Why are these herbs so cheap?

Looking for a good deal is definitely not the best way to fill up your home apothecary.

Sometimes you'll find herbs on the market that are priced  significantly lower than others are charging. There are a lot of reasons  why that might happen and most of them are not good. 

• They're old. 

• Plants were over harvested or there was a lack of respect for the  earth that brought a really big harvest that they can now offer for  cheap. 

• The workers were not paid properly.

Questions to ask: 

• What sustainable farming or wild crafting practices do you use to ensure minimal environmental impact?

• What sustainable farming or wild crafting practices do you use to ensure minimal environmental impact?

• How  do you ensure fair wages and safe working conditions for the workers in  your company and for the workers who are growing and harvesting the  herbs?

• How do you ensure that there are no human rights,  violations or treaty violations involved in the production and harvest  of your herbs?

biopiracy, extractivism, & worker exploitation

What to watch out for...

Biopiracy - the act of taking plants or traditional knowledge from  indigenous communities without permission or fair compensation.

Extractivism - the idea that nature is here to consume and consume and use for personal or corporate gain and profit.

You can learn a lot about a company by looking at their mission  statement and their "about me" page. If they care about the earth and human rights, they're gonna talk about it.  

If they're not talking about it, it's probably because they don't care, because.... capitalism :/

But you can be part of the movement that helps the herbal industry see that we care about this stuff. 

The call for transparency in the herb industry

It’s your right as a consumer to get answers about where your herbs are coming from.

Questions to ask:

Don't be shy. Feel free to ask these questions of your herbs suppliers.

• Where did these herbs come from?

• Where were they grown?

• What communities brought them to us? What ecosystems were they grown in?

• What kind of farming practices were used?

• What kind of farming practices were used?

• What kind of harvesting practices were used to bring these herbs to our apothecaries? 

• How transparent are you about your supply chain and can customers easily trace the origins of your products? 

Certifications to look for:

Certifications are not everything, but they give us a great place to start.

• Fair Trade

• USDA Organic

• Rainforest Alliance

• Ethical Wildcrafting

These certifications can help us look out for balanced earth stewardship,  sustainable farming and harvesting practices, worker's rights, and  community impact. 

more important questions to ask

You're the kind of person who cares about your effect on the world. I now you want to make sure that when you're filling up your home apothecary, you're looking out for Mother Earth, human rights, and worker's rights.

Here are some more questions to help you find herb suppliers who share and prioritize your ethics.

• Where do you source your herbs from?

• where do you source your herbs from?

• Can you provide detailed information about the farms, workers, and communities that were involved?

• What certifications do you or herbs have? And can you provide documentation?

• what certifications do your herbs have? And can you provide documentation?

• How transparent are you about your supply chain? And can customers trace the origin of your products?

• What sustainable farming or wild crafting practices do you use to ensure minimal environmental impact?

• How do you ensure fair wages and safe working conditions for the workers in your company and the workers in your field?

• how do you ensure fair wages and safe working conditions for the workers in your company and the workers in your field?

• How  do you ensure that there are no human rights, violations or treaty  violations involved in the production and harvest of your herbs?

Red flags to look out for when you're buying herbs

Here are some red flags to look out for when you're buying herbs for your home apothecary:

• lack of transparency 

• lack of certifications

• prices are really low

• they don't seem to care about what you care about

Let’s talk about it

Would you like to join the community conversation?

Understanding these issues and creating change, both in our own apothecaries and in the world, is a process that will not happen  overnight. 

Fortunately, we have each other to lean on, draw inspiration  from, and grow with. 

Would you like to take a deeper dive about this subject and so much more? Check out our private community, the Green Room. The link is below.

And remember, we're all in this together.