Action 1 – Support groups that protect herbs and the environment.

Why are some herbs endangered and what herbs are endangered?

The raw unpleasant truth is that there are a lot of herbs being harvested from wild populations and made into medicine that are scarce in their habitat.

This is not sustainable or ethical.

It also not much talked about.

Just because it’s a herb does not mean that everything is green, eco conscious and sustainable.

Quite frankly your cup of coffee could be more sustainable than some herbs in commerce.

Why they are endangered is due to over collection from the wild as well as habitat destruction. Add to that the lack of scale in cultivation of the herbs themselves as sustainable farm crops.

What herbs are endangered is a bit clearer. The best work done currently is in North America where the United Plant Savers (UPS) group works specifically with native herbs of North America under threat. However, in many other countries the situation is not clear.

Why should we care? – An important range of our herbal Materia Medica comes from North America. Plants like Golden Seal, Black Cohosh, Slippery Elm and Echinacea are herbs that have become very well-known and widely used. They have also been over harvested in the wild.

Who is doing the best work that I know of in this area now?