The Ingredient Glossary
Each ingredient is carefully selected for its quality and effectiveness, delivering targeted support topically - no pills, no fuss. Explore how our science-backed ingredients can help you feel your best, naturally.
Herbal Patches
Ingredients appearing in East Remedy adhesive patch range (SKUs 001–006). Patches carry the formula in a pressure-sensitive hotmelt adhesive, worn directly on the skin for 4–8 hours. Ingredients: Yi Tiao Gen · Lavender · Marjoram · Ylang Ylang · Peppermint · Wintergreen · Eucalyptus · Turmeric · Tourmaline · Far Infrared Mineral Powder · Graphene
Roller Gels
Ingredients appearing in East Remedy water-based roller gel range (SKUs 007–009). Roll-on format, applied by sliding the ball against the skin. Ingredients: Yi Tiao Gen · Turmeric · Tourmaline · Lavender · Peppermint · Eucalyptus · Wintergreen · Graphene
Essential Oil Rollerballs
Ingredients appearing in East Remedy 15ml essential oil rollerball range (SKUs 010–012). Oil-based format in a sweet almond carrier, applied to pulse points. Ingredients: Lavender · Marjoram · Citrus Essential Oil · Menthol · Wintergreen · Ginger Root Essential Oil · Bergamot Essential Oil · Lemon Essential Oil · Sweet Almond Oil · Yi Tiao Gen · Hinoki Cypress · Cypress Essential Oil
Soothing Muscle Cream
Ingredients appearing in East Remedy 100g muscle cream (SKU 013). Rich cream base, applied by massage. Ingredients: Yi Tiao Gen · Peppermint · Lavender · Eucalyptus · Wintergreen
What are Botanicals?
Plants and plant-derived ingredients used in wellness and skincare practice. Botanicals can be roots, flowers, bark, leaves or seeds — each carrying distinct aromatic, mineral or sensory properties. East Remedy's range draws primarily on botanicals from Chinese and Taiwanese herbal tradition, alongside a handful of Mediterranean and Southeast Asian plants.
What are Minerals & Actives?
Naturally occurring minerals and modern material actives that contribute heat, sensation or functional properties to a formula. In East Remedy's range this includes tourmaline (a piezoelectric mineral that emits far-infrared energy when heated) and graphene (a modern carbon material valued for thermal conductivity). Neither is a botanical — but both have a role in how the product feels on the skin.
What is Chinese Herbal Medicine?
A system of traditional medicine with documented roots stretching back over two thousand years, recorded in classical texts like the Huangdi Neijing (Yellow Emperor's Inner Canon). It treats the body as a connected whole — balancing qi (vital energy), yin and yang through combinations of botanical and mineral ingredients. In China, Taiwan and across East Asia, herbal formulas for topical use have been part of household daily life for generations — not as alternatives to medicine, but as a practical, everyday wellness tradition.
What is Far Infrared Therapy?
Far infrared (FIR) refers to a specific wavelength of heat energy that sits beyond visible light. Certain minerals — particularly tourmaline — emit this energy when warmed by body heat. In East Asian heat therapy practice, the use of mineral-rich heated materials dates back centuries (Korean jjimjilbang saunas, jade stone beds), though the specific far-infrared mechanism is a modern scientific framing of that older tradition. In patch and gel form, the mineral powder is embedded into the formula to generate a gentle, even warmth on the skin.
What are Essential Oils?
Concentrated aromatic compounds extracted from plants — typically through steam distillation or cold-pressing. They carry the characteristic scent and sensory properties of the plant they come from. Essential oils are used topically (diluted in a carrier) in aromatherapy and herbal wellness practice across many cultures. In East Remedy's range they appear as the primary aromatic actives in all rollerballs and as supporting ingredients in patches and gels.
What are Carrier Oils?
Base oils used to dilute and deliver essential oils safely onto the skin. Unlike essential oils, which are highly concentrated and used in small amounts, carrier oils are used in larger quantities and are valued for their skin-compatible, absorbent texture. Sweet almond oil is the carrier used across East Remedy's rollerball range — light, non-greasy and well-suited to roll-on application.
