Herbal Sustainability

As budding herbalists (pun intended) I think it is our responsibility to teach people to use plant medicines in a respectful and sustainable way. As more and more Americans turn to herbs for their medicine, I am afraid that many are bringing the pharmaceutical approach they are familiar with to the world of herbalism. We need to educate people about this. The herbs are part of a living ecosystem that can be damaged and destroyed by non-sustainable practices.These practices are all too often employed by large corporations, trying to cash in on what they think is a new fad. In reality, the relationship between herbs and humans goes back to our prehistory. When the world's population was small, there was little danger of destroying whole populations of plants. Now the possibility is all too real, and some plants are in danger of disappearing from the Earth forever. Please encourage people to check out United Plant Savers and other organizations that are working to save the plants. Get informed. Avoid buying "corporate" herbs.Instead, buy from a local, reputable herbalist. (Believe me. They need the money.) Make it your business to find out which plants are in danger, and look for alternate choices. Extinct is forever.