WISE HARVESTING OF MEDICINAL HERBS AND PLANTS
WISE HARVESTING begins with owning our responsibilities as herbal gatherers and wildcrafters. It's the responsibility on the gatherer's part to research the intended plant or plants before harvesting; examining its habitat and the relationship it has with the surrounding wildlife and her/his impact on the environment. It also means harvesting only what is truly needed, giving thanks, using our intuition and realizing that it is not the plants "purpose" to serve and be used by humankind, but that we must coexist in such a way that all are benefited.
KNOW YOUR WEEDS! If, for example, skunk cabbage is the plant you wish to harvest for it's ability to stop lung spasms, read your field guides and herbals and ask herbalists for their experiences with the plant. Find out what part of the skunk cabbage is used, when the best time of year is to harvest, cautions and concerns, and its...
HABITAT. Where does skunk cabbage grow? In the high desert? Open fields? Forest marshes? Go to its home and examine the surroundings. Spend a few hours (or days) quietly near the skunk cabbage observing the ecosystem. How abundant is the skunk cabbage? Is there evidence of prior harvesting? There may be birds, insects or other plants and animals that live on or near the skunk cabbage or use it for food and hiding places. Skunk cabbage may play a vital role in the continuation and preservation of the ecosystem in which it lives. Consider your...
IMPACT upon the environment if you choose to harvest this plant. Skunk cabbage lives in marshes, swamps and other continually wet areas. These ecosystems are particularly fragile and ever changing. It is extremely easy to unwittingly crush root systems and wipe out plants and other wildlife with ill-considered heavy footfall, thick-soled footwear and haphazard digging. Plan to leave the area in which you harvest as close to how you found it as possible. If you dig a hole, fill it in. Try harvesting barefoot so that there is no insulation between you and the earth. This is a great way to feel the connection we have with our world and the responsibility we have to walk gracefully upon it. Be aware also that you may not be the only person wishing to harvest in the area you've selected.
HOW MUCH TO HARVEST? Prior to harvesting, consider your needs. Will you need enough skunk cabbage to make a gallon of tincture or will a cup or pint's amount suffice? If you are commercially wildcrafting, think about your impact over the fat check you receive in the mail. Harvest only what you will use between one season and the next.
GIVE THANKS. This almost goes without saying. In the fast paced world in which we live, we can easily forget to take the time to honor and acknowledge those who touch our lives in myriad ways. As my mother says, "you never know how you will affect a person with your words or what they are going through in their daily struggles. It's better to uplift a person than say something mean because you are in a bad mood!" The plants we harvest give up their leaves, limbs, flowers, and roots and at time their lives so that we may heal and be nourished. Giving thanks can be done in so many ways. Give your breath in song or words of praise. We exhale carbon dioxide that the plants require and the plants exhale oxygen that we inhale! I have seen people leave tobacco or cornmeal. Giving thanks doesn't take long and the exchange is good for all concerned.
INTUITION. You have done your homework. You've read the books, communed with the plant you wish to harvest, consulted your local herbalist, considered your needs and your impact on the environment. Now is the time to decide whether you will harvest this plant. You may decide to harvest the intended skunk cabbage, or perhaps there may be another time or place to harvest, or a different plant that can be harvested with less impact that has the same healing qualities.
WISE HARVESTING begins with owning our responsibilities as herbal gatherers and wildcrafters. It's the responsibility on the gatherer's part to research the intended plant or plants before harvesting; examining its habitat and the relationship it has with the surrounding wildlife and her/his impact on the environment. It also means harvesting only what is truly needed, giving thanks, using our intuition and realizing that it is not the plants "purpose" to serve and be used by humankind, but that we must coexist in such a way that all are benefited.
KNOW YOUR WEEDS! If, for example, skunk cabbage is the plant you wish to harvest for it's ability to stop lung spasms, read your field guides and herbals and ask herbalists for their experiences with the plant. Find out what part of the skunk cabbage is used, when the best time of year is to harvest, cautions and concerns, and its...
HABITAT. Where does skunk cabbage grow? In the high desert? Open fields? Forest marshes? Go to its home and examine the surroundings. Spend a few hours (or days) quietly near the skunk cabbage observing the ecosystem. How abundant is the skunk cabbage? Is there evidence of prior harvesting? There may be birds, insects or other plants and animals that live on or near the skunk cabbage or use it for food and hiding places. Skunk cabbage may play a vital role in the continuation and preservation of the ecosystem in which it lives. Consider your...
IMPACT upon the environment if you choose to harvest this plant. Skunk cabbage lives in marshes, swamps and other continually wet areas. These ecosystems are particularly fragile and ever changing. It is extremely easy to unwittingly crush root systems and wipe out plants and other wildlife with ill-considered heavy footfall, thick-soled footwear and haphazard digging. Plan to leave the area in which you harvest as close to how you found it as possible. If you dig a hole, fill it in. Try harvesting barefoot so that there is no insulation between you and the earth. This is a great way to feel the connection we have with our world and the responsibility we have to walk gracefully upon it. Be aware also that you may not be the only person wishing to harvest in the area you've selected.
HOW MUCH TO HARVEST? Prior to harvesting, consider your needs. Will you need enough skunk cabbage to make a gallon of tincture or will a cup or pint's amount suffice? If you are commercially wildcrafting, think about your impact over the fat check you receive in the mail. Harvest only what you will use between one season and the next.
GIVE THANKS. This almost goes without saying. In the fast paced world in which we live, we can easily forget to take the time to honor and acknowledge those who touch our lives in myriad ways. As my mother says, "you never know how you will affect a person with your words or what they are going through in their daily struggles. It's better to uplift a person than say something mean because you are in a bad mood!" The plants we harvest give up their leaves, limbs, flowers, and roots and at time their lives so that we may heal and be nourished. Giving thanks can be done in so many ways. Give your breath in song or words of praise. We exhale carbon dioxide that the plants require and the plants exhale oxygen that we inhale! I have seen people leave tobacco or cornmeal. Giving thanks doesn't take long and the exchange is good for all concerned.
INTUITION. You have done your homework. You've read the books, communed with the plant you wish to harvest, consulted your local herbalist, considered your needs and your impact on the environment. Now is the time to decide whether you will harvest this plant. You may decide to harvest the intended skunk cabbage, or perhaps there may be another time or place to harvest, or a different plant that can be harvested with less impact that has the same healing qualities.
©Copyright 2004 - 2010, Suzanne Jordan
Good Natured Earthling - Cedar Mountain Herb School
suzanne@goodnaturedearthling.com
Good Natured Earthling - Cedar Mountain Herb School
suzanne@goodnaturedearthling.com