Self-Sufficient Herbalism. Lucy Jones

(Mandragora officinarum)

      Another herb that is difficult to source commercially, at least in the United Kingdom, is Poplar (Populus tremuloides) bark. In the twentieth century Populus tremuloides was widely used as a tonic in traditional herbal medicine. Edith Barlow taught me the value of this herb thanks to her own chain of teaching on this, which is at least 250 years old. I am someone who unashamedly loves lineage, and this appeals to me greatly. It feels an enormous privilege to have been taught this traditional way of using Poplar bark and to be able to use it in my own practice. However, it seems that these days Populus tremuloides seems to be rarely stocked by herbal suppliers, and the only way that I can reliably continue to use this herbal medicine is to wildcraft it myself.

      Culver's Root

      It is understandable that wholesale suppliers have to maintain a catalogue that allows them to stay economically viable, but as a practitioner I think it is sad that our prescribing practices can be moulded by market forces rather than therapeutic efficacy and tradition. By growing or gathering our own herbs, we have the option of preserving traditional ways of prescribing and maintaining access to certain less used species.

      The supply of herbs can also be interrupted in unpredictable ways by market forces and climatic quirks. Even seemingly very common herbs, such as Calendula (Calendula officinalis) flowers, can be affected. I remember the world shortage of Calendula flowers in the summer of 2015. This was apparently due to a crop failure, but at the time I was completely unaware of the shortage, as I had been lucky enough to have a bumper crop on my allotment. With my attitude of gathering and storing extra when supplies are abundant, I had gathered and stored plenty. In 2017, inexplicably, it was Caraway (Carum carvi) seed that was very scarce. I never found out why. As this is a herb that I have to buy in and use regularly, I was very concerned about this. In the end, I only managed to maintain medicinal supplies for my patients by buying in Caraway in small retail packs. I suppose culinary suppliers must have had bigger stock piles.

      Even when herbs are available in theory, shipments can be delayed and can be held back in suppliers’ warehouses while quality control checks are carried out. If a shipment is rejected, there will be long delays while replacement supplies are ordered. If there are delays in availability of a particular herb, then as practitioners we must spend many hours contacting various suppliers to try to find supplies. If we are unsuccessful in this endeavour, continuity of patient treatment can be affected. We can, of course, use our skill and training to substitute other herbs with similar actions if necessary, but I think that it is always preferable to have access to the original herb that we felt drawn to prescribe.

      I am completely in awe of the work that is put in by herbal wholesalers to maintain continuity of supply for their customers, but to rely purely on buying in herbs may leave us more vulnerable to shortages. This is especially worrying as we may only discover wider shortages once it is too late to rectify them. To grow or gather our own herbs allows us to choose which ones we want to work with and to strive to make sure that we have enough of them.

      In summary then, growing and gathering our own herbs enables us to anticipate what we will require for the year ahead and grow or gather sufficient for our needs. This allows us to be shielded from sudden changes in the availability of wholesale herbs due to regulatory changes, differing crop yields or prescribing fashions. We can maintain populations of herbs that have fallen out of common use so that in the future we still have the option to bring them back into the fold if circumstances demand or allow it.

      5

      Favourable business model

      I have deliberately chosen to talk about business and financial aspects last in this ‘why’ section of the book. I want to emphasize that I believe that the reasons for choosing a self-sufficient model of practice are much larger and much more important than purely financial ones.

      I am glad to say that no one I have ever met has gone into herbal medicine with the primary motivation of making money. In my view, herbal medicine is a spiritual path on which the focus of our motivation is to help others achieve better health. If our motivation is only to generate wealth, then, I feel, this is a very unhealthy basis for therapeutic practice. I do believe, though, that economic viability is a perfectly valid secondary consideration on the basis that we have to survive and thrive in order to be in a position to help our patients effectively.

      We are all in different positions as regards our need for financial sustenance. Some people may be able to leave the question of economic viability completely out of the equation, in which case I rejoice in their ability to devote themselves to the healing arts without the constraints of financial issues. However, for most of us it is essential that our herbal practice sustains itself and sustains us, whether that is in a full-time or a part-time capacity. Herbal practitioners who struggle to keep a roof over their family's heads, or food on the table, are unlikely to stay herbal practitioners for long. It always saddens me when I hear about herbalists who decide that they are unable to continue in practice because they cannot support themselves financially. I know how difficult a decision that must have been and how much they must have tried to manage on very limited income before finally giving up.

      With that explanatory preamble and non-acquisitive context, let me explain that there are actually sound business reasons for choosing to establish a self-sufficient practice. To build up a dispensary based on home-grown and gathered herbs reduces the requirement for working capital, helps us to maintain stock levels, helps to ensure continuity of supply and reduces costs. Frankly, it may also give our business additional appeal in a world where more and more people wish to source locally, whether that be food or medicines. Remember, the more patients that seek our help, the more people we and our herbs can help. If we find that too many people come to us, we can refer them to fellow practitioners. Either way, we are spreading the healing wonder of herbal medicine.

      First, let us look at the issue of working capital requirements. Whether we make handmade herbal products or whether we treat patients, we need to hold some stock of herbs. If we buy these in, we will have to fund that outlay until we get a return on that investment. When I first qualified, like most herbal practitioners, I realized that to build up a good dispensary with many different herbs and tinctures would involve a very significant financial cost, more than I could afford at the time. However, if I could gather and make some of my own medicines, I could substitute labour for capital and build up a wider dispensary within the budget I had available. In the early stages of being in herbal practice we have, in theory, more time available to source our own medicines. I say, ‘in theory’, because in my case I was actually working two other part-time jobs in order to make ends meet. It is true that there is a cost, known as opportunity cost, to the time that we spend gathering and processing herbs, because we could be using that time to do other things. However, if we love herbs, the time we spend working with them can be viewed as rest, recuperation, and inspiration for the future of our practice.

      In comparison to gathering our own herbs, it is relatively costly to buy in herbs from a wholesaler. Part of the cost goes towards their profit, which is fair enough, and we also have to pay for shipping. Often, we need to pay multiple lots of shipping charges, because as companies reduce the volume of stock that they hold and reduce their product lines, it is rare these days to be able to source all that we require from one supplier. We may also be liable for purchase tax, depending where we are in the world. Here in the United Kingdom, herbs are subject to Value Added Tax (VAT). If business turnover exceeds the designated threshold for registration, it becomes mandatory to charge VAT on the products and services that we supply. The threshold changes regularly, so if you are not sure of the current figure, check on the Her Majesty's Revenue and Customs (HMRC) website. If your turnover is below the designated threshold, you can still voluntarily register your herbal business for VAT, enabling you to claim back the VAT that you have paid on inputs such as herbs. This may make sense if you are a manufacturing business buying in a lot of herbs and packaging, especially if you can readily increase