible well."
The Papa Bear – Carl's Story
Carl – The Papa Bear
Back in late 1970s, a few years prior to developing the synchronous serialized multi-step TincTract® process for making completely alcohol-free liquid herbal products, Cedar Bear Naturales® founder, L. Carl Robinson had determined that liquid delivery of herbs was far more efficient than what dried herbal products were capable of. However, he went on to consider two additional questions – "Given alcohol’s intrinsic denaturing and inert-rendering actions on many organic and biologically active components, why was it still the primary solvent used for liquid herbal tinctures/extracts in the liquid herbal products industry?" And "Why were the typical process methodologies used for making liquid herbs so antiquated and lacking in more current fluid chemistry and science-proven concepts?"
Going back to high school and college chemistry, Carl recalled that alcohol (i.e., ethanol, methanol, etc.) possesses the intrinsic effects of denaturing and rendering inert many biological constituents and compounds, many in fact that are present and sought for in herbs, and he was also aware of the fact that different compounds, to remove and retain their intrinsic biological integrity and nature, involved the particular extractive solvent utilized, but also required different methodologies to extract them from a raw material effectively. That is, after all, the fundementals of extractive fluid chemistry as he had learned in his early studies and observed in his youth helping his mother in cooking and canning settings in the kitchen.
Out of these considerations, Carl conceived of and developed a synchronous serialized multi-step process that utilizes the non-alcohol solvent glycerin for making liquid herbal concentrates. It's a process that goes way beyond typical tincturing, percolate, maceration, or fluid extraction methodologies normally used for making herbal glycerites that results in 'weak' glycerites, which all changed with the synchronous serialized multi-step totally alcohol-free glycerin-based process Carl had developed. More than a TINCture and more than an exTRACT, Carl named this innovative development the TincTract® process..
Simply put, the proprietary TincTract® process is geared towards removing heat sensitive water soluble compounds intact, as well as compounds requiring more dynamic processes, all being done in a proprietary synchronous serialized multi-step process that preserves the intrinsic synergy and ratio-intact nature of the extracted components. Due to its highly rarified and volatile nature alcohol cannot be utilized in a dynamic process setting, whereas glycerin is not volatile and is of a nature it possesses greater versatility for varying kinds of processing dynamics.
A synchronous serialized multi-step totally alcohol-free liquid processing approach had never before been done in the liquid herbal products industry to the degree Carl had developed, and the TincTract® process, through its trade secret generational iterations of enhancements and improvements (now in its 12 generation), still holds the distinction of being the most thorough and efficient totally alcohol-free-based liquid herbal processing technology in the herbal products industry for producing potent herbal concentrates that have not been subjected to alcohol's denaturing and inert-rendering effects.
From there Carl went on to found Cedar Bear Naturales®. Being the first in the industry, and doing it longer than anyone else, means Cedar Bear® is more experienced and knows more about 'true' alcohol-free glycerin and glycerin-based extractions than anyone else, and we've never stopped our ongoing R&D on the TincTract® process which keeps us at the forefront of glycerin and glycerin-based extraction technology.
Over the decades since obtaining his MH (Master of Herbology) from Emerson College of Herbology (that emphasized phyto-pharmacognosy (i.e., the active constituent basis of botanicals), phytotherapeutics (i.e., clinical use of herbs), clinical-based herbal formulation, homeopathy theory & applications, and liquid herbal processing technologies), and his being inducted into Emerson's 'Research Fellowship,' and developing the TincTract® process, Carl has continued and expanded his herbal/botanical studies and acquired additional training, professional degrees, registrations, certifications, and memberships as primary and ancillary supports to his career as a clinical & formulary herbalist and integrative therapist in Complimentary Alternative Medicine (CAM). They include: Colon Therapy (European clinical system); member induction into the International Society of Lymphology (ISL) for his theoretical work on colon physiology dynamics (he was the first non-doctoral person to become a member of that world-wide physician's organization); Therapy Technician (T.T.) (multi-state license qualified); Certified Deep Tissue Therapist (Pfrimmer method); RBTI trained (Reams Biological Theory of Ionization); Certified Clinical Hypnotherapist & Instructor (C.C.Ht.) (State & National certified); Vibrational'Dynamize Instrument trained (operator, practitioner & technician level); ACS (American Chemical Society) member; and becoming a Registered Herbalist (R.H.) with the American Herbalists Guild (AHG) in clinical and traditional herbal medicine and practices. [Being an AHG Registered Herbalist is the highest acknowledgment and endorsement for 'professional' herbalism in the Western hemisphere.]
