Buying herbs - who can you trust?
Unrelated, gratuitous herb picture! Lemon balm, rue, and yarrow growing together in the orchard. The Spilanthes is already done for the year.
Several months ago, We were lucky enough to go to the American Herbalist Guild’s annual conference. We had a blast going to the talks, browsing the vendors, and tasting everything. At one of the vendor’s booths, I snapped up a bottle of Spilanthes tincture. We had grown some of our own this year, but I have been experimenting with it as a mouthwash, and wanted to make sure I had plenty.
Now, for those who have never experienced Spilanthes… it’s pretty unmistakable. Eating a flower or taking a bit of the tincture has been rightly compared to licking a 9 volt battery. It has a reputation of enhancing the immune system and especially fighting gum disease, and I sometimes wonder if it does so simply by making your mouth say “WTF Is going on in there??? Send in the cavalry!!!”
When I got home, I went ahead and tried my newly bought tincture. Gotta say, that battery needed charging. It was barely there. The overwhelming flavor was of - I hate to say rotted herbs - but I have had tinctures that turned out that way: if you pack in your plant material and it is not fully submerged, the plants will begin to oxidize and develop a nasty taste. They aren’t actually rotten, but it definitely has that feel. To find this in a bought tincture? I was rather shocked. I emailed the maker, and got back a nice reply offering to replace the product. But here is the kicker: they checked that lot on their shelf, and it met their quality standards.
Herbs in the US are not entirely unregulated: since they are classified as dietary supplements, they have to be prepared according to food safety standards, and to follow good manufacturing practices that document the process. But they don’t have to prove that they actually have the active constituents. Many small companies may fly under the radar and not even follow the regulations - and those that do can still end up with a mediocre product.
My first choice, of course, is to make my own. But when this isn’t possible, I find that the best answer is knowledge: learn what the herbal preparation is supposed to look, smell, and taste like, and let that be your main guide. Avoid pills when possible, unless you truly trust the source.
I do have certain companies that I trust, either because my mentors introduced me to them or because I have tried their herbs and always gotten preparations that looked, smelled, and tasted the way they should. I’ve listed a few of the companies I have had good luck with. (Note: The link to homegrown herbalist is an affiliate link; the rest are not)
I found the Homegrown Herbalist company through the very entertaining videos and lectures of Doc Jones, the owner of the company. I have actually purchased his herbalist course, and am working through it slowly - while I completed a clinical herbalism course locally, I find there is always something new when you study with a new practitioner. Doc Jones is particularly interesting because, as a licensed veterinarian, he has had a chance to use herbs on animals, and talks a bit about doing so safely - not to mention the fact that he sometimes uses herbs “heroically”, for severe conditions that most western herbalists would never see. However, this is not a post about herb classes; we are talking about products.
For tinctures, I have found these to be excellent, and very reasonably priced . I regularly use their muscle pain tincture, which definitely helps when I get a muscle spasm, which happens all too often. One of the main ingredients is cramp bark; since I have tried cramp bark tincture before, I can say that even though it is a blend, it tastes right. I’ve used a few of their other tinctures and powders too, and always found them to be fresh and effective. They don’t have everything (no whole dried herbs at all, just powders), but they actually have a few harder to find things, like gumweed and Brigham tea.
Mountain Rose Herbs: This is one of the first companies I ordered from; they are one of the main sources for my local herb shop, and they have decent quality and prices for dried herbs. Overall, I have had good luck with them. I will say that when I purchased their St. John’s wort oil, it was a dull brown color; one of the defining characteristics of a properly made St John’s wort oil is its brilliant red color. When I emailed the company, they got back to me and said that it met their standards. I did use it and the results were decent. So, take that for what it is worth. I’ve always had good luck with their dried herbs, and they supply my local herb shops, so I am not the only one who appreciates their quality. Plus, they have a nice podcast, with some great conversations and lectures!
Herbpharm: This is a great company for tinctures; they have good single herb tinctures as well as some blends aimed at specific body systems (liver support, etc) which can be nice if you aren’t up to blending your own. And their st. Johns wort oil is blood red.
Herbalist and Alchemist This is the company of David Winston, a well known clinical herbalist. Again, they have single herb tinctures, and very good blends for various conditions. While I always think it is a good idea to see a clinical herbalist to help you decide what herbs will work best, these blends can be extremely useful if you aren’t able to do so - and many herbalists will actually suggest Herbalist and Alchemist blends.
Pine’s Herbals Is a company I just discovered at the American Herbalist Guild’s conference. Cory Pine has written several books, including “Southeast Medicinal Plants”, which I love. I actually got to sample his tinctures in a class he taught on aromatics. Aside from being fun, it was a definite confirmation that he makes quality products - the aromatic tinctures are powerful! I bought a few while I was there, including Jamaican dogwood, a low dose herb that can be hard to find, and have been very pleased with them.
Again, this is by no means a comprehensive list - just the ones that I happen to know and enjoy. When it comes to dried and tinctured herbs, always use your nose and taste buds when deciding on the quality of something. If it seems off, don’t use it, and don’t buy it again! One way to do this is to pick a single herb that you like a lot and get to know the smell and taste. When trying a new brand, test that herb first, and make sure that it seems like a high quality product.
One more note: while alcohol tinctures are highly shelf stable, they definitely expire at some point. It’s good to have a selection on hand, but make a point of using them and rotating them out!
Happy herbing!