What is the best way to store herbs for healing?

If you do not comply with all the necessary conditions for preserving herbs, you will not be able to have a valuable folk remedy in stock. Expired plants, those that have gained moisture and lost their natural aroma, are unlikely to harm health, but they certainly will not be useful.

Proper storage of medicinal herbs

When storing medicinal herbs, it is necessary to remember that exposure to the rays of the sun can destroy the biological elements of plants that are “important” for human health. In addition, the remedy for healing tea should be saved:

• in a clean room with dry air and cool temperature (up to +18 ⁰С), it should also have good air circulation;
• sorted from each other (especially if the plants have a high concentration of essential oil or are toxic or poisonous).

It is very good when it is possible to preserve herbs in a suspended state, that is, in bunches. Thus, it is possible to better preserve their beneficial properties.

Place and container for storing herbs

It is very good if it is possible to store raw materials for medicinal tea in the pantry. It is easier to maintain the necessary conditions. You can also hang the grass in bunches or chopped form in canvas bags in the attic, attic, or veranda.The most important thing that needs to be taken care of is that the sun does not fall on the herbal product. Therefore, you can select a separate cabinet for storing herbs. Raw materials should be placed in glass, tin or ceramic jars with lids. Herbs that are toxic and contain poisonous elements (hemlock, celandine, mistletoe, etc.) should be stored in a hermetically sealed container.

To preserve flowers and leaves, roots and bark in a crushed state, bags made from natural fabric are best suited. This material allows air to pass through. Also, medicinal herbs can be stored in cardboard or wooden boxes or in wicker bags.

It is strictly forbidden to store herbal raw materials in cellophane or plastic containers. In it, the grass will not be able to “breathe” and will become damp, which will cause it to mold or turn black.

A special vacuum bag with a zip fastener will help preserve the quality of dry plants longer. Each package of medicinal raw materials must be signed in order to know for sure when it will no longer be suitable for use.

Shelf life of medicinal herbs

Experienced herbalists believe that plants have maximum medicinal effectiveness for 1 year, up to a maximum of 2 years. But the bark, tubers and roots retain their healing properties for up to 3 years, and some (burnet, cinquefoil, licorice, orchis tubers, oak bark, buckthorn) for 5-6 years.

Herbs whose storage period has expired should not be thrown away immediately; they can “give” a fragrant bath, but, of course, it is no longer worth taking them orally.

It is also worth mentioning that no matter how tasty this or that tea is, you should not abuse it, because each plant is a medicinal product that, in addition to its beneficial effects, also has a side effect.

See the video “Storage of medicinal herbs - conditions and terms”: