How to Choose Your Medicinal Herbs
Choosing your herbs, especially online, can be a difficult task. Recently I have been perusing herbs at different websites and I realized how difficult it could be if I didn't know what to look for. Here are some general tips to help you decide which herbs are good and which to stay away from.
I wildcraft or grow many of my herbs, but some I do need to purchase. I always get my herbs from the same few places. They are places that I have had good experiences with, know and trust. My general guidelines for detecting good herbs are sight, smell and taste. However, if you are like most, your are probably ordering online and only have sight to go by. Here is a tip I use: The herb you are choosing should retain much of its color. Take red clover for instance; It is a beautiful purple blossom (I know, they call it red, but it isn't) and after it's dried, it should retain most of it's purple color. I have seen pictures of red clover that where completely unrecognizable as red clover, they were all brown and they just looked sad. Alert, Alert! They should not be brown! Brown tells me they are old or they were not dried properly and sadly, they have likely lost most of their medicinal properties. Another for instance; Calendula should have a pretty yellow to it and not pale and sad. Your green herbs should look like they still have life in them and has retained some, if not most, of its green color. Passion Flower should be vibrant and interestingly variant in greens. So, Greens should be green, Yellows should be yellow, and purple should be, well, purple! It's not hard!
These herbs are going into your body so they should also be free of pesticides. Purchase Wildcrafted or Organic herbs. I prefer whole blossoms over cut, and I purchase my leaves cut and sifted (c/s).
I avoid big bulk online stores (you know the ones, there great for toys, games, books, and everything else under the sun, but not so much for good quality herbs). They are a complete unknown and I haven't liked what I've been seeing for the most part. Your herbs should look vibrant and tasty! They should be beautiful and handled with love and care. If you have an herbal shop or farmers market close by, do visit! They are a great place to get your herbs and I find the people who work in them are full of knowledge and eager to help and answer questions. They can also be more cost effective. Here is where you can use some of your other herby senses. What do they look like? Have they retained most of their color? How do they smell? They should be fragrant! Do they have a sample so you can try it? Sometimes they offer a taste! If not, that's alright, if it looks good and smells good, I can't imagine why it wouldn't taste right.
You could also grow your own herbs if no shops or markets are available in your area. Growing your own offers so many possibilities and it is the best possible solution if you really want to know where your herbs have been and want to guaranty its freshness. Don't have the space? However, not everyone can do that or has the space, so try Etsy. Etsy is like having an apothecary at you fingertips. I generally find some great looking herbs there and I have a shop on there as well so I get a chance to 'window shop' often. Like anywhere else, some herbs look better than others.
Herbs that have been nurtured and cared for certainly look the part and they tend to have a taste and medicinal quality that proves it. Always do your research and don't believe everything you hear about a particular herbal property. I generally will believe in it's ability if I can find it in several different references.
Storing Your Herbs
After you get or gathered and dried your herbs, store them in an airtight glass container. I use mason jars or reuse glass jars I get from the store. Keep them away from sunlight and put a label on them to tell you when you wildcrafted or bought them, also write on your label what it is and what it is used for. Generally herbs are good for a year or sometimes more. Do you sight, smell, taste check after a year, if it passes the test, it's good to go!
Many Blessings Folks! Get out there and enjoy all of Gods wonderful provisions for your health!!!
