Herb Quality and Sourcing: Making an Impact

I wrote a similar blog post in 2014, when I had a brick and mortar apothecary in Columbus, Ohio. 12 years later here is an updated version of that post, brought current for work here at Haven Herbs!

Sourcing locally and bioregionally, to me, is always superior to buying from Frontier (in Iowa) Mountain Rose (in Oregon), or Starwest (in Southern California). These are "the big 3" national distributors of bulk herbs. While it iOS more work to create a local patchwork of farms, homesteads and gardens, the benefits outweigh the ease of online ordering and shipping from afar.

Left: Marshmallow root form a national distributor.

1. Potency: Herbs that are picked and processed within 24 hours mean a more potent product for the end user. I make higher quality teas, tinctures, and remedies because most of my herbs are sourced locally. When I process them, I also leave much bigger (and therefore more potent) pieces than nationally distributed "retail ready" herbs. These leaves more phytochemicals within the plant matter for you, the sipper of tea!

2. Cost: Ohio is rich (in botanicals, that is)! So many things grow here easily and and can be cultivated without struggle. Likewise, so many potent medicinals are native to the area: Goldenseal, Black Cohosh, Wild Ginger, White Ginseng. Many of these plants are endangered or threatened and I do not want to contribute to their demise, If I can work with local folks to cultivate them and/or wild harvest sustainably*, we will have a steady supply that will cost less than the herbs available elsewhere. This means more affordable medicine for us all.

Right: Locally sourced Marshmallow root. See the large pieces? 

3. Economy: The local economy benefits when we spend our money locally and with small businesses- I carry locally made and/or small producer made products over national conglomerate ones. I source from Ohio farms and homesteaders to support them in their endeavor, and they supply me to support mine. I carry remedies and body care made by small ethical producers (who don't package in plastic!) instead of nationally distributed ones. Not only are the small and local ones better for you and higher quality, they aren't made in China! Think you are buying a natural, safe product when you buy Burt's Bees**? Think again.

 

Left: Nationally sourced Red Clover. Small pieces, shredded.

Did you know that spending $100 locally puts $68 back into the local economy, but shopping at a big box or chain only puts $43 back (and shopping online with Amazon and the like puts $0 back)? When you shop small, you also support families and their employees in a way that is not the same shopping at a chain. when you shop Haven Herbs, know that you are supporting a single mom, who is teaching her son to be an herbalist for future generations, You also support the dozens of small American businesses we carry- all of whom meet the criteria of organic, ethical, pronounceable, and effective,

4. Fossil Fuel Dependency: When you get your herbs from national distributors rather than locally, you are feeding into a fossil fuel dependent economy and having to get your stock shipped to you from another state (not to mention that they had their inventory shipped to them from another state or country to begin with!) I would venture to guess that the Goldenseal I got from Mountain Rose came from Ohio in the first place- so it was shipped from Ohio to Oregon and back again. Doesn't make much sense, does it?

We sometimes need to use an herb distributor. But as our network grows, we are doing less and less and hope to one day grow everything ourselves (or get from neighbors in partnership).

5. Bioregional Herbalism: I am a firm believer that what we need for tonics and remedies are right underfoot. There are many herbs growing wild and abundantly here in Ohio that many people are not using, because they know about a more popular one that happens to be available commercially and has been marketed on the internet. I decided that I would teach people regularly about what is available right here and how to grow the rest. In my formulas, I am carefully bringing in locally sourced herbs that may not be popular or well-known. I have had fun conversations with herbalists from elsewhere about using Lady's Thumb or Spiny Sow Thistle. These are not available commercially, but are potent medicine!

Right: Locally sourced Red Clover. Large intact blossoms.

6. Teaching: I have herbal students every month learning Western herbalism, gardening, foraging, and more. What better way than hands-on learning? Handling the plants in all the stages of its life and during medicine making makes a better trained herbalist. My students have made infusions, decoctions, strained tinctures, and help to dry the plants as they come in fresh in just the two months they have been studying so far.

In short, I am really excited about the possibilities for a bioregional apothecary and what we can accomplish here in Ohio. If you would like to be a part of it, come by for a class or pick up some locally sourced remedies, body care, or botanicals!

 

Left: Locally sourced Raspberry leaf. Big potent chunks!

*I only carry herbs cultivated using organic methods or wildcrafted using sustainable practices.

**Burt's Bees is a national company, owned by Clorox and its products are made in China. Some of their products have been randomly tested and found to contain unsafe and dangerous things in them.