Suan Zao Ren (Jujube Seed)
WHAT IT IS
The dried seed of Ziziphus jujuba var. spinosa — the primary herb used in Chinese medicine for restless mind and disturbed sleep.
WHERE IT COMES FROM
Native to China and widely cultivated across Asia — particularly in Hebei, Shaanxi and Shanxi provinces. The jujube fruit (red date) is widely consumed as food across East Asia; the seed is used specifically for its herbal properties.
IN CHINESE & EASTERN HERBAL TRADITION
Suan Zao Ren (酸棗仁 — 'sour jujube kernel') is the primary herb in one of the most famous classical formulas for sleep: Suan Zao Ren Tang, documented in the Jingui Yaolue (Essential Prescriptions of the Golden Cabinet, ~220 CE). It is classified as nourishing the heart and calming the spirit (shen) — the TCM framework for what Western medicine might call nervous system support. It has been used continuously in clinical Chinese medicine for nearly two thousand years.
HOW IT'S HARVESTED
The jujube fruit is harvested in autumn; the seeds are extracted from the dried fruit, then dried further and either used whole or processed into powder or extract.
Dong Quai (Dang Gui)
WHAT IT IS
The dried root of Angelica sinensis — one of the most widely used herbs in Chinese medicine, particularly in formulas associated with women's health.
WHERE IT COMES FROM
Native to the high-altitude regions of China — particularly Gansu, Yunnan and Sichuan provinces. Cultivated at elevations above 2,500 metres.
IN CHINESE & EASTERN HERBAL TRADITION
Dang Gui (當歸 — literally 'return to order') is one of the four foundational herbs in Chinese medicine alongside ginseng, rehmannia and white peony. It has been used continuously for over two thousand years and appears in numerous classical formulas. Its warming, aromatic character and its role in moving blood and nourishing Qi have made it central to Chinese women's health formulas — though its use in TCM is not gender-restricted. In Japanese Kampo it appears under the name Toki (当帰). It is commonly used in Chinese herbal cuisine — added to soups and slow-cooked dishes — particularly during winter and postpartum recovery periods.
HOW IT'S HARVESTED
Roots are harvested in autumn from 3-year-old plants, then dried slowly. Different parts of the root (head, body, tail) are traditionally used for different purposes in classical formulas.
Astragalus (Huang Qi)
WHAT IT IS
The dried root of Astragalus membranaceus — a foundational tonic herb in Chinese medicine, used for centuries to support vitality and resistance.
WHERE IT COMES FROM
Native to Northern China, Mongolia and Korea. Widely cultivated across Inner Mongolia, Shanxi and Gansu provinces in China.
IN CHINESE & EASTERN HERBAL TRADITION
Huang Qi (黃芪) — literally 'yellow leader' — has been used in Chinese medicine for over two thousand years and appears in the Shennong Bencao Jing. It is classified as a premier tonic herb, specifically associated with strengthening Wei Qi (protective qi) — the Chinese medicine concept closest to immune function. It features in some of the most widely used classical TCM formulas, including Bu Zhong Yi Qi Tang (Tonify the Middle and Augment the Qi). In Chinese folk medicine, astragalus is commonly added to soups and broths as a food-herb during winter.
HOW IT'S HARVESTED
Roots are harvested in autumn from plants 4–7 years old. The long, yellow roots are sliced and dried for use in decoctions, powders or extracts.
Ginseng (Ren Shen)
WHAT IT IS
The root of Panax ginseng — one of the most revered herbs in Chinese medicine, used as a tonic for over two thousand years.
WHERE IT COMES FROM
Native to Northeast China, Korea and the Russian Far East. Korean ginseng (specifically cultivated Panax ginseng from the Goryeo region) is considered the highest grade. American ginseng (Panax quinquefolius) is a separate species with distinct properties.
IN CHINESE & EASTERN HERBAL TRADITION
Ginseng (人參, rén shēn — literally 'man root,' for its human-shaped form) appears in the Shennong Bencao Jing as a premier tonic herb. In TCM it is classified as strongly tonifying to Qi — used to strengthen and restore vitality, particularly after illness or exhaustion. Its status in Chinese imperial medicine was extraordinary — entire wars were fought over ginseng-producing territories in Northeast Asia. In Korean tradition, red ginseng (processed through steaming and drying) is considered a national treasure with its own dedicated research institutions.
