*Gathering and Storing Herbs

When gathering or harvesting your herbs, first be absolutely sure you know what you are gathering. This is very important when gathering plants from the wild. Be absolutely certain you know what the plant is before you attempt to use it. If you are not sure of a particular plant, or it "looks like" something but could be something else, leave it alone.

You will be better off to purchase the herb through a store or mail order. If you care about our natural plants, you will prefer to purchase or grow what you need. Todays' herbal needs are creating quite a strain on the numbers of medicinal plants in the wild.

Know what part of the plant you need. Some plants are used in their entirety, others only specific parts. When you are gathering plants from the wild, remember not to take all of a particular species you may find in an area. Leave some to grow and seed and flourish for the next time you need them.

Give thanks to the plants you take for your uses. Sprinkle around some of their seeds, to help them propagate. Give them an offering, i.e., some natural fertilizer, prayer, etc... , for your uses. When taking leaves or branches of a plant, leave plenty for the plant to survive.

..The parts of the plant above ground should be harvested in the morning, before the heat of the sun has a chance to wilt them. It is preferable to do so when the dew is still on the plants.

.. Leaves should be harvested before the buds and blooms appear,
..flowers should be harvested before the fruits and seeds appear.
..Bark and roots should be harvested in early spring, just as the plant is beginning to show its leaf buds, or in the fall, just as the leaves are turning. Don't strip bark from around the tree trunk, as this will kill it. Instead, strip bark from small patches, or particular limbs, to preserve the mother plant for latr use, and to preserve it's life.


When using an entire plant, it is customary to hang the plant upside down in a dry area free from plants to allow the plant to dry. Make sure your herbs have dried thoroughly before storing them for further use, you you may discover that you have a moldy mess instead of a medicinal herb.

..Roots should be carefully washed, scraped and chopped into small pieces to be sure they dry uniformly and thoroughly.

.. Bulbs are tied together and strung up to dry.

The dried portions can then be stored accoring to your needs.

.. Roots are usually ground into powder for use, or left in small chunks for uses in decoctions, tinctures and syrups.

.. Leaves are stored in their entirety, or crumbled for use in teas.
.. The same applies for blossoms.

Store your herbs in air-tight containers. The best containers to use are colored glass. The herb then does not pick up impurities from plastics and does not eat through your plastics as can happen. Store in a dry cool area and keep out of the light.

This is the reason for using colored glass. Light can often break down the healing properties of your gathered herbs, shortening their shelf life and rendering them nearly useless after a short period of time.

If stored properly, the shelf life of..

.. dried herbs is approximately one year.
.. Tinctures can be stored for up to two years.
.. Capsules should be used within one year.

Once an herb has been ground, it shortens the amount of time ther herb is effective. So pay careful attention to when you have purchased or stored an herb for maximum effectiveness.

~~Randolph Walter, Herbalogist

used with permission, he is a personal friend

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Post edited by: ShaamAnsu, at: 2008/04/17 14:04