Herb Storage (old thread on: Shelf life)

[Guest guest]

I'm bored. Needed to shake things up a bit. With a 2 month old at

home, why not just make my life a little more complicated.

 

I've become quite frustrated lately at not being able to order certain

pill formulas (that I like quite a lot). After reading the intro to

Bensky's formulas book and talking to some experienced practitioners,

I've ordered a continuous feed grinder to make some easy to prepare

'san' or quick boil 'tang' formulas. So - how do those of you who use

raw herbs store your herbs? I found an old thread that was quite

interesting that I attached below. Brown paper bags are certainly

cheaper that a couple hundred gallon glass jars.

 

 

, Jeansu <jeansu009 wrote:

>

> Hi,Karen,

>

> let us think this way,

>

> When you buy vagetables, and you keep it in the

> plastic bag,what will happened? The fresh vagetabls

> need to breath and water circulation if it is still

> fresh.

>

> The herbs after machine dry maybe still remain some

> water and it still breath and circular in a very mild

> situation(as well as after amputation,some patient

> still feel leg pain,in Qi theory,maybe invisible

> Qi still circulate after amputaion).

>

> Wood drawer and paper provide fiber spece for air to

> circulate which jars and plastic bag

> can't,therefore,herbs can preseve in good condition

> and the herbs still alive.

>

> If the herb still alive,they will need good air

> circulate when you preserve herbs.That 's what karen

> saw.

>

> Jean

>

Re: Shelf life, was Dr. Weil

 

I think herb storage works differently in different conditions. I find

jars in a dark closet to be the best where I live. I do think that air

circulation will hurt aromatic herbs. And jars contain the insects

reasonably, if you check so you get them before the larvae crawl out

along the jar threads. (Hanging strips of fly paper in the herb closet

helps with meal moths too.)

 

However when Rosita Arvigo moved to Belize where the air is very humid,

she had lots of trouble keeping her herbs in jars from molding. A local

curandero suggested that she use brown paper bags and her herbs stopped

getting moldy. Of course the climate is less variable there so she can

get fresh herbs frequently rather than one season a year as most of us

must do. If they lose potency and she replaces them regularly it is less

of a problem.

 

Perhaps conditions in Taiwan are more like those in Beliz.

 

Karen Vaughan

CreationsGarden

***************************************

Email advice is not a substitute for medical treatment.

" Man is always worse than most people suspect, but also generally better

than most people dream. " --Reinhold Niebuhr

 

jeansu wrote:

They keep the others in a dry,air ciraulte weel places.Some

herbs wraped in thick paper to keep in a dry condition.

some are smoky dry by some nature chemistry

staff,humless to the herbs(for prevent the herb worm).

....

Taiwan is on a wet weather conditions than mainland

and US.Therefore,in ancient time,sun light dry is very

important for the herb stores.