HOW IT'S HARVESTED
Wild ginseng (increasingly rare and valuable) is hand-dug in autumn after at least 6 years of growth. Cultivated ginseng is harvested at 4–6 years. Red ginseng is steamed and dried; white ginseng is simply dried.
Mugwort (Ai Cao)
WHAT IT IS
The dried leaves of Artemisia argyi — the herb at the centre of moxibustion, one of the oldest therapeutic practices in Chinese medicine.
WHERE IT COMES FROM
Native to and widely distributed across East Asia — China, Korea and Japan all have significant mugwort cultivation and harvesting traditions.
IN CHINESE & EASTERN HERBAL TRADITION
Mugwort (艾草, Ai Cao) is one of the most deeply embedded plants in Chinese herbal history. It is the primary herb used in moxibustion — the practice of burning dried mugwort near or on acupuncture points to warm and stimulate them. Moxibustion is documented in classical texts including the Huangdi Neijing and has been practised continuously for over two thousand years. In Chinese folk tradition, mugwort bundles are hung at doorways during the Dragon Boat Festival to ward off illness. It features in Japanese Kampo and Korean traditional medicine equally prominently.
HOW IT'S HARVESTED
Mugwort leaves are harvested in spring and early summer, dried and aged — the older the moxa material, the more uniform and gentle the burn. Dried mugwort is compressed into sticks or cones for moxibustion use.
Graphene
WHAT IT IS
A single layer of carbon atoms arranged in a hexagonal lattice — one of the lightest and strongest known materials, with exceptional thermal conductivity.
WHERE IT COMES FROM
Graphene is synthesised industrially rather than mined. First isolated in 2004 by Novoselov and Geim at the University of Manchester (Nobel Prize in Physics, 2010). Commercial production is now distributed globally.
IN CHINESE & EASTERN HERBAL TRADITION
Graphene is used for it’s thermal conductivity properties allow it to hold and distribute heat evenly across the skin, making it the most effective heat carrier in the range.
HOW IT'S HARVESTED
Produced through industrial synthesis processes, then processed into a form suitable for embedding in patch and gel formulas.
Tourmaline
WHAT IT IS
A naturally occurring crystalline boron silicate mineral that generates a small electrical charge when heated — emitting far-infrared wavelengths and negative ions.
WHERE IT COMES FROM
Mined globally, including in Brazil, parts of Africa, Sri Lanka and China. The mineral occurs in many colour varieties; the colourless to black varieties are typically used in far-infrared wellness products.
IN CHINESE & EASTERN HERBAL TRADITION
Unlike the botanical ingredients in East Remedy's range, tourmaline has no ancient herbal heritage. Its use in wellness products is a 20th-21st century commercial application — it became widely used in East Asian heat therapy products (patches, mats, socks, belts) from the 1990s onwards, based on the hypothesis that far-infrared emission and negative ions have beneficial effects on the body. This hypothesis has generated significant commercial interest across Taiwan, Japan and South Korea.
HOW IT'S HARVESTED
Mined from geological deposits, then crushed and ground into a fine powder at high temperature (sintering) to produce the grade used in wellness product formulas.
Herbal Patch · Far Infrared (Warming)
Herbal Patch · Turmeric (Warming)
Far Infrared Mineral Powder
WHAT IT IS
A finely ground mineral powder — typically tourmaline, jade or ceramic-based — embedded into patch and gel formulas to generate far-infrared energy when warmed by body heat.
WHERE IT COMES FROM
Sourced from mineral deposits across East Asia and globally. The specific mineral composition varies by supplier and product.
IN CHINESE & EASTERN HERBAL TRADITION
The use of heated mineral materials for warmth and wellness is documented across East Asian cultures for centuries — Korean jjimjilbang (sauna) tradition uses heated mineral-rich floors and walls; jade and volcanic stone have been used in heated applications in Chinese and Korean wellness practice. The specific far-infrared framing is a modern scientific application of this older mineral-warmth tradition.
