TERMS & CONDITIONS
Packaging
We believe that products should be fair-traded and brought to you in the safest, most economical and environmentally friendly way. For this reason, we will normally use re-cycled boxes and packaging to consign your purchases.
Shipping
We will ship to most parts of the world, subject to local customs and/or tax restrictions.
Shipping costs are calculated by formula according to weight and destination.
Economy is best value, though we will still use First Class postage within the UK provided the package weighs less than 500 grams (except teas and books which will normally be sent Second Class). Normal unrecorded postage will be used for shipping outside the UK. We will normally send airmail but reserve the right to use surface mail if the costs are not fully covered.
Standard Recorded option is recommended for greater security and peace of mind, especially outside the European Union. If you specify this option outside the UK, we will normally obtain a 'proof of posting' receipt rather than signature at destination. If the value of the package is low, we will sometimes use proof of posting so that you are not disturbed for a signature unnecessarily.
Express Recorded means we aim to despatch your goods within 24 hours of receipt of order. Provided the order has been received before noon, we aim to deliver to you anywhere within mainland UK by end of the next working day, two days if it's offshore UK, three to anywhere within the European Union. For international orders outside the EU, we will normally use Swiftair and aim to reach you within 4 working days, subject to local delivery constraints.
Payment
We require verified payment before goods can be despatched. At the end of the ordering process you will be taken to a secure checkout area run by GlobeCharge. This allows you to choose from a range of payment methods, including Paypal, Credit or Debit card, cheque or bank transfer. Your address and payment details will be kept on the secure server and encrypted before being passed to us. This ensures they cannot be intercepted before reaching us. We will keep payment details only for as long as it takes to process your payment. If you choose Paypal we never see your details. If you choose to pay with a credit or debit card you will receive notification of payment authorisation from Worldpay. If you wish, you can choose an option for us to call you by telephone to collect payment details.
If you prefer, you can fax an order or send it through the post, accompanied by a cheque. This will take longer because goods will not normally be despatched until the cheque has cleared. Order online and tell us your intentions at the Checkout, or send us a list of what you want to the address specified under Contact. Your cheque must be in GB Pounds and made out to Many a Gem Ltd.
Refunds
We believe the products we sell are amongst the best you can buy anywhere. We therefore want you to be completely satisfied with your purchase. If for any reason you wish to return the products sent to you, provided the seal has not been broken, we will accept return within 15 days for a full refund of the product purchase price (not the postage).
Cancellation
Every transaction involves us in costs, even refunds. If you choose to cancel an order before it has been despatched, we reserve the right to deduct our charges from the amount refunded to you. In addition, if multiple transactions are processed against the same order, either through careless or fraudulent activity, we reserve the right to deduct our costs from any refunded amounts.
Availability
The products shown on our web site are sold subject to availability. In the event of supply difficulties, we will attempt to contact you, usually by e-mail or telephone. If the product is nolonger available, we will suggest alternatives before making a refund. If there is no response to these suggestions within 48 hours and no refund has been requested, we will normally despatch the substituted goods. If, in this event, the substitutions are declared unacceptable, we reserve the right to deduct our costs from any refund awarded.
Pricing
Prices shown are quoted in £Sterling (GB Pounds) and include VAT where applicable at 17.5%. All prices are correct at the time of publishing and are effective until further notice. Individual product prices may be subject to change as a result of market fluctuations. Where small errors occur, we may waive these if in our favour or, if in the customer's favour, correct them in a practical way such as by upgrading the product or by inclusion of postage stamps with the order despatched.
The Law and Herbal Remedies
This might be a good place to say something about the legal position. It's all a bit confusing at present because some remedies carry a licence, which means the licence holder (usually the manufacturer) can make certain validated claims for the product's efficacy. These are commonly in tablet form and may be compounds of a number of different herbs. The Bio-Health Stars and Classics ranges come into this category.
Most herbal remedies are unlicenced. This does not mean they are deficient in any way, only that no specific claims for the product may be made as to its value in treating particular medical conditions. Nothing can be shown on the label except the name of the herb, content, dosage and any safety precautions or storage information. Most single herbs supplied in capsule or tincture form are in this category. The fact that they are unlicenced need not be a cause for concern. By its very nature, the information on individual herbs has built up over centuries of use by different cultures around the world and been handed down to us in most cases through tradition and folklore. Only now - and this is the exciting bit - are scientists actually coming to establish that there are many genuine claims in all those old apothecary tales.
To comply with the law, we are not allowed to make possibly misleading claims for the unlicenced products in our store. This may be a drawback for consumers but please remember that the law is there to protect you from what might be false claims. In most cases, you will find a 'More Information' link where you can wander off and find authoritative information from reputable sources about each herb and its reputed properties. Sorry, but that's as far as we are allowed to go.
HEALTH DISCLAIMER
We have used all reasonable effort to ensure that the information included in product descriptions is accurate and up to date. Although manufacturers' information is used wherever possible, we have attempted in places to supplement this with information and research data from other reliable sources, including the National Institute of Medical Herbalists (NIMH) and the National Association of Herbal Manufacturers (NAMH). We cannot make warranties or representations as to the accuracy of such information. It must be emphasised that any information provided against the products depicted is for guidance only and cannot be considered to be medical advice.
As with most alternative remedies the benefits said to derive from them are generally based on historical information, sometimes passed down through the centuries.
All products shown are offered in good faith and must be used at your own risk. Vitamins cannot be construed as a substitute for a healthy and balanced diet and should only be taken in conjunction with the same.
Some helpful tips if taking herbs for the first time:
- start with small doses
- stick with a single-herb product at least to begin with; this will help you to keep notes of benefits or contra-indications and more easily sort out which herbs are doing you good; avoid cocktails
- avoid taking taking large doses of a single herb over a prolonged time period unless it is recommended for such use
- use a patch test on external areas before applying herbs topically; never use essential oils undiluted
- heed any health warnings associated with particular herbs
- if you are pregnant, breastfeeding or take medication for a chronic long-term illness, always consult a physician before using herbs
Where you have a concern for your own health, or for the health of someone close to you who will be consuming these products, advice should always be sought from a qualified healthcare practitioner.
