Lynn Smythe
Garden Witches and Wildcrafting
October 22nd 2007 17:45
WILD CRAFTING
Garden witches may also collect certain herbs in their natural habitat, a practice which is called wild crafting. Wild crafting should only be done in an area where you have obtained permission from the land owner. When wild crafting, be sure to leave behind enough of the plant material you are harvesting to ensure the survival of future generations of the plant. Unethical collectors over harvest or even dig up the entire population of the herb they are collecting.
Certain species of herbs can no longer be ethically wild crafted due to the over harvesting and destruction of their natual habitat. One of my favorite herbs suppliers has gone so far as to list the herb products that they will not carry due to their being over harvested by commercial enterprises.
THREATENED HERBS
A few of the herb species that are being threatened due to over zealous wild crafting include beth root (Trillium erectum), lady's slipper root (Cyprideium pubescens), true unicorn root (Aletris farinosa), false unicorn root (Helonias lutea), wild American ginseng (Panax quinquefolius) and wild goldenseal (Hydrastis canadensis).
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