This week, we celebrate Sun Potion as it completes its ninth cycle around the sun and enters a new year! In honor of our birthday / anniversary, we are sharing a conversation with Sun Potion owner and founder, Scott Linde, to find out what it’s like continuing this epic adventure, his favorite herbs and what is next for Sun Potion...
We are thrilled to share this interview with you and hope you IN JOY!
Sun Potion is celebrating its 9th birthday TODAY in the year 2020. Can you tell us what you are excited about as SP enters into this new cycle around the sun?
I see the business maturing and changing all the time. I am so pleased to see how many improvements have been made in the past 9 years. Although I had no formal business training prior to starting Sun Potion, I have grown to love the operational and business aspects of the project. I feel so fortunate to have access to such a demanding hobby. Product development and sharing about the brand are so much fun. It’s the business aspect that stretches me and demands that I learn and grow. 2020 looks like it is going to be awesome on all fronts.
Is there an adaptogen or tonic herb that changed your life? Was there a specific herb that inspired you to create Sun Potion?
Mucuna Pruriens extract powder, with a standardized concentration of 15% L-dopa, is my favorite herbal material. This is a fantastic nervous system tonifier, which provides 15% by weight of Leva-dopa, the immediate chemical precursor to dopamine in the neurotransmitter cascade. The material may nourish the nervous system, help to elevate the mood, and help to soothe the edginess commonly paired with modern day stressors. I was first introduced to this herb through a Qi Gong teacher, Max Christiansen. It took some time to find an excellent source of this herb for my own personal consumption. I was thrilled to get my hands on a pound of the extract after months of searching. This was way prior to the idea of starting Sun Potion. Over the 12-13 years of taking this extract, it has had a deep influence on my access to states of joy and contentment. I have also found it helps me maintain optimism and enjoyment of my work today. I would love to see everyone having this supportive and benevolent plant as a part of their daily routine. What would that look like in the world!? Pretty awesome, in my imagination.
Mucuna Pruriens Transcendent Elixir and Transcendent Elixir Launch Party, Courtesy of Sun Potion
What was the first product ever introduced to the Sun Potion line of offerings and why?
The initial Sun Potion releases in early 2011 were largely based around adaptogens being added to Chlorella. We had one called Al-jit, a combination of Chlorella (algae) and Shilajit (an alchemical mineral extract we were sourcing from Burma). The neutrative and mildly detoxifying base of Chlorella was a nice foundation for many combinations of added Adaptogens and Tonic Herbs. Ultimately, I personally wanted to control the proportions in my daily potion. This meant offering single ingredient, best quality, Tonic Herbal extracts. This was quickly the direction that the brand went in. The simple combinations with Chlorella fell to the wayside, but were a great place to start.
What is [currently] your go-to #apotionaday?
I have been LOVING the new Transcendent Elixirs. I take them all several times a day. I also carry a satchel of them when I’m out and about in the world. It’s really fun to share them with others, and ask for their feedback. Topo Chico + Transcendent Elixirs is my current favorite Potion throughout the day.
Where did the name Sun Potion come from and the symbol of the wings, can you share with us your inspiration behind the iconic gold wingspan?
The name “Sun Potion” arose from an intentional word game with two friends. We popcorned words, colors, shapes, etc. that we liked. Filling a notebook page, we then went back and combined and eliminated words from the page. When the combination Sun Potion happened, it was a sure fit for the project. This moment was followed immediately by the Winged Sun Disc swinging down from another dimension and hitting me in the face! At the time, I was studying Egyptian esoteric practices, like the Sah Breathe, and symbologies, like the Wings. The Wings had been explained to me as a Universal, Humanist symbol for transmutation of the body from density into light, becoming like the Sun, and embodying One’s Highest Self. These wings have shown up throughout our Human Race History on this planet, in Ancient Sumeria, Egypt and others. They seemed a perfect fit to represent the mission of Sun Potion--help us elevate our bodies and be able to hold and integrate higher states of being; establish new norms, and step more fully into why we are each here on the planet today. The Adaptogens and Tonic Herbs inside the bottles are intended to support positive change from within. Transformational Foods seemed like the easiest way to encapsulate these goals. That is how Sun Potion, Transformational Foods was named and combined with the Winged Sun Disc.
One of your goals for 2020? (Both business and personal if you'd like to share)
Business: 20 Workshops in 2020. I love to share Potions 101 and more specific talks about the herbs, brand and products. These workshops have been a great way to share in the past and I’m excited to redouble our efforts in education throughout this year.
Personal: I want to spend more time on my standup paddle board, connecting with the ocean.
Where do you see Sun Potion in 5 years from now? 10 years?
Sun Potion is a big part of my lifestyle and joy here on the planet. It also gives me an avenue to be of service, connect with others, and do something helpful in the world. Whether it’s 5 or 10 years, I am just thrilled to steward to project to the best of my ability, learning constantly, and continuing the mission of making best quality examples of these helpful plants to anyone who wants to experience them.
What inspired you to create the new line of Transcendent Elixirs? Can we expect more of them...?
In 2018, I was introduced to a new laboratory in India that could make some incredibly rare, potent, and powerful ingredients. Working with a Doctor from their firm (whom quickly became a dear friend), we imagined an alchemical combination of 3 different types of extracts, of one plant, combined and suspended in liquid. During the research and development process, we were able to make combinations of these extracts that packed a real punch. In the lab, we were consuming so much of the material that we ended up with a serious case of the giggles. Rolling in joy and laughter, the name The Transcendent Elixirs came forward. Transcendent can be defined as: lying beyond the ordinary range of human perception, of the Divine. We were definitely feeling elevated! It has been a lot of work to bring these products to market and I am proud of what we are now able to offer people through these Transcendent Elixirs. They are compact, easy to carry throughout the day and are super potent. We will definitely be making more of this style of product in 2020!
Image courtesy of Runga, Photographed by Tammy Horton
Where is a destination you would like to travel to this year?
I am so excited to be doing this year’s teaching series, 20 cities in 2020, hosting workshops. I will be going to cities like New Orleans, Nashville, Atlanta and others that I have never visited. I feel inspired to explore and enjoy as much of the United States as possible this year. We have such a beautiful country, and many landscapes, cultures and expressions to explore. The best part, is I get to talk about Sun Potion along the way.
#20in2020
At Spirit Falls, Image courtesy of Be Here Farm + Nature
Feature photo of oyster mushroom hunting, Courtesy of Be Here Farm + Nature
