Long gone are the days of herbal medicine men and women. However, even today, complex collections of herbs, roots, flowers should be in every home medicine cabinet. Medicinal raw materials are harvested at a time when a maximum of useful substances accumulates in it. That is why a certain time of the year is intended for collecting different parts of plants.
Instructions
Step 1
Harvest the bark of trees in March – April. During sap flow, it is saturated with water, in which active organic substances are dissolved. Smooth young bark is preferred, since the old one contains a small amount of useful elements.
Step 2
The buds need to be harvested only during swelling. It was during this period that organic substances of interest to medicine accumulate in them.
Step 3
The best time to harvest leaves is before flowering. Harvesting of this medicinal raw material is allowed during flowering. You only need to pluck the lower copies, and leave the upper ones intact. This will ensure the further normal development of plants.
Step 4
Harvest flowers during the flowering period. If you skip the collection time, they can change color and, upon further drying, become very crushed. Since the flowers are very delicate, they should not be packed tightly in an airtight container.
Step 5
Collect seeds and fruits as they ripen. Early in the morning is considered the best time to collect seeds. Ripe fruits are also recommended to be harvested in the morning or evening, and not in the heat of the day. Otherwise, they quickly deteriorate.
Step 6
Autumn is considered the best time to collect roots and rhizomes, when the ground parts of the plants have already withered, but not yet dried up. This makes it easy to find the plant of interest.
Step 7
Harvest herbs during flowering, and only cut off their top at the level of the lower leaves.
Step 8
The crucial moment in the preparation of medicinal raw materials is drying. Depending on the chemical composition of substances contained in plants, the optimal conditions for this important process are determined. For example, essential oils require slow drying at 25 - 30 degrees. Vitamin C is better preserved during quick drying at 80-100 degrees. Alkaloid-containing raw materials need 50-60 degrees. In any case, you need to choose a well-ventilated room. It is impossible to dry medicinal raw materials in the sun, the only exceptions are rhizomes and roots.
Step 9
Store dried medicinal plants in a dark, dry place. The best container is glass, especially for raw materials containing essential oils. Leaves, flowers and herbs retain their medicinal properties for 1 - 2 years, fruits - 2 years. The shelf life of bark, rhizomes and roots is 3 years.
