Celebrating the Bliss of
Asheville's Wildcrafted Medicinal Herbs

See also

Herbal Medicine Schools
Permaculture
Green Products
Sustainable Energy
Alternative Housing
Green Building

Herb Festivals

Asheville Herb Festival
"...WNC is a place of natural beauty that has become almost a mecca in the Southeast for finding high-quality, often organically grown herbs and herb products. The Asheville Herb Festival has become a meeting ground for these dedicated herbalists to get together, show off their latest plants and products, and share their knowledge. 'The herb festival is sort of like a family reunion,' remarked Rick Morgan, festival coordinator. 'When we get together in the Spring, everyone has news to share-- some good, some bad. It is a very friendly atmosphere.' .. Visitors from across the Southeast come for the best variety and selection of herbs, herb plants, and herbal products. This Festival has become an annual gathering for herb enthusiasts who return each year to visit with friends, shopt for their favorite herbs, and have an enjoyable time among the herbs.  The event is open from 9 a.m. until 5 p.m. on Friday and Saturday and 10 a.m. until 3 p.m. on Sunday.  Over 25,000 herb lovers and visitors from acorss the Southeast com to the popular event each Spring. Educational information is available by discussing your questions with the vendors who are experts in their field. Also, an information booth is operated by local Master Gardeners, who are always willing to answer questions about planting, growing, and caring for herbs...."Usually the First Fri, Sat and Sun in May at the Farmers Market

Where to Buy Medicinal Herbs

Full Circle Herbs
"... we have joyfully combined our love of nature, herbs, gardening, and the environment with our knowledge of science and medicine to create wonderful, hand crafted herbal remedies..."

Mountain Gardens (located in Celo)
"... is a botanical garden featuring the largest collection of native Appalachian and Chinese medicinal herbs in the Eastern US, organically grown at the foot of the Black Mountains, in Western North Carolina. Our specialties include: native (S. Appalachian) and oriental medicinal herbs, wild foods, craft plants and other ethno botanicals. We offer for sale seeds, plants, fresh and dried herb material and tinctures and other preparations. We present useful information regarding the cultivation and uses of these species,as well as our philosophy of Paradise Gardening...."

• More than 100 single herb tinctures, which can be combined into custom formulas. Most of these are fresh herb tinctures, from our organically grown or locally gathered herbs.

• Chinese herb pharmacy, with several hundred dried Chinese herbs in bulk. Also, about 50 classic Chinese formulas are available as ready made tinctures.

• Extensive reference library of both popular and professional texts on western and Chinese herbalism, modern and classical pharmacy, to assist you in choosing and compounding your personal formulas.

• All necessary apparatus, including heavy duty herb grinder and tincture press, accurate weighing & measuring scales.

• Quality vegetable oils, glycerin, organic grain alcohol, beeswax, capsules, various-sized dropper bottles, labels, etc.are usually available.

LONG LIFE TONICS

Made by hand in small batches from high grade Chinese and fresh organically grown or gathered herbs.

Some wonderful photos.

North Carolina Ginseng and Goldenseal Company
"...organic medicinal herbs such as ginseng, goldenseal and other woodland botanicals in a natural hardwoods cove at Eagle Feather Organic Farm, which is a designated Native Botanical Sanctuary...."

Red Moon Herbs
"... Our mission is to offer wildcrafted and organic herbal medicines of the highest quality, with a focus on fresh,local plants.... lovingly handcrafted in small batches... we harvest the plants at the peak of their potency by following the cycles of moon, season, and weather... we harvest from pristine natural settings in fields and forests of the Blue Ridge Mountains. Herbs we cannot find in our area are provided by other conscientious wildcrafters and organic growers... "

Sandy Mush Herb Nursery
"... cultivates 1950 culinary, tea, decorative and traditional medicinal herbs, flowering perennials, scented geraniums, dye and fiber plants, ivies, natives and woodies...."

Savoir Herbals
"All Savoir products are made in the Blue Ridge Mountains by  a stay at home mom who loves to create healing treatments & healing treats. They are all hand made in smaller batches to ensure wonderful quality, using organic & ethically wildcrafted ingredients whenever possible. I hope that you enjoy using my products, as much love was put into making them!"

Herbal Medicine Practitioners and Consultants

CoreyPine Shane, Holistic Clinical Herbalist, is the Director of the Blue Ridge School of Herbal Medicine.
".... He has been studying herbal medicine for over 17 years, and has been seeing clients professionally for over a dozen years. He has taught at the North Carolina School of Holistic Herbalism, Southeastern School of Herbal Studies, Warren Wilson College, UNC-Asheville, and at several national herbal conferences including the AHG Symposium and Medicines from the Earth. He thinks creativity and laughter are an invaluable part of any apothecary. He is currently working on a book about the medicinal plants of the Southern Appalachians...."

"... I offer holistic consultations incorporating Chinese and Eclectic traditions alongside the insights of modern medicine. Most of the herbs I use in my practice I have gathered locally. During a consultation, we will look at many contributing factors to health and disease, and I will use the diagnostic techniques of Chinese medicine as well as considering disease conditions through the western medical perspective. Each individual is unique and two people with the same medical diagnosis may receive very different treatments. ..."

Companies Who Seek to BUY Wild Food, Plants, Herbs and Mushrooms

Wild Pantry
".... is currently seeking individuals to ethically wildcraft (harvest) specific herbs (plants) and edible wild mushrooms.  All plants and/or mushrooms must be ethically wildcrafted from either public or private lands and must be free of contaminants such as would be found along major highways or other sources. This would be seasonal sub-contractor work and not as a full time employee of Wild Pantry.Some of the items needed are: Plants: bloodroot - beech nuts - Fagus  grandifoliabalm of gilead buds - Populus balsamifera bergamot (purple bee balm) -  Monarda fistulosa bergamot (scarlet bee balm) - Monarda didyma) bergamot (lemon bee balm) - Monarda citriodorasmooth sumac berries (ripe)autumn olive berries - Elaeagnus umbellata goldenseal - Pedicularis canadensis wood betony - wild American ginseng (not cultivated) - plant must be at least 7 years old (most 4-pronged plants)pink lady's slipper root bethroot - Trillium pendulum (WILD.) Trillium erectum (LINN.) wild carrot seeds - Daucus carota - this is not the domestic carrot. Wildcrafters MUST know the difference between wild carrot and poison hemlock.sassafras rootwild white sage - black haw berries, dried - Viburnum PrunifolimCarolina Alspice (berries, dried) - Lindera benzoin Mushrooms: chanterelles morel mushrooms hen of the woods - Mitake, latin - Grifola frondosa..." Company is located in Baxley GA, about 360 miles from Asheville, but it seems reasonable that business could be conducted via mail.

Herbs Used in Patent Medicines in Late 19th and Early 20th Century

Riddles Montin Herbs

Riddles Montin Herbs " ...Active Ingredients -- Aloes, Mandrake, Glangat, Burdock Buchu, Gentian, Capsicum and Licorice Root. 100 Days Supply for Only $1.00 Prepared only for The Mountain Herb Company, Asheville, NC..."