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A herb not stored and hervest properly may lose it's medicinal properties. This article helps a reader learn how to properly harvest and store the herb.
Using herbs are not as easy as picking them out and then swallowing them. There is also the proper and right way for them to be used and harvested. The most important thing is to know what you are actually harvesting. Be sure that the plant from the wild you will be using is a helpful herb and not a harmful one. If you don’t what it is, leave it alone. You only have two options if you have no idea of what herbs look like. Just purchases the herb from the store or drop dead from sever reactions. Next be sure to know what part of the plant is needed to be used. There are herbs that can be sued as a whole and some only parts. Be kind to the environment as well, don’t pick all the herbs in one area. Leave some for further blooming. It is best to harvest the plant before the sun has wilted them. It is also better to harvest if the dews are still on them. Harvest the leaves before the blooms and buds appear. Harvest the flowers before the seeds and the buds appear. The roots and bark should be harvested at early spring or just when the plants are starting to have leaf buds. You can also harvest it during the fall when leaves are just turning. The herb will die if you strip the bark from the tree trunk. The right way to do it is strip the bark in small patches. When the whole plant is supposed to be used, the plant is usually hanged upside down in a dry area away from pests. Before storing the herb, it should be made sure that it really is dry. If not, the herbs will develop molds that will make it into a total waste. Roots on the other hand should be properly washed, scarped or chopped into smaller pieces. They should be dried uniformly and thoroughly. Bulbs are tied together to be washed and then it is strung up to be dried. The dried herbs are then stored depending on the need of the person. The roots are usually pounded to be used as powder. It can also be made into small chunks used for syrups, decoctions and tinctures. Leaves are either crumbled to be used as teas or as whole. Blossoms are used the same way as leaves. The herbs should then be stored in a very tight lid container, particularly air tight. It is best to use colored glass containers. Plastic containers can be eaten away and impurities may be picked up. Light also breaks down the properties of the herbs and shortens the shelf life, making it useless. The life of a dried herb can reach up to a year when stored properly. Tinctures can last up to 2 years. For the herb’s maximum effectiveness to take effect, it is important that you know how to store them properly. |