HOW IT'S HARVESTED
High-temperature sintering is used to process raw minerals into ultra-fine powders suitable for embedding into fabrics and gel formulas. This is an industrial process, not a traditional one.
Cypress Essential Oil
WHAT IT IS
The steam-distilled essential oil of Cupressus sempervirens — the tall Mediterranean cypress, one of the most ancient cultivated trees in the world.
WHERE IT COMES FROM
Cupressus sempervirens is native to the eastern Mediterranean and western Asia — cultivated across the region since antiquity. Today it grows throughout Southern Europe, the Middle East and parts of Asia.
IN CHINESE & EASTERN HERBAL TRADITION
Mediterranean cypress has been cultivated for over 3,000 years and carries profound symbolic significance across cultures — associated with longevity and endurance in Persian and Greek tradition, with mourning and the afterlife in Mediterranean cultures, and with resilience in Islamic garden design. In Western herbalism, cypress oil has been used for its woody, resinous aromatic character. While not a classical East Asian herb, it pairs naturally with hinoki in the same botanical family (Cupressaceae), contributing a slightly sharper, more resinous counterpoint to hinoki's warmer, more honeyed wood character.
HOW IT'S HARVESTED
Oil is steam-distilled from the needles, twigs and cones of the cypress tree.
Hinoki Cypress
WHAT IT IS
The essential oil of Chamaecyparis obtusa — a Japanese cypress tree valued for its warm, woody, slightly medicinal scent, and one of Japan's most culturally significant botanical materials.
WHERE IT COMES FROM
Native to Japan, growing in the mountainous regions of central and southern Honshu, Shikoku and Kyushu. Also found in Taiwan (where a related variety grows at altitude) and parts of China.
IN CHINESE & EASTERN HERBAL TRADITION
Hinoki (檜木) is one of Japan's five sacred trees — alongside sugi (Japanese cedar), akamatsu, sawara cypress and kōyamaki. It has been used in temple and shrine construction for over a thousand years, most famously at Ise Shrine, which has been ritually rebuilt in fresh hinoki wood every 20 years since roughly 690 CE. The connection between hinoki's scent and sacred or meditative spaces is deeply embedded in Japanese culture. Its aromatic compounds — particularly α-pinene and cedrol — are associated with Japanese forest bathing (shinrin-yoku) research, which has documented physiological responses to phytoncide exposure in forest environments. Hinoki bathtubs (hinoki-buro) are a longstanding feature of Japanese bathing culture.
HOW IT'S HARVESTED
Oil is typically steam-distilled from wood offcuts, sawdust and branches — often a byproduct of sustainable forestry and construction rather than trees felled specifically for oil production.
Menthol
WHAT IT IS
A naturally occurring organic compound isolated from cornmint (Mentha arvensis) and related mint plants — distinct from peppermint oil in that it is a single isolated compound rather than a whole essential oil.
WHERE IT COMES FROM
Produced primarily from cornmint (Mentha arvensis), widely cultivated across Asia — particularly in India (which produces around 75–80% of the world's natural menthol), China and Brazil.
IN CHINESE & EASTERN HERBAL TRADITION
Menthol is closely related to Bo He (薄荷) — the Chinese mint herb long used in TCM for its cooling and dispersing properties. In Chinese herbal tradition, the cooling sensation of mint has been valued for clearing heat and refreshing the senses. Menthol as an isolated compound gives a more concentrated and immediate cooling effect than the whole essential oil — activating cold-sensitive receptors in the skin to produce a sustained cooling sensation without a change in actual skin temperature.
HOW IT'S HARVESTED
Cornmint leaves are steam-distilled to produce a high-menthol oil. The oil is then chilled, causing menthol crystals to precipitate out and separate from the liquid. The crystals are collected, purified and used directly or re-dissolved.
Lavender Essential Oil Rollerball · Sleep
Sweet Almond Oil
WHAT IT IS
The cold-pressed oil of Prunus dulcis (sweet almond) kernels — a light, skin-compatible carrier oil used as the base in East Remedy's rollerball range.
WHERE IT COMES FROM
The sweet almond tree (Prunus dulcis) is native to the Middle East and South Asia — cultivated in the Mediterranean, Central Asia and parts of China for thousands of years. The US (California) and Spain are now the world's largest commercial producers.
