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Page 56
| Buying and Storing Herbs |
| Always buy herbs in small quantities (1/2 to 1 pound at a time) to avoid unnecessary home storage. Where possible, examine material before buying to check on quality. Choose herbs which have a good color and aroma and are not faded or musty smelling. Avoid shops which display herbs in clear glass jars on sunny shelves; the quality will probably be poor. Inadequate storage can lead to rapid deterioration, because of mouse droppings, mold, insects, and other unwanted pollutants. |
| Ideally, buy organic herbs or those labeled as ''wild crafted," which means they have been collected in the wild rather than grown as a commercial (and often heavily sprayed) cash crop. Poor harvesting can lead to many unwanted additionsdried grass, for example, is often found with herbs like eyebright, that are gathered from meadow areas. With practice one can soon recognize the characteristics of many dried herbs, making it easier to check on the accuracy of labels. Skullcap, for example, has characteristic seed pods, and many herbs can be identified from their aroma. |
| Mistakes can and do happen, however. One well-documented error concerned the supplier who sold sea mayweed (Matricaria maritima) as feverfew. The plants are similar in appearance, but the mayweed lacks feverfew's therapeutic chemicals and is useless for treating migraine. |
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