HOW TO FIND GROWERS OF RARE MEDICINAL PLANTS

Black Cohosh (Cimicifuga racemosa), an over-exploited native American herb seen here growing on a biodynamic farm in the UK. Photo copyright Houkler Hall Herbs, 2004

This page is devoted to suppying links to agencies and individuals who can put bona fide traders in touch with growers specialising in the sustainable cultivation of threatened and endangered medicinal plants.

It's important to mention that I have agreed not to provide the direct contact details of growers of rare plants in the USA. Most growers would prefer not to have their whereabouts made public for security reasons. Alas, some people will stop at nothing to make a fast buck. Stealing of valuable crops is not uncommon.

So if you would like to make direct contact with a medicinal plant grower, first contact one of the organisations featured on this page. They will be happy to deal with sincere enquiries.

The reason I've decided to include this page is to help break through the prevailing trade secrecy which makes it difficult for new businesses (and existing business) to source authentic sustainably cultivated supplies of medicinal and aromatic plants. As I've been told many times, it simply isn't done to reveal one's sources to the competition.

Having recently started out in business myself, after many years of resistance to the idea, I harbour a degree of sympathy with this approach. It requires an enormous amount of work to track down reliable suppliers of anything. I'm only human and find it annoying when others expect me to provide them with a list of all my suppliers, including suppliers of frivolous cosmetic materials, to save them the leg work. So please don't contact me with this kind of request.

When it comes to protecting threatened and endangered wild plants and their habitats, however, such reserve goes out of the window.


It's important that we support growers of sustainably cultivated medicinal and aromatic plants which have have become threatened in the wild. It's essential that we ease the strain on wild stocks which are rapidly dwindling due to commercial over-exploitation - as highlighted in my article, 'Spotlight on the Trade in Wild Plants' accessed via the navigation bar on the left of this screen.

I'd like to begin by thanking the prolific author, botanical photographer and herb expert Steven Foster for kindly pointing me in the right direction when I enquired about finding growers of golden seal (Hydrastis canadensis). His website is a veritable treasure trove of stunning photography and abundant information on a number of medicinal plants.

Click here for Steven Foster's cornucopia of a website

Contact Chip Carroll at the Roots of Appalachia Organisation if you are seeking growers of golden seal and other native North American medicinal plants.

Roots of Appalchia Organisation encourages, educates and supports growers, especially of woodland medicinals

Edward Fletcher of Strategic Sourcing will help you find growers of sustainably cultivated golden seal and other native North American medicinal plants.

Click here for Strategic Sourcing Incorporated

UK RESOURCES

If you are seeking commercial growers of biodynamically cultivated medicinal plants, the following organisation will be able to advise.

Although often regarded as a somewhat eccentric system, biodynamics is a form of organic agriculture which takes into account the lunar and planetary cycles, and much else besides. It has nothing to do with popular Western astrology which relies on a symbolic fixed Zodiac, discounting the procession of the Equinoxes. The biodynamic system of agriculture is attuned with astronomy - the actual planetary patterns at a given moment.

Click here to contact the UK Biodynamic Association

Just in case you are wondering why the Soil Association is not included on this page, well unfortunately in the past when I've contacted them in the hope of tracking down organic growers, they have refused to comply. Perhaps if they continue to receive such requests they will eventualy choose to be realistic. After all, slavish adherence to 'trade secrecy' does absolutely nothing to help growers.

Since the US agencies featured on this page are able to provide sensible leads, is difficult to understand why the Soil Association is unwilling to do so.

Please help to grow this page

If you are able to help by providing contact details of growers and/or agencies devoted to the sustainable cultivation of medicinal and aromatic plants ANYWHERE IN THE WORLD, do please let me know.

Incidentally, I've already included on the main Links page of this site the wonderful US organisation, United Plant Savers. So do please check that page before sending details of growers and agencies, just in case they are already listed.

Many thanks for your help!

(c) Chrissie Wildwood, all rights reserved, 2005