IN CHINESE & EASTERN HERBAL TRADITION
Almond oil has been used as a skin and hair treatment across Persian, Indian Ayurvedic and Chinese herbal traditions for centuries. In TCM, sweet almonds (tian bian tao, 甜扁桃) have been documented as nourishing and moistening in nature. In Ayurvedic practice, almond oil is one of the foundational abhyanga (self-massage) oils. Its light texture and minimal scent make it an ideal vehicle for delivering more active essential oils without competing with them aromatically.
HOW IT'S HARVESTED
Almonds are harvested in late summer, then cold-pressed to extract the oil without heat — preserving its light colour, mild scent and skin-compatible fatty acid profile.
Lavender Essential Oil Rollerball · Sleep
Citrus Essential Oil
WHAT IT IS
A blend or single-origin citrus essential oil adding a bright, fresh aromatic note to the formula.
WHERE IT COMES FROM
Citrus trees are native to Southeast Asia and have been cultivated across Asia, the Mediterranean and beyond for thousands of years. The broad citrus family includes mandarin, sweet orange, yuzu, lime and others — each with a distinct aromatic profile.
IN CHINESE & EASTERN HERBAL TRADITION
Citrus (ju, 橘) has been central to Chinese herbal medicine for over two thousand years. Dried citrus peel (chen pi, 陳皮) from aged tangerine is one of the most widely used ingredients in classical TCM formulas. In Japanese and Korean herbal traditions, yuzu (柚子) holds particular cultural and herbal significance. Across East Asia, citrus is associated with warmth, circulation and the lifting of Qi stagnation.
HOW IT'S HARVESTED
Citrus oil is typically cold-pressed from the fruit peel, often as a byproduct of juice production.
Lavender Essential Oil Rollerball · Sleep
Lemon Essential Oil
WHAT IT IS
The cold-pressed essential oil of Citrus limon peel — clean, sharp and immediately recognisable.
WHERE IT COMES FROM
The lemon tree (Citrus limon) is native to South Asia, likely originating in northeast India, and has been cultivated across the Mediterranean and Asia for over 2,500 years. Major commercial producers today include Argentina, Italy, Spain and the United States.
IN CHINESE & EASTERN HERBAL TRADITION
Lemon is documented in Chinese herbal medicine as a digestive and clarifying herb, and citrus more broadly has been used medicinally across East Asia for millennia. The broader genus Citrus (ju, 橘) features prominently in TCM — dried citrus peel (chen pi, 陳皮) is one of the most common herbs in classical formulas, used to regulate Qi and support digestion. Lemon's bright, cutting character makes it a natural complement to warming and cooling botanical blends.
HOW IT'S HARVESTED
The peel is cold-pressed — a mechanical extraction that preserves the bright, volatile top notes of the fresh peel more effectively than steam distillation.
Bergamot Essential Oil
WHAT IT IS
The cold-pressed essential oil of Citrus bergamia peel — bright, floral-citrus in character, most widely known as the flavouring in Earl Grey tea.
WHERE IT COMES FROM
Bergamot (Citrus bergamia) is believed to have originated in Southeast Asia, later cultivated extensively in Calabria, southern Italy — now the world's primary commercial producer. Around 80% of global bergamot oil comes from a narrow coastal strip of Calabria.
IN CHINESE & EASTERN HERBAL TRADITION
Bergamot does not have an ancient East Asian heritage, but has become deeply familiar across the region through Earl Grey tea, which has been consumed across China, Japan and Korea since the 19th century. Its bright, slightly floral-citrus character makes it a natural pairing with other citrus and botanical oils in contemporary Asian wellness blending. In aromatherapy tradition it is associated with a lifting, clarifying aromatic effect.
HOW IT'S HARVESTED
The peel of the bergamot fruit is cold-pressed — the same process used for most citrus oils. Harvest typically occurs in winter when the fruit is fully ripe.
