RESOURCE NAME

Intro

In the spirit of open source herbalism, this work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

We invite you to read, share, print, and adapt the materials you find here in the interest of community health. We add new documents and update existing ones on a continual database. Our dream with this page is to support the craft of the practicing herbalist and help us continue our traditions in healthcare! These guidelines are intended for community herbalists… not manufacturers.

As a practicing herbalist, I have made a pledge to my patients, to my community, and to my planet to heal and serve. This means that I hold to certain standards of practice, such as cleanliness, transparency, sustainability, environmental protection, quality, and affordability, all of which guide my daily practices in the clinic and dispensary… aka Good Herbalista Practices.

It is a big responsibility to create medicines that people ingest.

  • We want to be confident that what we say is in the bottle is really what it in the bottle (proper ID– botanical/ organoleptic/ etc.)
  • We want to be able to recreate our masterpieces and avoid replicating our disasters (documentation of process)
  • And we want to be able to track our remedies to a reasonable extent, so if a problem occurs, we can contain the situation.

This is an absolutely intended riff on the Good Manufacturing Practices which were passed by the FDA in 2008.  And here is a little piece I wrote on the subject a few years back …

Hyperlink Placeholder
Medicine Making Supplies/ Gear Lists Medicine Making Resources Useful Measurement Conversions Distillation Basics Oil Based Medicine Water Medicine Handout Tincture Instruction Handout Hot Glycerine Extraction Aromatic Inhalers aka “Sniffers”

Extratcs

Maceration Worksheet DRY Maceration Worksheet FRESH Percolation Worksheet Hot Glycerine Extract Worksheet Hot Glycerine Compound Worksheet Echinacea MPS Worksheet Reishi Worksheet Oil Infusion BLEND Worksheet Fire Cider Worksheet

Water Medicine

Tea Blend Worksheet Syrup Worksheet

Topical Preparation

Oil + Salve Worksheet Basic Lotion Worksheet

Other Preparation

Capsule Worksheet

A4-sized Worksheets

Capsule Worksheet Syrup Worksheet Tea Blending Worksheet

First and foremost, learn your herbs! Making good medicine begins with good herb. Your ability to properly identify herbs will improve as you spend more time working with them. Watch them grow, learn to harvest and to process them, touch them, taste them, and smell them!

Botanical Identification

By harvesting your own plants or receiving them in whole plant form, you can often use a plant key or flora to positively identify your plant. Learn which guides are best for your region.

Kew Gardens Herbarium   The Herbarium at Kew Garden’s is one of the largest in the world, with over 7 million plant specimens. These plants have been either pressed and dried or preserved in spirit. Kew works to make these specimen available to botanists around the world and are building an electronic Herbarium catalogue. Hundreds of thousands of specimen have been catalogued so far, with many more each day.

Organoleptic And Botanical ID

“The Identification of Medicinal Plants: A Handbook of the Morphology of Botanicals in Commerce” Free online resource at the American Botanical Council’s website.  “The purpose of this manual is to assist purchasers or collectors of common unprocessed botanical materials in using easily observed morphological characteristics to confirm the identity of those materials. The focus is on species and plant parts that are used to produce botanical medicines or dietary supplements.”

Botanical Identity References Compendium  Free online resource compiled by The American Herbal Products Association. This database covers just around 100 herbs and shares photos of botanical vouchers, organoleptic characteristics/ descriptions, macroscopic and microscopic characteristics, and chromatographic information.  “The AHPA Compendium is a cooperative and centralized source of information on physical characteristics and test methods that can be used by qualified and experienced analysts to determine the identity of plant species and articles of trade obtained from these plants.”  — AHPA Website

Plant Monographs by the World Health Organization— Volume 1, 2, 3,and 4.  The WHO Monographs on Selected Medicinal Plants (4 volumes available online) – These monographs are useful references when trying to Positively Identify your plant material you are working with. They list Botanical Descriptions, Organoleptics (taste, smell, etc), and Microscopic Characteristics.

King’s Dispensatory, 1898 Materia Medica originally published in 1854 that covers herbs commonly used in American botanical medical practice.  The entries include botanical descriptions, and raw material specifications as seen in commerce.  This index is on Henriette Kress’ website (“Welcome to the Bark Side”)

Raw Material Specifications Files shared in the open source project by Guido Mase.

Reusing Bottles and Bits Clinic Safety and Sanitation Pressure cookers for Sterilization WHO Guidelines
Herbalista Apotheke Dispense Form Script Pad Good Herbal Compounding + Dispensing Practices by AHPA
FDA Good Manufacturing Practice Regulations Small Entity Compliance Guide for cGMP’s by the FDA Information for Industry on Dietary Supplements Herbal Regs Primer by NH Herbal Network GMP’s in a Clinical Setting Federal Oversight of Herbalists and Herbal Products (GMP’s) by Holly Hutton AHG Submits a Response to the FDA on GMP Rulings WHO GMP Guidance 2007 GMP Pushback Dossier

Alchemical Solutions   Micro-distillery. Great source for organic, ethically sourced and produced pure spirits (grape, grain, and cane)

Aromatics International   This is where we order our blank aromatic inhalers from.  They come in many counts (from 5 to 5000) and in many groovy colors. 

