Medicinal Herb Crops bed
While most of the ginseng crop in North America is grown under artificial shade, it can also be produced in natural shade under hardwood trees (see Temperate Agroforester, January 1997). Growing consumer demand for ginseng and other medicinal herbs has created an opportunity for private owners of deciduous forestland, nut orchards or fast-growing tree plantations to produce a lucrative cash crop from the land prior to tree harvest. Besides ginseng, there are other shade-dependent medicinal herbs for which markets are expanding.
Herb Crops:
Although many different understory plants can be grown in a forested environment for “special forest products,” this article will focus on some of the perennials native to eastern and central North America whose roots or rhizomes are harvested and sold for their reputed medicinal properties. These plants include black cohosh (Cimicifuga racemosa), blue cohosh (Caulophyllum sp.), bloodroot (Sanguinaria canadensis), may-apple (Podophyllum peltatum), false unicorn root (Chamaelirium luteum) and, perhaps best known, goldenseal (Hydrastis canadensis).
Wild Crafted Herbs
At present, most of the supply of these plants is “wild-crafted” or collected from the wild. Due to increasing demand and high prices, some indigenous populations are being impacted by over-harvesting. American ginseng (Panax quinquefolius), goldenseal and other herbs are listed as “At Risk” by the group United Plant Savers, and several states officially ban their harvest. However, all are adaptable to cultivation in forest farming enterprises.
Marketing:
Like any crop, markets for medicinal herbs are subject to the laws of supply and demand, and can be particularly volatile. Long before planting, forest farmers should thoroughly investigate which plants, among those adaptable to the microclimate and soils of their site, are most likely to be profitably grown. Establishing contacts with potential buyers before planting is essential to success.
Oregon Wild Harvest Farm
Wholesale buyers for forest-grown fresh or dried herbs may be found among commercial growers or processors. Several national trade organizations for the herbal business publish directories of buyers and processors (see information sources below). Oregon’s Wild Harvest (OWH) is an example of a company which not only buys, grows and collects herbs, but also adds value by processing them for both retail and wholesale markets. on their farm located near Portland, Oregon, OWH currently grows about 60 plant species. They buy both domestic and imported herbs, and collect other plants from native populations in the Northwest. Their on-site processing plant packages over 130 botanical and medicinal herbs for sale under their own brand and for several supermarket chains.
Organically Grown:
OWH is certified by Oregon Tilth (a third-party organic certifier) as both an organic grower and processor. According to OWH President, Randy Buresh, demand for organically grown medicinal herbs is increasing as more supermarkets begin to carry organic produce. “While the general public doesn’t fully understand the difference between certified organic and conventionally-grown herbs,” he said, “more people are becoming concerned about the potential concentration of applied chemicals in the roots of plants which are used for medicinal purposes.”
Since buyers like OWH will often pay more for organically-grown herbs than for conventionally-grown, forest farmers may want to explore organic certification for the portion of their land used for herb production. For example, the wholesale price for certified organic goldenseal is currently $70 per pound (dried) versus only $40 per pound for conventionally grown or wildcrafted. While national standards for organic production are being developed, growers and processors currently rely on either independent certifiers (e.g., Oregon Tilth, California Certified Organic Farmers, etc.) or, in some states, public agencies. Certification generally requires a three year transition period after last use of prohibited materials on or near the land to be used for organic production. Interested forest farmers can obtain more information about organic standards and the costs and procedures for certification from the private and public certifiers in their state.