Ginger Root Essential Oil
Acupressure Sleep Patch · Lavender
Herbal Patch · Far Infrared (Warming)
Herbal Patch · Turmeric (Warming)
Herbal Patch · Graphene (Warming)
Herbal Patch · Lavender (Cooling)
Herbal Patch · Peppermint & Eucalyptus (Cooling)
Herbal Roller Gel · Turmeric
Herbal Roller Gel · Lavender
Herbal Roller Gel · Graphene (Warming)
Lavender Essential Oil Rollerball · Sleep
Almond Essential Oil Rollerball · Cooling
Hinoki Essential Oil Rollerball · Calm
Soothing Muscle Cream · with Yi Tiao Gen
WHAT IT IS
The steam-distilled essential oil of dried Zingiber officinale root — spicy, warm and woody in character, distinct from fresh ginger in both scent and concentration.
WHERE IT COMES FROM
Native to Southeast Asia, ginger has been cultivated across China, India, Japan and the wider Asia-Pacific region for over 3,000 years. China and India remain the world's largest producers.
IN CHINESE & EASTERN HERBAL TRADITION
Ginger (jiāng, 薑) is one of the most documented and frequently prescribed herbs in classical Chinese medicine. It appears in the Shennong Bencao Jing — one of the oldest extant TCM texts — and has remained central to Chinese, Japanese Kampo and Korean Hanbang herbal practice for millennia. In TCM it is classified as acrid and warm, used to warm the interior, dispel cold and stimulate circulation. Fresh and dried ginger (shēng jiāng and gān jiāng) are treated as distinct substances in classical Chinese materia medica. In Ayurveda it holds an equally prominent role as one of the foundational warming herbs.
HOW IT'S HARVESTED
Ginger root is harvested in autumn, dried and then steam-distilled to produce the essential oil. Dried ginger produces a different oil character to fresh ginger — deeper, woodier, with less of the sharp brightness of the raw root.
Ylang Ylang
WHAT IT IS
The essential oil of Cananga odorata flowers — deeply floral, rich and sweet, one of the most recognisable scents in both Asian ceremonial tradition and global perfumery.
WHERE IT COMES FROM
Native to tropical Southeast Asia and the islands of the Pacific and Indian Oceans, including the Philippines and Indonesia. Today, Madagascar and the Comoro Islands are the world's leading commercial producers.
IN CHINESE & EASTERN HERBAL TRADITION
Ylang ylang has been used across Southeast Asian and Pacific island cultures for centuries — the flowers scattered at ceremonies, worn in hair, and steeped in coconut oil as a traditional perfumed body oil across cultures including Filipino, Indonesian and Polynesian traditions. In Indonesian jamu practice it is used aromatically. The French perfumery industry adopted it heavily in the 19th century (most famously in Chanel No. 5), which later created a feedback loop of association between ylang ylang and luxury aromatherapy worldwide, including in East Asian wellness contexts.
HOW IT'S HARVESTED
Flowers are hand-picked, typically at dawn when their fragrance is most concentrated. The oil is extracted by steam distillation in stages — 'extra,' 'first,' 'second' and 'third' grades correspond to successive distillation passes, each producing a slightly different character.
Marjoram
WHAT IT IS
The dried herb and essential oil of Origanum majorana, a Mediterranean plant related to oregano but with a softer, sweeter and more floral character.
WHERE IT COMES FROM
Native to the Mediterranean and western Asia, particularly Cyprus, Turkey and the eastern Mediterranean coast. Cultivated widely across Europe and the Middle East for culinary and herbal use.
IN CHINESE & EASTERN HERBAL TRADITION
Marjoram has been used in Mediterranean herbal medicine since antiquity — documented in Greek and Roman botanical texts as a herb associated with warmth, comfort and calm. In Western herbalism it carries a long traditional association with relaxation and sleep support. It is not a classical East Asian herb, but its calming aromatic character makes it a complementary pairing with lavender and ylang ylang in sleep-oriented topical formulas.
HOW IT'S HARVESTED
Leaves and flowering tops are harvested just before the flowers fully open — when essential oil content is highest — then dried or steam-distilled.
Lavender
WHAT IT IS
The dried flowers and essential oil of Lavandula angustifolia, one of the world's most widely grown and recognised aromatic plants.
