Ethical Issues in the Herb Industry: Wildharvesting vs. Cultivation

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Ethical Issues in the Herb Industry: Wildharvesting vs. Cultivation
At Mountain Rose Herbs, we have been in a years-long process of shifting our procurement policies away from wildharvested herbs in favor of cultivated ones whenever possible. This policy was necessitated by the increasing impact of overharvesting on some of the most popular herbs and spices around the world. In some cases, for instance with white sage (Salvia apiana) , we have been able to source excellent organic, cultivated options, which means we can continue to offer this herbal ally with a good conscience. In other cases, however, as with false unicorn (Chamaelirium luteum) and trillium (Trillium spp.), we have chosen to discontinue carrying an herb because we simply cannot find an ethical way to procure it. As we are navigating an increasingly complex procurement reality, I want to give you a peek behind the curtain, as it were, into why and how we determine what we can sell while prioritizing the overall wellbeing of people, plants, and planet.
People have been wildharvesting medicinal herbs since the beginning of human time, so the question is, “What has changed that makes us have to look at this practice differently now?” 
I have been in the business of organic herbs for more than two decades and have witnessed firsthand the enormous increase in wildharvesting. Twenty or thirty years ago, there were perhaps five to ten thousand working herbalists in North America going out into the wild to harvest botanicals. Many of them were well-meaning but not properly educated on how to nurture the plants that they harvested, but in those days the wild still seemed expansive. Today, land use regulations have changed, allowing communities to push farther into formerly uninhabited areas at the same time that there has been an exponential growth in interest in herbalism and wildharvesting. Now we have less wild land and roughly half a million herbalists in North America, many of whom venture out to gather botanicals from the wild. To put it succinctly, there are just too many of us now harvesting from more limited wild populations.
The problem is that, at this time, there isn’t enough infrastructure in place for wide-scale organic herb cultivation. There are only a handful of farmers around the world that specialize in the cultivation of medicinal herbs. And, while there is certainly interest, there is a strong barrier to entry because experimental herb cultivation is prohibitively expensive for working farmers.
There is obviously no quick fix for this problem, but Mountain Rose Herbs is determined to be part of the long-term solution. Currently, we are involved with carefully selected farmers who are developing cultivation programs for at-risk botanicals. Our ultimate goal is to make the pertinent information from these programs available for free to other farmers, growers, and herbalists—soil types, growing conditions, climate requirements, shade vs. sun. etc.—in order to expedite the learning process so that more farmers can find affordable ways to get involved in organic medicinal herb cultivation sooner rather than later.
In the meantime, our first choice is always to seek out a cultivated organic source for botanicals, and if none is available, we rely on our stringent procurement protocols to make sure we only offer ethically wildharvested herbs. We work closely with organizations like United Plant Savers and CITES (Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora) to determine if an herb should ever be harvested in the wild and, if so, when and where. When wildharvesting of botanicals is acceptable, we have longstanding agreements with a very small, very select group of trusted wildharvesters. Because we have been working with our wildharvesting team for more than two decades, we have been able to hone it down to a group of some of the finest certified harvesters who can offer us complete transparency—we know they have the proper permitting on file, we have been out in the field with them, and we know their harvesting sites. This is the only way we can guarantee that we are doing our best for the botanical communities we cherish.
Unfortunately, I am afraid that the issues of today are going to become more problematic over the next years and will impact a wider variety of plants due to land use issues, climate change, and ongoing overharvesting. Those of us advocating for the botanical world must take action wherever and whenever we can. Steps we can all take to protect our precious herbal allies include:
Grow your own herbs, both medicinal and culinary. 
Use a cultivated herb instead of a wild one if possible.
Substitute a plentiful herb or blend of herbs for at-risk herbs.
If needs must, only purchase ethically harvested, certified organic wild botanicals.
If you are intent on wildharvesting, do not harvest at-risk herbs and be sure to work with a highly trained wildharvester first so you know what you are harvesting and that you are doing it in a way that protects and preserves the plant.
Together, we can make a difference. Onward!