All of the afore-described primary and ancillary proficiencies and associations to Carl's herbal schooling, studies, and experience have contributed to both his unique integrated approach to integrative healthcare and to Cedar Bear Naturales® innovative and proprietary technologies, processes, and revolutionary herbal formulations, mineral preparations, vibrational-dynamized products, including the alcohol-free mono element triiodide of fixed (Nascent) iodine, that are all firsts in the industry, with some being copied by others, but never equaled.
In the 1990s, Carl founded Cedar Bear Naturales® from a previous iteration he had co-developed and worked with in the 1980s. As a result of the founding of Cedar Bear®, the numerous iterations of generational enhancements, improvements, and advances to the proprietary IP-driven synchronous serialized multi-step TincTract® process have continued to its current 12th generation of trade secret-based enhancements and improvements. Carl has also developed and teaches a series of courses on integrative Herbal Alchemy. He is the Chairman/CEO of Cedar Bear Naturales®.
Cedar Bear® – A Woman-Owned & Woman Run Business
Cedar Bear® is a majority 'Woman Owned' and day-to-day 'Woman Run' business by Jhoane, being President/COO of the company, a traditional herbalist, master herbal tea blender, and writer/editor of herbalism, who is also an AHG member. Prior to Jhoane's foray into the world of herbalism and natural health care, she was a SAG (Screen Actors Guild) actress, professional voice-over talent, professional singer, acting instructor & coach, meditation & Kriya yoga instructor, Reiki master instructor, and on top of it all, a very busy mom.
What are the benefits of a botanical that has been subjected to the TincTract® process?
There Are Many:
• No alcohol is used at any time in the making of a 'Genuine TincTract® Made' product. None! Ever!
This means the components extracted from a botanical are not subjected to alcohol's denaturing or inert rendering effects, which can have negative ramifications where clinical considerations for alcohol-based herb use are concerned. We're not talking 'off-the-wall' here. We're talking about the most fundamental principles of chemistry.
For example, aromatic compounds, especially highly complex ones. Though alcohol is good at removing aromatics and volatiles, such compounds are also denatured (de-complexified), and many are rendered inert when subjected to alcohol, resulting in diminishing or potentially losing their efficacy, or at the least their therapeutic potential, but such is not the case with glycerin where the compounds remain whole, ratio-intact, synergy-retained, and fully effectual.
Another example is many polysaccharides, especially the linked and cross-linked ones, that are denatured (crystalized) and rendered inert by alcohol, as seen in the chitin matrix of mushrooms and mycelium when alcohol is used in their attempted extraction, for instance. However, these same mushrooms and mycelium can be TincTract® extracted with glycerin and not crystalized, denatured, or rendered inert, thus allowing for the removal of important constituents and compounds from mushrooms and mycelium.
These are just two examples of botanical constituents and components negatively affected by alcohol's intrinsic denaturing and inert rendering effects. Interestingly, though alcohol is known to possess denaturing and inert rendering effects on many biological components, little focused research has been done to ascertain what that involves, aside from the premise, due to alcohol's intrinsic disinfecting, antiseptic, destructive effects, that a denaturing and inert rendering effect on certain constituents does, in fact, exist.
This does not mean that alchol-based tinctures don't work, they do! But do they possess the full therapeutic and restorative integrity and potential that an alcohol-free extract possesses that may require less per dose to get an effect? As stated, these are all serious considerations from a ‘clinical’ perspective. Again, we're talking about well-proven and elucidated fundamentals of chemistry science here, not suppositions or off-the-wall notions. Check it out, and you'll see we're correct on the intrinsic denaturing and inert rendering effects of alcohol on a botanical's constituents and components, especially the volatiles, many biologically active, and structural components.
• A synchronous serialized multi-step process for making TincTract® made products, means far greater extractive efficiencies and outcomes than was previously possible.
A TincTract® processed liquid herb is not like typical 'weak' herbal glycerites that are made using typical tincturing, percolate, or maceration methods that many glycerite-making competitors continue using for their 'weak' herbal glycerites, which often require additional preservatives-being added to their finished product.
