Lesson 2.1
How to Choose Herbs
When it comes to choosing quality herbs, fortunately, we have so many options! We are blessed to have access to herbs not only local to us, but ethically sourced around the world – literally. It is important for you to establish what is important to you in this process. Think about your day-to-day life. Do you have set principles around the foods you eat or personal care products you use, or do you choose these items based on price, brand, or convenience? These are things to consider, as the standards in your personal life will spill over into your business. In addition, your clients will be navigating their own principles before they decide to work with or purchase from you.
In order to provide a quality experience for yourself, client or pet, your herbs need to be of good quality! Ideally, you’ll want to look for herbs that may include any of the following features:
Organic
Pesticide-free
Ethically sourced
Wild-crafted
Possibly the most important takeaway here is that herbs should be sourced ethically (as not to further endanger a plant species’ existence) and free of harmful chemicals.
Also, remember that the company in which you are purchasing from should be forthright in their claims and philosophy. If a company that sells herbs has murky (or no) descriptions, that is a red flag. I once saw some essential oils for sale at amazingly low prices and thought, “How in the heck are they able to sell their oils at such a low price and still make a profit?” The company touted their oils as natural, but what does that really mean? Obviously, an herb, flower or essential oil is natural because it comes from the earth and is not man-made. But what if this natural product was adulterated with pesticides or later diluted or combined with a filler ingredient to cheapen the price and quality? With the help of the internet, you should be able to get a good idea of a company’s philosophy and standards within the first few minutes of visiting their website. If you still aren’t sure, contact them. About the company with the essential oils – I sent a message to them and asked if the essential oils were pesticide-free. I realize that not every herb or plant will or can be organic (especially if wild-harvested), but I do not want to ingest a medicinal plant that has been sprayed with chemicals if I can avoid it. The response I received was, “Our oils are 100% natural.” Their website already stated this – and this was not my initial question to them. Natural to them could mean pesticide-free or naturally-occurring from the earth. I took that as a red flag and did not order from them. Is there anything that could have swayed my decision? Probably not. That the company in no way tried to reassure me or give me additional details about their products. This is another tell-tale sign that a company is being elusive.
This is a good time to talk about the "O" word – organic. There are several governing bodies that certify farms and companies with organic products. With this being said, let’s discuss the labeling language. An herb or product can be labeled Organic if no pesticides were used in the growing or harvesting process. I typically will use the language “made with organic ingredients.” A product cannot bear the phrase "Certified Organic" unless they have been certified by a governing body. Please understand that this certification process comes with a price tag, so I try to support family-owned or smaller companies that may not care to, or be able to afford this process. If you are not concerned with titles and are comfortable with the claims of the company you are working with, then you should end up with a high-quality product whether they are certified organic or not.
Think about your potential brand. It would be unfair for people to judge your products’ quality based on their lack of organic certification, right? This is essentially judging your company's budget. As long as you make ethical choices as an herbalist and have truth in your labeling, you are doing the right thing!
