The richness of herbs is enormous. It is estimated that about 40 thousand people in the world are growing. species, of which about 2,000 are listed in pharmacopoeias (lists of medicinal products and active substances) of various countries.
In March, we can already collect pine buds.At the same time, as soon as the soil is dry, we start collecting roots and rhizomes: dandelion, burdock, goose cinquefoil, nettle, couch grass, calamus.Roots must be he althy, non-darkened, non-rotting, worm-free and free from aerial fragments, well rinsed and dried.
April and May is a good time to harvest the bark, e.g.oak, buckthorn (only with the consent of the nature conservator), willow or chestnut tree. They are not bark from the trunk, but from twigs, preferably 2-3 years old. We carry out the treatment with cuttings, never from growing plants.Cut the cut twigs crosswise every 20-30 cm, then remove the roll lengthwise and undermine it.The collected bark should be dried to about 12% humidity.
Collection of fruits and roots
The colorful end of summer and the beginning of autumn is the time to harvest fruits: blueberry, rowan, rose, elderberry, hawthorn (sometimes it is confused with a rose, but it differs from it in that it is smaller and more cylindrical), cranberries.Let's not forget about the whole range of fruit, including raspberry, chokeberry, black currant, quince etc.In autumn, when the end of vegetation comes, we also collect the roots that were not harvested in spring .
In May and June, nettle, dandelion green (you cannot allow flowers to frizz during drying, so collect plants at the initial stage of flowering or after flowering), silverfish, coltsfoot and birch leaves, thyme herb, horsetail, colza, St. John's wort, yarrow. The flowers of hawthorn (we collect them with attached leaves), elderberry, rowan, chestnut (they are collected and dried in whole inflorescences and rubbed), white light, cornflower (most often obtained in the form of petals) also bloom at this time , linden flowers (with a ligular stipple), flowers of black mallow, marigold.
Drying herbs
The herbs, leaves and some flowers dry fairly well in natural conditions, while maintaining all the necessary requirements.Roots, fruits and flowers with thick, fleshy calyxes (mallow, calendula) may be exposed to mold, so we dry them in drying rooms.
Dried raw material should have a fresh aroma (no foreign smell, e.g. mold - which happens when drying is too slow, poor ventilation or when stored in moisture)
and the color as close as possible to the natural one (herbs, leaves and flowers must not be faded - which can be seen when dried in the sun - and not darkened - e.g. due to moisture).
Good to know
Real knowledge about the collection of herbs is gained through experience.It is necessary to be aware that the raw material brought in is the starting material for the production of medicines, food products or cosmetics and must meet certain requirements.This skill often pays off with many years of constant cooperation, sometimes passing from one generation to the next.
Herbs and EU directives
Today, the effects of herbs of pharmacological importance are comprehensively documented, and the status of many of them has been raised to the rank of a medicinal product, operating on equal footing and based on the same regulations as the most modern pharmaceutical products.
The basis is a well-harvested and prepared raw material, in accordance with the EU GACP (Good Growing and Harvesting Practice) regulations, which are in force at every stage of raw material acquisition - from the collector and grower. So what must the herb collector know from the so-called natural state?
- must demonstrate knowledge of recognizing specific herb species, know their habitats, harvest time, and leading active substances;
- must know how to proceed during harvesting (harvesting on clear days, rainless, after drying the dew, the material goes to clean and airy packaging, without kneading);
- know the quality requirements and be able to meet them (collect only certain, he althy, disease-free and pest-free parts of the herb without damaging the plant, avoid soil contamination, avoid cross-contamination, i.e. mixing up various plants, also know the influence of the conditions harvesting on the quality of the raw material);
- guarantee harvesting from ecologically clean areas where no animal disease outbreaks have been found, harvest herbs from unprotected places;
- know the basic principles of drying (in the shade, in a ventilated place, maintaining appropriate temperatures) and storing herbs (in a clean, dry place, protected against pests and pets, on landings, away from stored manure, compost and chemicals, etc.), `
- follow the rules of personal hygiene and hygiene of premises, equipment for harvesting, storing and processing herbs, etc.