Black Locust Gardens   Black Locust Gardens is a farm and plant nursery, dedicated to sustainable agriculture and positive regeneration of agricultural ecospheres. We are currently growing a variety of medicinal /culinary herbs, and fruit, on 20 acres.  They ship both fresh and dried herbs.

Gentle Harmony Farm   Organic herbal farm in North Carolina. They grow the most beautiful, vibrant herbs imaginable! Fresh and dry herbs available.

Hearthfire Farm & Nursery  With a mission to help people grow their own herbal medicine, there is incredible heart in the herbs grown by farmer Timothy Hayes.  Fresh & dry herbs available as well as plant babies!

J.Edwards International  We source our organic glycerin from J.Edwards.  They have affordably priced bulk 5 gallon buckets (25 kg) and have very responsive customer service. 

Mountain Rose Herbs  Online ordering for bulk herbs, essential oils, carrier oils, etc…

SKS Bottle   Herbalista’s preferred source for bulk bottles, packaging, etc… When you make an order of $250 or more, the shipping is free! This is a great opportunity to gather your friends and do your orders together!

Pharmco    Source for organic pure spirits (corn and cane) Bulk ordering, affordable prices. Formerly Pharmco-Aaper.

Pacific Botanicals  Online ordering for bulk herbs (high quality, certified organic.) Not only do they carry dry herbs, but will do fresh overnight shipments as well.

Licensing

You are free to:

  • Share — copy and redistribute the material in any medium or format
  • Adapt — remix, transform, and build upon the material or any purpose, even commercially.

(The licensor cannot revoke these freedoms as long as you follow the license terms.)

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

Under the following terms:

  • Attribution — You must give appropriate credit, provide a link to the license, and indicate if changes were made. You may do so in any reasonable manner, but not in any way that suggests the licensor endorses you or your use.
  • ShareAlike — If you remix, transform, or build upon the material, you must distribute your contributions under the same license as the original.
  • No additional restrictions — You may not apply legal terms or technological measures that legally restrict others from doing anything the license permits.

Herbalista Gallery

bus
An herbalist sits at the tincture station in the Herb Bus apothecary pouring tinctures and smiling.
An herbalist sits inside the Herb Bus apothecary with lots of paperwork in front of them.
Lorna and two people stand outside the Herb Bus holding two brightly colored herb kits in front of them.
Red monarda flowers are hanging from a line across the roof of the Herb Bus. The top is popped and sun streams through the window.
Lorna sits under a tent in front of the Herb Bus teaching a class. The class participants are sitting around a picnic table.
Lorna sits in the Herb Bus with the side door open holding a blue tincture run kit.
An herbalist sits at the tincture table in the Herb Bus apothecary. They are writing notes in a clipboard and the tincture kits are next to them open and displaying rows of tincture bottles.
An herbalist sits inside the Herb Bus and holds up a box with a bright colored picture on the front.
The interior of the bus shows kits and baskets filled with herbs and harvesting tools. One basket one the table has yellow arnica flowers and the other has brown osha roots.
The Herb Bus is set up alongside another large bus. There is a tent flying overhead of yellow and white stripes.
The Herb Bus is set up for clinic with the top popped, the side tent open and the consult table underneath. A person sits next to the sandwhich board sign writing on it. The sign says "Herbalista Free Clinic"
The Herb BUs is parked in a driveway with large green trees above. THe door is open revealing lots of gear inside the bus.
Lorna and four other crew members stand outside the Herb Bus, each holding herbal kits.
Lorna sits on a rug outside the Herb Bus teaching a class with a book before her and a white board behind her.
The Herb Bus Mobile Clinic is set up with the top of the van popped and the side tent open. Two people are seated under the side tent conducting an intake. There are other bins and signs around with a tea station.
A winter scene of the Herb Bus and a couple tents set up in a parking lot. The Herb Bus is set up for clinic with the top popped and the side tent and consult table laid out.
Two people holding festive balloons stand outside the Herb Bus. It is set up as a clinic with the top popped and the table outside.
The interior of the Herb Bus apothecary with all of the herbal kits lined up along the countertop. The table is set up with the tray and clipboard. There is a milk crate on its side with a library of books.
The cliniic is set up in the bus with three people working inside the apothecary and two people on the outside by the consult table.
The Bus is in the background and in the foreground are large pink poppies. The text reads "Healing Wheels Herbalista Community Fundraiser"
A black felt hat is set on top of a box that reads "Herbalista Free Clinic"
Two people are seated in the herb bus and one is holding a baby. Another person is leaning against the bus. They are smiling.
The side door of the bus is open and an herbalist leans against the bus floor. THey are writing notes in a book and the apothecary is behind them.
An herbalist sits in the front passenger seat of the bus holding a bag of herbs and smiles largely.
An herbalist sits at the table in the Herb Bus apothecary holding up a bag of herbs. In front of them on the table are lots of tincture bottles on a tray.
The side door of the herb bus is open and a black and white kitten is laying on the carpet.
The side door of the bus is open and an herbalist leans against the bus floor. THey are writing notes in a book and the apothecary is behind them.
The Herb Bus is parked in front of a colorful mural showing people walking.
Interior of the Herb Bus apothecary. An herbalist sits at the table, pouring medicines. There are several kits beside them and a book collection next to them on the floor.
A clinician stands in front of the herb bus smiling. A patient is seated facing her.
Aerial view of interior of Herb Bus apothecary showing hands pouring medicines.
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