Herbology Fridays: Collecting and Gathering Herbs
In witchcraft, you will see a ton of herbs that people will claim you will need. While for the most part, this is true, some of you may feel the need to grow these herbs yourself and collect them. This can actually make the herb more connected to you, but some of you may not feel that way and that’s perfectly okay! This lesson will be going over how to gather and collect certain types of herbs many of us witches and herbalist may find ourselves wanting to collect when we’re out and about!
Before I continue, please consult a medical professional before deciding to take any botanical drug(note: all herbs can be considered a drug as they all usually have medical purposes as well as cooking purposes). No WebMD does not count. Go to an actual doctor. Also, please check legality laws in your area about distributing if that is your goal with this part of the lesson. This lesson will also go over shipping these items for the herbalist who wishes to have a shop.
Let’s Start the Lesson!
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Each part of a plant for its herbal purposes will have a different method of gathering it. You wouldn’t collect bark in the same way you would collect roots. So, let’s go over that, shall we?
Collecting Leaves:
The weather should be clear and dry,
Should be collected when the plant is in bloom(Mature at this time)
Clip off undamaged leaves(no wilting or insect-eating holes)(this is pruning the plant and not at all important you can leave them if you want.)
Take the leaves in good condition(Not all of them only what you need.)
Wash the herbs in water
Pat them dry from the water
Spread the leaves out on a drying rack(or in a place where drying can occur
Shift the leaves ever so often to keep from clumping and accumulating dampness
When leaves are dry, store them in a sealable bag or jar to keep as fresh as you possibly can.
Collecting Flowers:
Flowers should be in full bloom
Don’t take every flower, only what you need
Wash the flowers in water
Pat dry
Place in a dry place and let dry out(You may have a better result if you hang them upside down)
When dry, clip off extra stems(if any) and store inside a sealable bag or container.
Collecting Bulbs
When the leaves start to wilt and die is when bulbs should be collected.
When brought from the ground, the outer layer should be removed
Wash the bulb and pat dry.
You can use artificial heat(nothing over 100 degrees) or let dry naturally which could take longer.
Collecting Bark:
Collect in fall or spring
Scrape off or peel off the bark(as a witch, id be apologizing constantly and if you’re the type, leave an offering ;^;)
Wash the bark off in water
Pat dry
Let dry in sunlight
Collecting Roots
The one thing that wasn’t in my book was how to collect roots, so here’s a quick little guide.
Collect when the plant dies(Aka will not come back to life)
Separate the thinnest roots from the thickest
Use the thin roots as a fertilizer for other plants
Take the thicker roots and wash them
Pat dry with a towel
Let dry out in the sunlight
Collecting Seeds:
Seeds should be gathered when the plant produces them and they are ripe
Bigger seeds should be dried out
Smaller seeds should be used to make more plants if needed
Dry out in the sunlight
Shipping and Selling Botanicals
Shipments should be made with an order, never before(even if you know they will need it, do not do this because you do not know the quantity they need until you get their order).
Make sure all products are dried out and dry before shipping for they could mold and you’ll get an angry customer
