So Many Herbs. . .

Hundreds of plants fill the pages of herbal books and supply catalogs, and the amount of information can be exciting and overwhelming. It is better to know a lot about a few herbs than to know a little about many, but how does an aspiring home herbalist choose which herbs to learn about first?  How should a home herbalist decide which herbs to grow or purchase for personal and family use? Making a single list for both purposes works surprisingly well.

A list of herbs should be based around the interest of the herbalist, but it is helpful to decide on a general topic. Considering herbs by geographic location or tradition can be easy ways to come up with a list. Geography can be general (rainforest herbs, desert herbs, forest herbs) or related to country, or the list could be focused on herbs that are native to the area in which the herbalist lives. Herbal traditions to consider include Ayurveda, Traditional Chinese, Unani, or Native American. 

Then again, the list could be based on clustering the herbs around traditional uses. To use this approach, select herbs which were used traditionally to support the heart, the lungs, the digestive tract, or other organ systems. An aspiring herbalist could also focus on herbs which have traditionally been used as support for any health challenges they might be facing personally.

 After a guiding topic for the list is decided upon, the list itself can be made from the herbs discovered in the initial research. The list doesn’t have to be long or complicated. For example, focusing on one to three herbs at a time from a longer list of twelve keeps all the information from running together, but also gives the herbalist a long term study goal.  

Once some time has been devoted to studying the herbs on the list, it will be easier to decide which ones to grow or purchase for personal and family use. Research information related to safety when studying each herb, such as potential toxicity, interactions with medications or health conditions, and how to correctly identify the herb. If an herb doesn’t seem like a good fit based on safety data, consider excluding it from purchase. Also, find out if the herb is commonly cultivated or is facing pressure from over harvesting. Make sure the herb is available from sources that cultivate the herb themselves, or work closely with their growers to guarantee that herbs are ethically harvested. If it isn’t available from reputable sources, seek out an alternative herb.

Remember, knowing a few herbs really well (including how to identify them by sight, what they taste and smell like, any interactions they could have with prescription or over the counter medication) and being able to turn to them with confidence is much better than having a vague idea or an inkling about dozens of herbs, for practical as well as safety reasons. Developing a single list of herbs to study and purchase can help aspiring herbalists focus on using herbs safely at home. So, do some reading, make a list, and have fun!