All herbs start as living plants, trees, flowers, (roots of plants), mushrooms, lichens, and more. Many persons have a garden full of herbs that they just can go and pick any time they may need to use one, but then there is a time that you need to take a walk in the woods to find the one herbal plant you don’t have in your garden.
As I said before, it is always best to take a book, preferably one that shows all the growing cycles of the plant you are looking for, so you can identify it properly.
When looking for the herb that you are planning to use, find out if the flower is in bloom. You don’t want to pick it too early, only when it has matured, but if you want the seed then you have to wait a little longer if that is the part you need. It may save you a trip if you have to go far.
If you just need the leaves, it is always best to harvest them by cutting off small branches to make it easy to dry. Pick them just after the dew of the morning has evaporated but before the sun is too hot and the essential oils have not evaporated.
You must always be careful not to damage the plant. Handle them with tender loving care. We must always make sure that we take what we need but not stress the plant and leave it so that it may make a healthy recovery and continue doing what it does best, growing to supply us with the goodness within it.
If you are taking part of the root, always leave some of the leaves on top of the plant so that it doesn’t die, but keeps growing.
I remember my mother always digging plants out of the ground and also she would be planting them. One day, I asked her what she was doing with the plants she was planting, and if I could help? She said, “Yes,” and started to explain how to plant them and what she used them for. Some were used as spices to give the food you eat flavor and others were used to make you feel better, like when you have a tummy ache.
So, I did learn something as a child, but I wish I had taken the time to really learn even more. The is much knowledge that is lost now that my mother has passed.
If you have a loved one who uses the herbal plants for healing, start a conversation with them, take notes, and watch how they open up to you! They would love to share their knowledge, like the name of the plant, how to identify it, what it heals, what part of the plant to use, and how to prepare it. How to use it if it is external, or internal, what symptoms it helps to heal, etc.
So don’t be like me and regret the loss forever.