Top 10 Do's and Don'ts for Medicine Makers
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I remember the first time I made medicine. I was young and in my mid twenties, long before the internet was a thing. Social media, websites, and blogs were just a twinkle in Microsoft’s eye. I had just happened upon a local herbalist doing a talk at a community center. She just verbally explained the process and I was inspired. We sat in a circle and she spoke about the wise woman tradition and how simple herbal medicine making was.
Fortunately I lived on a magnificent island at the time (cue the music…) and finding wild plants to forage was a quick walk out the backdoor. I don’t recall what I made or how it turned out but I recall the feeling I had as I gathered the plant, chopped it up and placed it in a jar. It was magic and mystery and hope all at once.
I was hooked.
For the first few years I made a lot of good medicine. And a lot of mistakes. The do’s and don’ts I learned changed the trajectory of my life with plants and even my career as a herbalist. Here are a few that I wish I had been told right from day one as a maker of plant medicines.
The Do’s:
#1: Do ask the plants permission before harvesting. They like being included in the process. Just introduce yourself and let them know what you are up to and why you are taking their life. Ok, taking their life sounds harsh but in reality- sometimes you are. Usually they are happy to come along but it’s polite to ask.
Now that I am working with clients, I have taken my pre-harvest communication to another level. I ask permission, yes. Then I tell them what I need them for and if possible who I need them for. Sometimes I don’t know (yet) who will be receiving the plant but I do know what type of healing will be taking place with each plant I harvest. I communicate this as I choose plants to harvest. I like keeping them in the loop, so to speak.
#2: Do connect with your plant medicines in the weeks they are infusing into their tincture or oils. I’m convinced that medicines made by you, for you and in constant connection with the plants are more effective for personal healing. Building connection with plants begins in their habitat. But as herbalists, we view our medicines as being alive, not just a pill in a bottle. So it makes sense to continue interacting with the plants as they infuse in to the medicine we create. Observation of this metamorphosis is part of our training.
#3: Do have a special place in your home where you can keep your plant medicines. Get creative and envision yourself as the healer you are. Have your medicine space reflect that image.
#4: Do keep a log of blends, formulas, experiences you have during your harvests and medicine making practice. This will help you rejoice in your success and identify what you could do better.
#5: Do pay attention to your mood, thoughts, and intuition when harvesting and preparing plant medicines. Show up as a maker of medicine. Imagine the way you would want medicine prepared for YOU. You don’t have to be Snow White with singing birds and deer who greet you on the path. Neutral is fine, peaceful is better and happy is always a plus.
Some days just aren’t medicine making days. Listen to cues…..did you trip three times as you walked down the trail to the harvest site? Are you impatient and cursing at traffic and/or the dog or the cat? Did you miss the turn or run out of gas on the drive? Bird poop on you, tree branch fall on you …. all of these are the plants way of saying “Not today, not today.”
The Don’ts:
#6 Don’t trust that you are so brilliant that you will remember the plant you just chopped up and poured alcohol all over! Plants change as they turn from fresh green vitality into marc. (Marc is the herbalist’s word for what is left over of the plant after it’s been through the extraction process) Label, Label, Label! Be sure to write the plants’ name, the date, and the menstruum (solvent) used in the preparation. This is what is on the label at minimum.
#7: Don’t wash your plant material! (Unless, of course, it’s washing soil from the roots or the plant somehow got dirty in transit.) By harvesting from good clean spaces, you already know the fresh, wild plants are typically ready to go. Washing plants adds water which could alter your measurements in more precise preparations such as tinctures and wet plants cannot just be hung to dry or thrown into a dehydrator and expected to be of the best quality. I won’t even mention the horrors of attempting to make a oil out of fresh washed plants.
#8: Don’t soak your roots. Soaking roots in a tub of water after harvesting is essentially starting a large muddy tub of root infusion. Wash your roots quickly and lay them out to dry. I can’t tell you how many times I have come across this in my years with apprentices and students; it seems logical to soak off the dirt, but in reality you are making the plants think it’s time for them to start making medicine! You did ask them to come along precisely to do just that, after all.
#9: Don’t give away medicine without being asked to help. This is more than just simply consent to treat. When I started having herbal remedies to share, I was passionate about sharing. But the people I attempted to “fix” were not always as passionate about it as I was. I remember going to visit a friend who I had given a number of remedies to only to see them unopened on top of her bathroom cabinet. Yes, it was humbling, but it was also a waste of plant medicine and a waste of the plants.
I encourage new medicine makers to share their wisdom but allow people to approach them first about receiving medicine. It’s tempting when talking about a new passion to see someone light up with interest and quickly see them as your “patient.” They are not. Not yet. When someone connects to what you have to offer, they will let you know.
#10: Don’t use mediocre quality plants. The last one is very simple but one of the most important as a medicine maker. In the end, it all comes back to the plants. Your herbal medicines are only as good as the herbs you use to craft them.