Herbal Industry Blooms: Popularity May Pose Danger to Plants
By Coleman Cornelius, Denver Post Northern Colorado Bureau, August 30, 1999
The booming herb industry has a dark side: The harvesting of medicinal herbs from
the wild threatens the survival of some plants in their natural habitats, according to two
advocacy groups
There are hundreds of sizable farms in the United States that grow medicinal herbs for
commercial use, according to the California-based Organic Farming Research Foundation.
But the original way of gathering herbs--harvesting them from the wild--persists as
people try to cash in on the herbal health trend. The practice is called
"wildcrafting".
Aggressive wildcrafting and habitat loss have depleted herb populations so greatly that
about 20 plants are considered at risk of survival and 22 are potentially threatened,
according to United Plant Savers, a nonprofit in East Barre, Vt., that monitors medicinal
herb populations.
In the West, at-risk herbs include Echinacea, widely used to boost immune function;
osha, taken as a fever reducer; and lomatuim, a cold treatment.
United Plant Savers and the National Center for the Preservation of Medicinal Herbs,
based in Rutland, Ohio, are waging a campaign to save endangered herbs.
The groups urge manufacturers and consumers to make and buy products with cultivated
herbs. Advocates also exhort wildcrafters to harvest herbs "ethically",
meaning without trespassing and by leaving some plants to grow and spread.
"These plants aren't going to be available to us at all if we don't do
something", said Nancy Scarzello of United Plant Savers. "They can't
withstand the pressure we're putting on them."
Copyright 1999, The Denver Post. Reprinted with permission.
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