Be Creative With The Spaces Available

Herbs, when used wisely and thoughtfully, keep us in balance with Earth and connected to the wise women who walked before us. Sometimes when technological medicine has nothing more to offer a person, we may find the deepest healing in a simple green blossom. The yearly gathering and drying of specific herbs connects me with nature’s cyclical ways. Knowing which herbs to call upon for various health problems is reassuring to me. Turning to the herbs that grow in my garden and nearby fields and woods continuously delights me. Encouraging other women to grow and gather herbs and make and use them gives me hope that herbal healing will once again become accessible to all people. If the information given here is completely new to you, ask a friend to come join you and have fun exploring the world of herbs together. Quiet yourself by taking some deep breaths and allow yourself time to hear and feel life pulsing under and around you. Ask the plant if she will share her gifts with you. When I was a teenager I was taught to look for the grandmother plant, the plant that looks larger, older, and more vibrant than the other plants, and to speak with her, make proper offerings to her, but never harvest her. I like to bow to plants in the same way I bow during Buddhist ceremonies and meditations, deeply honoring the herb’s presence and healing gifts. Remember you are not alone as you gather herbs.

It's What You Value

Birds, butterflies, insects, plant devas, fairies and angels, and other animals may be nearby, sometimes visible and sometimes not. Move as slowly as you can. Collecting herbs offers us the opportunity to practice being mindful, attentive, and aware of how all life is interconnected. With this in mind, be sure to only collect wild plants that grow in abundance and harvest only what you need. Gather from areas where the plants are prolific and not threatened or endangered. Contact your area’s wildflower society and state’s conservation department for lists of endangered plants. You may want to join with other people who are helping to repopulate wild plants through proper propagation methods. If in doubt, ask a local botanist or herbalist for verification before harvesting. Certain roots are more potent when dug in the spring or fall because the plant is not busy producing leaves and flowers. The energy of roots is more concentrated at new moons and they are best when dug just before the new moon. Various calendars mark when the moon is full or new. Lunar calendars, which give guidance on planting and harvesting with the moon, are listed in the resource section.

Don't Run Away

Leaves, flowers, stems, twigs, and fruits are considered to be aboveground parts of plants and are best gathered between the new and full moons. Leaves and flowers are strongest when collected on clear, sunny days in the morning before the sun’s rays have caused the plants to wilt. Wait until the dew has evaporated from the plants if your intention is to dry the leaves or flowers because it hinders the drying process. You will also want to collect them just after the full moon because their water content will be lower. If you wish to tincture the plants then you can pick them with dew just before the full moon. My friend Adele Dawson taught me that dew itself is healing and is a magical addition to your tincture. Look for the leaves and flowers that feel vibrant and full of life energy. Avoid ones that are bruised, discolored, or full of insect holes. When gathering flowers, do so soon after they open. They are stronger before lots of bees frolic in their nectar. Tree barks are best collected in the early spring when the buds are swelling, but before the leaves unfold, or in the fall as the leaves begin to drop from the trees and when the waning moon is in the third quarter. Prune branches from trees or shrubs that are crowding or entangling each other.

You're Never Alone

Use a small pruning saw or shears. Then scrape the bark from these branches with a sharp pocketknife. This method ensures the tree’s life will continue since you are not taking bark from the main trunk. In the autumn I collect and save seeds from various plants growing in my gardens. Collect the seeds in brown paper bags and then store in a cool place in glass jars or bags that are labeled with the seed’s name and date harvested. Baskets or clean brown paper bags work well for gathering herbs since both of these containers ensure good air circulation. Leave yourself plenty of time following harvesting to properly prepare the herbs into tinctures or teas or to lay them out on screens for drying. Freshly picked plants left lying around begin to lose their strength and vitality and can mold if left piled on top of each other, particularly leaves and flowers. Plants who give us their medicine deserve our complete respect in return. Be creative with the spaces available to you for drying. Some basic guidelines include a warm area with good air circulation like an attic, a stairwell, a ceiling where warm air rises, or above a wood stove. Avoid using areas where direct sunlight would contact the plants for long periods of time since this will fade their color and lessen their potency. Take old screen frames and cut out the metal screening or make wooden frames and staple in fiberglass mesh, which is available at most hardware stores. With experience, you will learn what specific plants feel like when dried correctly. When placing herbs on a screen, check them once or twice a day to see how the drying process is progressing. Herbs that are not dried enough will mold when stored away in glass jars. Herbs that are overdried will crumble when crushed between your fingers. Moisture in the air from rain or fog causes drying times to be longer.