WHERE IT COMES FROM
Originally native to the Mediterranean — particularly southern France, Spain and Italy. Since the 1960s, lavender has been successfully cultivated in Asia, most notably in Yili, Xinjiang, which is now one of the world's four major lavender-growing regions alongside Provence, Hokkaido and the Caucasus.
IN CHINESE & EASTERN HERBAL TRADITION
Lavender is not a traditional Chinese medicine herb — its heritage is Mediterranean and Western aromatherapy, and it should be presented honestly as such. It entered Asian wellness practice relatively recently, alongside the global spread of aromatherapy in the 20th century. Its association with calm and sleep is now deeply embedded in modern herbal practice worldwide, including across East Asia, where it is widely used in contemporary wellness blending. The Yili, Xinjiang cultivation region is particularly notable — often called 'China's Provence,' it produces lavender oil at scale and has developed its own regional horticultural identity around the crop since the 1960s.
HOW IT'S HARVESTED
Flowering stems are cut in mid-to-late summer at peak bloom, then steam-distilled for oil, or dried for use in sachets and patches.
Acupressure Sleep Patch · Lavender
Herbal Patch · Graphene (Warming)
Herbal Patch · Lavender (Cooling)
Herbal Roller Gel · Graphene (Warming)
Lavender Essential Oil Rollerball · Sleep
Eucalyptus
WHAT IT IS
A tall evergreen tree native to Australia, grown commercially around the world for the essential oil steam-distilled from its leaves.
WHERE IT COMES FROM
Native to Australia — home to over 700 eucalyptus species, found nowhere else in the world as a native range. China is now the world's largest producer of eucalyptus oil by commercial volume (around 70%), grown in Guangxi and Yunnan provinces — the plant travelled from Australia to Asia, not the other way around.
IN CHINESE & EASTERN HERBAL TRADITION
Eucalyptus was used medicinally by Aboriginal Australians for centuries before European contact — the leaves were used to cover wounds and inhaled for respiratory care. Following the plant's introduction to China in the early 20th century, it was adopted into Chinese herbal medicine and became a staple of commercially produced topical formulas. Its sharp, clean, camphor-adjacent scent makes it a natural pairing with other cooling botanicals — peppermint and wintergreen — in the Chinese topical tradition.
HOW IT'S HARVESTED
Leaves are stripped from branches and steam-distilled. Oil quality is measured by 1,8-cineole (eucalyptol) content — high-grade oils typically contain 70–85% cineole.
Herbal Patch · Turmeric (Warming)
Herbal Patch · Graphene (Warming)
Herbal Patch · Lavender (Cooling)
Herbal Patch · Peppermint & Eucalyptus (Cooling)
Wintergreen
WHAT IT IS
The steam-distilled essential oil of Gaultheria fragrantissima, an Asian shrub whose leaves are rich in methyl salicylate — the compound responsible for its characteristic sharp, cool sensation.
WHERE IT COMES FROM
Our range uses the Asian species of wintergreen (Gaultheria fragrantissima), found across the Himalayan belt, Nepal, India and China's Yunnan province — distinct from the North American species (Gaultheria procumbens) more commonly associated with the 'wintergreen' name in Western contexts.
IN CHINESE & EASTERN HERBAL TRADITION
The Asian wintergreen species has documented use in Chinese ethnomedicine and in Ayurvedic tradition, where it has been used topically for its cooling, stimulating sensation. In traditional Taiwanese and Chinese topical formulas, methyl salicylate (the active compound in wintergreen oil) has long been a key ingredient in liniment-style preparations for muscular use — a practice carried forward in the Yi Tiao Gen tradition of Kinmen.
HOW IT'S HARVESTED
Leaves and young stems are steam-distilled to extract the oil. The distillation yields an oil that is very high in methyl salicylate — typically 96–99% — giving it its characteristic scent and cooling effect.
Herbal Patch · Turmeric (Warming)
Herbal Patch · Graphene (Warming)
Herbal Patch · Lavender (Cooling)
Herbal Patch · Peppermint & Eucalyptus (Cooling)
Herbal Roller Gel · Graphene (Warming)
Lavender Essential Oil Rollerball · Sleep
Almond Essential Oil Rollerball · Cooling
Peppermint
WHAT IT IS
A hybrid mint plant (Mentha × piperita) widely grown for its essential oil, valued for its sharp, immediate cooling sensation on the skin.
