Herbal Product Development Advisory Service
Practical guidance for herbalists and businesses developing herbal products
A good herbal product needs more than an attractive name and a list of ingredients. The plants, preparation, intended use and way you describe it need to make sense together. I can help you think through those choices, refine an existing formula or turn an early idea into a clearer development brief.
My contribution draws on my work as a medical herbalist, practitioner and lecturer in Clinical Herbalism. The aim is useful, thoughtful guidance that helps you make informed decisions and recognise where further specialist work is needed.
Who I work with
I work with qualified and newly qualified herbalists, small herbal businesses, and other businesses developing products containing herbs.
Projects are mainly intended for the UK market. Overseas work is considered individually, according to the questions involved and my ability to advise within the intended market.
Tinctures, teas, topical preparations, food products, mushroom products, supplements, capsules and powders may all be considered. Acceptance depends on the particular ingredients and questions falling within my competence.
What I can help you explore
An agreed project may include:
- Reviewing a formula or developing formulation ideas, including ingredient selection and proportions.
- Considering the intended user, the purpose of the product and how its ingredients work together.
- Reviewing safety considerations, interaction cautions and questions requiring specialist input.
- Discussing preparation methods and suggested use or dosage wording.
- Developing product names, label text and website descriptions that explain the product clearly.
- Thinking through the coherence of a product range, including unnecessary duplication or gaps.
- Identifying potential questions about claims and signposting relevant regulatory resources.
Some clients arrive with a settled formula and a specific question. Others need help bringing a collection of ideas into a workable direction. We agree the brief before the work begins.
How the work is delivered
You can choose a Zoom consultation with written guidance, or a written review without a consultation. Where a consultation is useful, it normally lasts between one and three hours and can be divided into agreed sessions.
Each project ends with one written guidance document covering the agreed questions, recommendations, cautions and matters that need further specialist attention.
One consolidated round of clarification and minor corrections is included in the quote. New products, changed objectives, substantial reformulation or further rounds of revision are additional work, quoted and agreed separately.
Fees and timescale
My advisory rate is £70 per hour. Each project is quoted at a fixed total before work starts, based on the estimated total professional time, with a minimum project fee of £210.
The quote reflects all the professional work involved: preparation, consultation, research, formulation review, writing and the included clarification round. A two-hour conversation can require several further hours of work, so consultation length alone does not determine the fee.
Larger projects may be divided into agreed stages. Payment arrangements, any third-party costs and a realistic delivery window are set out in your quote. Additional work is agreed before it begins, and existing agreed quotes remain unchanged.
I take on a limited number of projects alongside teaching and clinical practice. Availability and delivery dates are confirmed individually.
The boundaries of the service
This is an advisory service. Formulation, preparation and safety comments are guidance within the agreed brief; they are not analytical chemistry, pharmaceutical development, laboratory validation or formal regulatory clearance.
The service does not include formal legal advice, regulatory certification or approval, manufacturing, laboratory testing, stability or shelf-life validation, or graphic design. It also does not include open-ended messaging or ongoing support.
I remain responsible for the quality of my guidance within the agreed scope. You remain responsible for manufacture, testing, legal compliance, any required approvals and the finished product as marketed. Where specialist assessment or sign-off is needed, it must be obtained separately.
Tell me about your project
For an initial enquiry, please email karl@elderroots.co.uk with:
- A brief description of your product or range and its stage of development.
- The intended market, including the country or countries where it will be sold.
- The main questions you would like help with.
- Any deadline you are working towards.
An initial enquiry does not commit you to a project. I will explain whether the work appears to fit the service and what information is needed to prepare a quote. We agree the products, questions, materials, deliverable, clarification round, fee and delivery window before accepting the work.