TincTracts® are very potent and concentrated, and often only require as much of, or even less per dose than may be the case for a quality alcohol-based tincture. How is this possible? It's all in the TincTract® process technology. To underscore this, the 1st generation iteration of the kitchen-based TincTract® made products recommended a full teaspoon per dose. The current 12th generation iteration only recommends 1/4 teaspoon (1/8 teaspoon for children) per dose.
There are botanical components that should not be subjected to heat due to their heat-sensitive nature. The same holds for many water-soluble components. There are also many botanical components that require a more dynamic input to remove them from the cellulosic matrix of an herb. There are very few herbal products makers who utilize an actual complex multi-tiered approach to extracting herbs, except for Spagyric-based or Spagyric-variant producers. However, they are all held to a tincture-based cold process which still limits broad-spectrum extractive potential (the same holds for percolates and macerations). On the whole, other companies utilize simple alcohol-based cold process-based methodologies, variations on tincturing (such as percolates and macerations), or single-step high-heat water extraction processes, then post-add alcohol or glycerin to the finished product. The marketplace's non-alcohol 'weak' herbal glycerites typically add preservatives such as potassium sorbate or sodium benzoate, depending on the product makeup. 'Genuine TincTract® Made' products do not contain any added preservatives and don't need any. Our products don't need to be refrigerated after opening; they're very stable.
The TincTract® process involves serialized-based complex multi-steps in which no heat is used initially, then moving to a more dynamic process to remove components that a cold process does not remove, and so on. It's a proprietary synchronous 'serialized' multi-step process unique to Cedar Bear®. This is why 'Genuine TincTract® Made' products are so potent and complete, retain the intrinsic integrity and synergy of all removed components, taste remarkably good, and make for the highest quality totally alcohol-free liquid herbal concentrates available in the marketplace.
• We utilize a high percentage of glycerin in the process solvent, and the glycerin used in a 'Genuine TincTract® Made' product possesses micro-encapsulating properties (that alcohol does not!).
This means TincTract® products, due to the process and high glycerin-to-water ratio used, possess astounding intrinsic preservability. And, the actives and constituents are less affected by REDOX (Reducto-Oxidative), i.e., oxidation, than products made with water, alcohol, water & alcohol, or too low a glycerin-to-water ratio when glycerin is utilized. Also, unlike tinctured, percolate, or macerate 'weak' glycerites that require added preservatives, the higher glycerin content of a TincTract® processed product does not require any added preservatives, and needs no refrigeration after opening and lists an independent 3rd party lab verified 6-year expiry on the product, the longest listed expiration date for any liquid herbal products in the industry and in the marketplace. Our products' longer product expiration date is further verification of the stability, quality, and safety of Cedar Bear® 100% alcohol-free 'Genuine TincTract® Made' products.
Though TincTract® processed herbs utilize a proprietary glycerin-to-water ratio that may vary from herb-to-herb processed, all TincTract® made liquid herbal products are finished ingredient-standardized at 70% glycerin-to-30% water. This contributes to the long shelf life and astounding stability a 'Genuine TincTract® Made' product is known for. For instance, due to the higher glycerin percentage in the ‘Genuine TincTract® Made' finished product and the TincTract® enhancing effect on glycerin’s micro-encapsulating properties of herbs constituents and components, there is little to no unwanted complexing of actives or constituents or REDOX activity during the shelf life of our products, and, as previously stated, once opened for use, do not require refrigeration.
• 'Genuine TincTract® Made' liquid herbal products are gluten-free!
There has been some controversy in the liquid herbal products industry concerning the fact that single-pass distilled alcohol (the most inexpensive to acquire) being made from grains also contains light mole-weight pass-through gluten particulates that can set off gluten sensitivity issues. Some believe this may be a problem even with second-pass distilled alcohol. What is known is that only grain alcohol that has been triple distilled can, as grain-based alcohol, be deemed to be completely free of pass-through gluten factors. Even better is for companies utilizing alcohol to use a cane or root sugar-sourced alcohol. Sugar cane and roots (such as sugar beets, potatoes, etc.) contain no gluten factors.
