Plant Integrity

One of the first things I'd like to share is the importance of the quality of plant material when making plant medicine. Conscious wild crafting will always be my favorite way to obtain medicinal plants. The joy in finding wild goodness outside the confines of structured lawns surpasses any other I can think of. The second way is to grow my own. Helping my plants grow while interacting with them daily produces a medicine specifically made to suit my body's needs. When harvesting the tender life energy the plants offer, I maintain their integrity. Paying special attention to the time of day I harvest, how I choose specimens, the temperature in which I dry them, and the loving intention held for the medicine they will become is of utmost importance for ensuring the most potent of healing properties stay intact. Buying bulk herbs is a convenient way to get necessary ingredients when foraging and growing them isn't an option. However, vigilant inspection of their origin is necessary. If the plant material is dried too fast at too high of a temperature, most if not all medicinal properties will be lost. Herbs should never be completely brown and reducing to powder. All plants when harvested and dried properly should retain some of their natural color. It's imperative to see and smell what you are buying. This is a perfect example of properly dried chickweed and chickweed purchased from a bulk bin. The greener jar retains its color and smells just as green. The integrity of the plant material is intact. Healing life energy of the plant is still available for the most potent healing remedies.