 
Topics: Inside Mountain Rose Herbs , Sustainability , Herbalism
Written by Shawn on August 16, 2022
Shawn is Mountain Rose Herbs' owner and CEO. He first became involved with Mountain Rose Herbs as a passionate young idealist with a fervent desire to change the world. He was a notorious rabble-rouser, always petitioning for mandatory labeling on genetically modified food crops, encouraging people to support a strong conservation ethic, fighting for the protection of endangered or threatened species, and the protection and enhancement of our riparian areas. When Mountain Rose Herbs came into his life, Shawn saw it as an opportunity to change the way business is conducted on this planet. To this day, the revolutionary business principles that Shawn initiated have been used as a successful model by countless other organizations. Since becoming a co-owner of the company in 2001, he has continued to initiate bold and daring changes, most notably the eradication of all conventionally grown products from our product line, introducing the first line of fair trade certified medicinal herbs in the United States, implementing the design and deployment of our web presence, launching our zero waste program and our charitable giving program, and more. In his spare time, Shawn can be found deep within Oregon’s wilderness system, or lost in the pages of any book about ecology and the environment. He currently retains one of the nation’s largest collections of rare and antiquarian books that deal exclusively with nature writing and outdoor literature. With Thoreau, Abbey, and Muir being his favorites, of course! "All of our environmental issues can be connected to the embarrassing way that business abuses this planet. My objective is to stop this destructive pattern by offering an alternative modality and sharing that modality with others so we can all lead the change necessary to heal the planet"
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Ethical Issues in the Herb Industry: Wildharvesting vs. Cultivation
At Mountain Rose Herbs, we have been in a years-long process of shifting our procurement policies away from wildharvested herbs in favor of cultivated ones whenever possible. This policy was necessitated by the increasing impact of overharvesting on some of the most popular herbs and spices around the world. In some cases, for instance with white sage (Salvia apiana) , we have been able to source excellent organic, cultivated options, which means we can continue to offer this herbal ally with a good conscience. In other cases, however, as with false unicorn (Chamaelirium luteum) and trillium (Trillium spp.), we have chosen to discontinue carrying an herb because we simply cannot find an ethical way to procure it. As we are navigating an increasingly complex procurement reality, I want to give you a peek behind the curtain, as it were, into why and how we determine what we can sell while prioritizing the overall wellbeing of people, plants, and planet.
People have been wildharvesting medicinal herbs since the beginning of human time, so the question is, “What has changed that makes us have to look at this practice differently now?” 
I have been in the business of organic herbs for more than two decades and have witnessed firsthand the enormous increase in wildharvesting. Twenty or thirty years ago, there were perhaps five to ten thousand working herbalists in North America going out into the wild to harvest botanicals. Many of them were well-meaning but not properly educated on how to nurture the plants that they harvested, but in those days the wild still seemed expansive. Today, land use regulations have changed, allowing communities to push farther into formerly uninhabited areas at the same time that there has been an exponential growth in interest in herbalism and wildharvesting. Now we have less wild land and roughly half a million herbalists in North America, many of whom venture out to gather botanicals from the wild. To put it succinctly, there are just too many of us now harvesting from more limited wild populations.
The problem is that, at this time, there isn’t enough infrastructure in place for wide-scale organic herb cultivation. There are only a handful of farmers around the world that specialize in the cultivation of medicinal herbs. And, while there is certainly interest, there is a strong barrier to entry because experimental herb cultivation is prohibitively expensive for working farmers.
There is obviously no quick fix for this problem, but Mountain Rose Herbs is determined to be part of the long-term solution. Currently, we are involved with carefully selected farmers who are developing cultivation programs for at-risk botanicals. Our ultimate goal is to make the pertinent information from these programs available for free to other farmers, growers, and herbalists—soil types, growing conditions, climate requirements, shade vs. sun. etc.—in order to expedite the learning process so that more farmers can find affordable ways to get involved in organic medicinal herb cultivation sooner rather than later.
In the meantime, our first choice is always to seek out a cultivated organic source for botanicals, and if none is available, we rely on our stringent procurement protocols to make sure we only offer ethically wildharvested herbs. We work closely with organizations like United Plant Savers and CITES (Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora) to determine if an herb should ever be harvested in the wild and, if so, when and where. When wildharvesting of botanicals is acceptable, we have longstanding agreements with a very small, very select group of trusted wildharvesters. Because we have been working with our wildharvesting team for more than two decades, we have been able to hone it down to a group of some of the finest certified harvesters who can offer us complete transparency—we know they have the proper permitting on file, we have been out in the field with them, and we know their harvesting sites. This is the only way we can guarantee that we are doing our best for the botanical communities we cherish.
Unfortunately, I am afraid that the issues of today are going to become more problematic over the next years and will impact a wider variety of plants due to land use issues, climate change, and ongoing overharvesting. Those of us advocating for the botanical world must take action wherever and whenever we can. Steps we can all take to protect our precious herbal allies include:
Grow your own herbs, both medicinal and culinary. 
Use a cultivated herb instead of a wild one if possible.
Substitute a plentiful herb or blend of herbs for at-risk herbs.
If needs must, only purchase ethically harvested, certified organic wild botanicals.
If you are intent on wildharvesting, do not harvest at-risk herbs and be sure to work with a highly trained wildharvester first so you know what you are harvesting and that you are doing it in a way that protects and preserves the plant.
Together, we can make a difference. Onward!