WHERE IT COMES FROM
Peppermint itself is a European hybrid, but the broader mint family — particularly Bo He (薄荷, Mentha canadensis) — is native to and long-cultivated across Asia, including China, Japan and India.
IN CHINESE & EASTERN HERBAL TRADITION
Bo He (薄荷) is one of the most frequently cited herbs in classical Chinese herbal texts, including the Bencao Gangmu (Compendium of Materia Medica, 1596). Classified as cooling and dispersing in nature, it has been used in TCM for centuries to clear heat, refresh the senses and support surface conditions. In Japanese Kampo medicine it is similarly valued. The cooling sensation it produces — driven by its menthol content activating cold receptors in the skin — has made it one of the most universally recognised sensory botanicals across both Eastern and Western herbal traditions.
HOW IT'S HARVESTED
Leaves are harvested at peak oil concentration, just before the plant flowers. The harvested material is steam-distilled to extract the essential oil.
Acupressure Sleep Patch · Lavender
Herbal Patch · Turmeric (Warming)
Herbal Patch · Graphene (Warming)
Herbal Patch · Lavender (Cooling)
Herbal Patch · Peppermint & Eucalyptus (Cooling)
Turmeric
WHAT IT IS
The dried and ground rhizome of Curcuma longa — a flowering plant in the ginger family, long used as a spice, dye and herbal ingredient across Asia.
WHERE IT COMES FROM
Native to South and Southeast Asia, with India historically the world's largest producer. Also long cultivated in southern China, including Yunnan province.
IN CHINESE & EASTERN HERBAL TRADITION
Known in Chinese medicine as jiāng huáng (薑黃), turmeric has appeared in Chinese herbal texts for well over a thousand years. In traditional Chinese medicine it is classified as warming in nature and associated with moving blood and Qi — used in formulas for conditions of stagnation and cold. In Ayurveda it holds an equally central role, used both internally and externally for its warming, clarifying properties. Across Southeast Asia it features in ceremonial and everyday wellness practice — in Indonesia, a turmeric-based drink called jamu has been consumed for centuries.
HOW IT'S HARVESTED
The rhizome is harvested after the plant flowers and the leaves die back — typically 8–10 months after planting. It is then boiled or steamed, dried and ground to a powder, or processed into an extract.
Herbal Patch · Turmeric (Warming)
Yi Tiao Gen
Herbal Patch · Lavender (Cooling)
WHAT IT IS
The root of Glycine tomentella Hayata — a leguminous plant native to the Kinmen islands in the Taiwan Strait, wild-harvested and processed into an extract used across East Remedy's patches, gels and cream.
WHERE IT COMES FROM
Native to the Kinmen islands, a small archipelago off the coast of Fujian, China. Wild-harvested in limited seasonal quantity — not commercially farmed at scale.
IN CHINESE & EASTERN HERBAL TRADITION
Local record traces the use of Yi Tiao Gen (一條根, literally 'one root') to the Koxinga era in the 1660s, when mainland Chinese soldiers stationed on Kinmen reportedly turned to the local root for relief after long days in the field. The military physician of the time is said to have documented the local villagers' use and formalised it into a folk remedy. It has remained a staple of household herbal practice in Kinmen for roughly 350–400 years — used topically, in tinctures, and as a tea. Yi Tiao Gen occupies a unique position in Taiwanese folk medicine: it is a specifically Kinmen tradition, not a classical TCM herb found in ancient texts, which is part of what makes it genuinely rare.
HOW IT'S HARVESTED
Roots are harvested wild, typically after three years of growth, in autumn and winter. They are cleaned, dried and processed into an extract for use in topical formulas.
Herbal Patch · Far Infrared (Warming)
Herbal Patch · Turmeric (Warming)
Herbal Patch · Graphene (Warming)
Herbal Patch · Lavender (Cooling)
Herbal Patch · Peppermint & Eucalyptus (Cooling)
Herbal Roller Gel · Graphene (Warming)