Important Considerations when Wildcrafting

[IdahoHerbalist]

On 9/22 Patrick and I (along with our wives) went on a wildcrafting trip to a local area about an hour or so from our homes:

We learned LOTS about field identification and collecting plants from the wild while we did this.

One thing I would HIGHLY suggest is to bring ALL of your herb books with you on any trip you take like this yourself. Have as many descriptions and images of the plants you expect to see with you and refer to them often.

One other tip: DO NOT MAKE ANY SNAP JUDGEMENTS ABOUT WHAT YOU SEE BEFORE YOU DO YOUR RESEARCH AND DUE DILIGENCE

I think Patrick will be OK with me posting this:

When we pulled into our first site and as the car came to a stop he chimed: “Oh, there is cocklebur.” Our collecting of this plant ensued. We were noting quite a few smaller plants that we were pretty sure were 1st year burdock growing in the same area. It was confusing to us and was the subject of much discussion as we continued to see and collect other plant material. Some time later and at a different site we saw more of the same leaved plant, some with and some without the same fruit attached to the top. These plants were at a higher elevation and had not decayed nearly as much as the first site. This brought more confusion and OUT CAME THE BOOKS. We finally were able to determine that the plants we had initially observed were actually burdock. We later went back to the site and sure enough, we were so focused on harvesting that we missed the dried leaves at the bottom.

Patrick, will you please list the books that we used for our trip? Also please note the two or three that we found to be most useful for our location.

[Dr. Patrick JonesHomestead Instructor]

Absolute identification is critical.

I’m very familiar with Burdock but these plants were lacking many of the “normal” characteristics that make “Burdock” click in my brain. They were so atypical, that even the presence of abundant first year burdock didn’t convince me that they weren’t cocklebur. Cocklebur is a plant that has recently come on to my herbal radar but one I’d not really ever examined in detail.

Once we cracked out the books, there was no question.

Medicinal Plants of the Mountain West

Weeds of the West

were the most helpful.

I had another similar experience not 20 feet from that spot. There was a lot of catnip growing in the area but i found another small, isolated mint family plant that was obviously something else. I grabbed a leaf to smell it…before it got to my nose I had my identification…stinging nettle…ouch! I’ve never seen nettle looking so immature this late in the year. Yet this little guy could have passed for a May plant. The soil conditions, light or water had obviously stunted him.

Take home message: In nature, variation is often more the rule than the exception. Be careful.

Patrick

Don't use herbs or combine herbs with medications or use them during lactation or pregnancy without talking with your healthcare provider.

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