You Can Make Money Harvesting and Selling Botanicals
(Page 2 of 4)
September/October 1977
By the Mother Earth News editors
Of course, the chances of your coming across 200 pounds ($100 worth) of May apple root in a single day aren't all that good. You should, however, be able to find worthwhile quantities of several different plants in the course of a week. Exactly how much money you make in this business depends, then, on both the abundance (and type) of botanicals in your area . . . and how hard you're willing to work to find 'em. And, quite frankly, the price of many medicinal plants is as high as it is today simply because most folks are now too lazy to find'em and dig'em.
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HOW TO GET STARTED
If you think you'd like to try your hand at collecting and selling botanicals, the first thing you should do is write to several herb buyers (see the list of addresses that accompanies this article). They'll send you their current price sheets, along with information on which part(s) of the various herbs (i.e., the leaves versus the roots) to gather, how to prepare your harvest for sale, and any special herbal needs the companies might have at the moment.
Next, get your hands on one or more of the following books: The Herbalist by J.E. Meyer; Ginseng and Other Medicinal Plants by A.R. Hardingand Douglas B. Elliott's Roots: An Underground Botany and Forager's Guide . . . all of which are available from any good bookstore These books will tell you-in words and pictures-where the common medicinal herbs can be found, what they look like, when they can be harvested, etc.
Of course, as good as the above books are, they're no substitute for the advice of an experienced forager (or "senger", as the folks who specifically hunt ginseng are called). If you know of a practicing root- or herb-hunter in your area, try to strike up an acquaintance. Maybe-if you're patient, and if the individual is willing to show you his or her favorite hunting grounds (which is not likely)-you'll be taken on as an apprentice. It may not work . . . but it's worth a try.
TOOLS OF THE TRADE
The only tools you'll need for botanical foraging are a shovel, a corn knife, and a bushel basket or gunny sack in which to stash the harvest. In addition to the above pieces of equipment, I like to tote along a potato fork, a good-sized pocketknife, and (when I'm harvesting thorny plants) some work gloves. You'll find the additional tools that suit you best, I'm sure, after a few foraging sessions.
DIFFERENT STRATEGIES FOR DIFFERENT FOLKS
Quite a few botanical-hunters like to restrict their foraging efforts to just the higher-priced medicinal plants . . . the idea being that it's better to look a little longer and (possibly) wind up with a "catch" that's more than worth the extra time spent searching. Retired factory worker Bill Skaggs of St. James, Missouri-one of my few local "competitors"-falls into this category. He makes $150 to $200 per year hunting ginseng and goldenseal . . . and he refuses to "fool" with any botanicals that bring less than a dollar a pound.
