Listen to our Farm Manager Cherie Hutchinson about what goes into harvesting and growing Spilanthes, how biodynamic* farming improves the effectiveness of the plant and what makes this botanical so unique.
At Jurlique, powerful botanicals, grown on our biodynamic farm in the Adelaide Hills, form the basis of our products. Each one is chosen for its skin-benefiting properties – it could be naturally brightening, hydrating, soothing or smoothing, and, we believe, look after your skin in the best possible way.
One such botanical is Spilanthes. Native to Brazil, this plant is grown in our specially-built greenhouses on our farm, which simulate the hot and humid conditions that Spilanthes flowers need to flourish in. The seeds are planted in August and the flowers are harvested between December and May, the hottest season in Australia. As with all the other botanicals that we grow, Spilanthes are grown biodynamically. There’s a lot that goes into biodynamic* farming, but one element is that it uses the sun, moon, stars and planets of earth to bring about balance and healing - that means harvesting exclusively on days that align with the appropriate moon cycle.
Spilanthes are picked on days when the moon passes through the “Air and Light” signs of Libra, Gemini and Aquarius; these stages of the moon cycle favor development of flowers, substance and colour through influence over the air, making it the optimal time to harvest.
It’s a flower that we’ve had since the early days of Jurlique. Our founder Ulrike Klein discovered Spilanthes in Brazil in the 1980s and soon realized its high potency. In fact, all the Spilanthes flowers on our farm come from that very first imported seed back in the ‘80s. Thanks to the care that our farm workers put into each seed, we haven’t had to buy any new seeds since.
We’ve always known that Spilanthes is a special plant. Firstly, it’s traditionally known as the ‘toothache plant’, due to its mouth-numbing ability when chewing (our team on the farm tell us that the actual flower heads make your fingers tingly, so they’re careful not to touch their eyes after they have been hand picking flowers as they have that numbing effect).
Secondly, Spilanthes extract has a soothing effect on the skin. But it’s only recently that we’ve discovered it can also promote skin’s collagen production by up to 46%i, one of the key factors in preventing the appearance of ageing – which is exactly why it’s one of the key ingredients in our new anti-ageing Nutri-Define range.
Discover the power of Spilanthes with Nutri-Define at Jurlique.
* Certified biodynamic by the National Association for Sustainable Agriculture, Australia. Jurlique’s products and farm are not certified or affiliated with Demeter® USA or Demeter International.