Wildcrafting Guidelines — Do’s and Don’ts

Wildcrafting for your herbal medicines is a wonderful experience to get to know the plants on many levels. You learn where and how they grow, under what conditions and whether or not you are allowed to harvest them. As you commune with these plants, you will ‘know’ if you are allowed to harvest some of their leaves, flowers or roots. The plants communicate with you on a deep level. Always ask permission from the plant if you can harvest any part of it; if the plant says no respect that and move on. Why? That particular plant could have had a hard start in the spring growing and needs all of its leaves and roots to help it survive.

In our modern age, many people are disconnected from nature, their food and the rhythms of nature. It’s time we get back to nature and her cycles, the plants and our wild food.

Wildcrafting responsibly

If you’re going to harvest wild plants, do so in a way that proliferates their population rather than depleting it. This includes a variety of practices, meaning some years you don’t harvest from a particular patch or population. This might be because of drought, disease, pests or any other situation that threatens a plant’s population. Wildcrafting also means learning the At-Risk and To-Watch lists of plants from United Plant Savers. Also pay attention to any local threatened…