Many reputable alcohol-based liquid herbal product manufacturers use triple distilled varieties of grain alcohol, and more are now using sugar cane/roots-sourced alcohol, which would be the better choice for a gluten-sensitive individual. Because no alcohol is ever used in the TincTract® process, all the resulting products are 'absolutely' gluten-free!
• 'Genuine TincTract® Made' liquid herbal products retain the intrinsic taste quality of an herb, in many instances, even that of the raw, freshly harvested herb.
This is indicative that the intrinsic biological ratio-intact and synergy-driven poly-constituent basis of our botanical-derived products remain intact, so much so that a finished 'Genuine TincTract® Made' liquid herb often possesses a taste quality remarkably similar to the freshly harvested botanical itself. No other liquid herbal processing technology in the industry results in this unique quality, and it has become a hallmark of our 'Genuine TincTract® Made' products.
• 'Genuine TincTract® Made' liquid herbal products are the most 'concentrated' and particulate-free 'clean' glycerin-based herbal extracts of a 'whole' herb-based nature available in the marketplace.
The generational improvements and enhancements (now in its 12th generation) to the proprietary TincTract® process have resulted in the recommended per dose amount going from generation one's one teaspoonful down to the current 12th generation's ¼ teaspoon (1/8 teaspoon for children) dose. This means that on a per-dose basis, 'Genuine TincTract® Made' herbal concentrate products are one of the most economical liquid herbal products for day-to-day use in the market today.
And, 'Genuine TincTract® Made' products are 'clean,' meaning they are particulate-free of any rough or coarse herbal marc (i.e., the extracted raw herb material) that is filtered and separated from the finished liquid herb (i.e., the 'finished' liquid product also called a menstruum). This higher QC standard assures a cleaner and safer product that will not be subjected to diminishing product stability and long-term safety to a consumer. Cedar Bear's own in-house QC standards consider residual rough or coarse herbal marc in a finished liquid herbal product an adulterant because of the problems it can cause for product stability over time.
• All 'Genuine TincTract® Made' products are held to multi-QA/QC standards.
All products are made in an FDA Registered facility, with facility and operations being NSF Certified, and facility, operations, and products being FDA cGMP inspected. We were the first liquid herbal products company to be Kosher Certified (by Scroll K, an OU affiliated Kashrus certifying organization – approved for Passover production), and are the first and only liquid herbal products company to be Halal Certified (by ISA (Islamic Services of America), an internationally recognized Halal certifying agency). We are also Vegan-Certified, Bioengineered-Free (i.e., non-GMO), Gluten-Free, Soy-Free, and Sesame-Free. No added flavoring ingredients or preservatives are used in a 'Genuine TincTract® Made' product because none is needed.
Not only are our own Cedar Bear® retail brand product lines subjected to these multi-QA/QC standards, but our Cedar Bear Custom Manufacturing (CBCM) private label/white label and contract manufactured products are subjected to the exact same multi-QA/QC standards.
'Genuine TincTract® Made' liquid herbal glycerites are the first and original, making them the most experienced and well proven in the industry. Genuine TincTract® Made products are the industry standard for potent, good-tasting, efficacious, and most stable herbal glycerites available. So, if Cedar Bear® 'Genuine TrincTract® Made' herbal glycerite products have so many firsts and positives and are that good, and they are... why choose anything less?
Are the Founders Still Involved Today?
Absolutely!
Carl, the 'Herbal Alchemist,' as Cedar Bear Naturales® originating Founder and our in-house senior Formulary Herbalist, holds the position of Chairman/CEO, while his wife and business partner, Jhoane, is the majority owner of the company and the President/COO of the company.
Though a family-owned business, we nevertheless take an inclusive approach towards all our employees and management positions, with said positions filled by the most qualified person, whether family member or not. It's part of our 'inclusiveness' philosophy.
In all of this, what makes Cedar Bear® especially outstanding is that it is an herbal products manufacturing endeavor founded by real herbalists and continuing to be administered by real herbalists and inclusively managed by a team of qualified, dedicated, and passionate employees.
Cedar Bear® – a company founded by herbalists,
still owned by herbalists, administered by herbalists, and
carrying on the tradition of real traditional herbalism.
Cedar Bear Naturales® is one of the very few companies in the
greater herbal products industry to hold those distinctions.
