H erbal traditions. For thousands of years, herbs have been used as potent medicines. In spite of the fact that modern pharmaceuticals have supplanted some of the traditional uses of herbs, 80% of the world population continues to use herbs as their primary means of medical treatment. This is not to diminish the importance of pharmaceuticals (the majority of which are plant based) but merely to put herbal medicine into a global context. Plants are sophisticated chemical factories and herbs are full of pharmacological agents. For thousands of years traditional herbalists, healers, root doctors, shamans, and medicine men and women have passed on a rich tradition of medical knowledge. When herbs are used therapeutically within the context of a cultural healing tradition, they are used safely. But when the use of herbs becomes separated from their cultural and historical context they can be misused. For that reason, this page is dedicated to reviewing some of the principles for the wise use of herbs.

One of the main reasons for using herbs therapeutically is based on consideration of the Hippocratic Oath of Primum non nocere ("First do no harm"). No treatment should be administered which causes harm. In general, herbal medicines offer a wider range of safety than do pharmaceuticals, and they do less harm. There is a big difference between the therapeutic possibilities of extracts of whole plants versus the therapeutic possibilities of pharmaceuticals. This situation presents a healthy challenge to modern allopathic medicine, and should serve to stimulate more research on the healing properties of herbs. Regardless of what type of healing tradition is used, it is better to give no medication at all than to use medication indiscriminately.

Starting seeds is easy, fun and can be very rewarding. All one needs is a little soil, sand, vermiculite, a container, egg or cottage cheese carton, a warm, bright spot, and the seed. Then follow-up watering to keep the seed moist until it germinates. Our new vegetable seed selection recommends only select culinary varieties, including some from our breeding program. All seeds must be untreated and grown organically, ecologically, or conventionally. All seeds must be open-pollinated, non-gmo varieties, for gardeners, herb growers, and herbalists with a fine selection of seeds, plants.