Wildcrafted vs. Farmed Medicinal Plants

The following post is an assignment piece I wrote for a botany and plant identification course during my herbal medicine degree. I discuss the differences between wildcrafted and farmed or domestically grown medicinal plants.

Plants and herbs that are wildcrafted include those that are hand-picked from the natural source as opposed to a farm or garden. Simply put, they are from nature and have had no human assistance in growing. Plants that are grown wildly, tend to be more resilient than those in a garden or a controlled environment. They are taught to compete with other plants for nutrients, sunlight, and water, whereas plants grown on farms or in gardens are typically grouped by species (at least by plants that compliment each other). This natural competition between wildcrafted medicinal herbs creates a higher potency of nutrients (Maison Made, 2023). Most herbs are at their peak when harvested two to three years old. This grants the opportunity for perennials to build up a strong nutrient base. The growth process of perennials can be sped up by farmers to provide the plants with a quicker maturity rate. However, these farmers are then utilizing various chemicals and forced treatments to enhance growth instead of allowing the natural process to occur. Utilizing growth chemicals, can inhibit the development of essential constituents that medicinal plants provide naturally.

Farmed plants are not always considered organic either as they utilize many herbicides, pesticides, and genetic modifications(American Botanicals, 2019). Many farmers integrate treated soils and feed into their practices which again, can lead to the compromission of the natural constituents. Wildcrafted plants are often given the opportunity to undergo a period of rebirth during typical environmental occurances. When a natural event occurs such as an earthquake or wildfire, living organisms begin to appear and regrow quickly. This process is referred to as succession (Bidlack & Janksy, 2023). Natural disasters in the end, can have a positive effect on the environment by allowing the soil to overturn dead matter into new living organisms. Destruction can help rejuvenate the ecosystem which raises potential for more species to bloom as seeds and roots are dispersed. This also gives animals a chance to redeposit soil and mix up ashes, seeds, etc. 

There are other types of cycles that occur in naturally that may not be available in sheltered growing locations such as the nitrogen and carbon cycles. Not all farming locations are closed off from the elements, many attempt to stimulate a ‘natural’ environment. Nevertheless, many herbal companies that I have experienced, create mass-producing greenhouses which complicate the instinctive growth proceedings of plants. An experienced/knowledgeable farmer may alter the environment of any particular location to mimic the many processes of nature, but this cannot be feasible in every location built due to outstanding factors.

What does all of this have to do with plant potency? Like humans, plants have memory (epigenetic memory) that allows them to get through each season (ISAAA Inc., 2020). This may help in acknowledging what nutrients are important to their growth and constituent creation once succession occurs. The older a plant gets and as it advances through life, that epigenetic memory ignites, and quintessential nutrients are produced once again to advance the plant’s life.

Lastly, wildcrafted plants show more potency because of their relationship with adjacent plants and fungi. One relationship has always stuck out to me is mycorrhizae. This relationship transpires between fungi and 95% of land plants (Bidlack & Janksy, 2023). The roots of plants benefit from the fungi for survival as they facilitate water uptake and inorganic ions. The leading number of plants show complicaitons when it comes to absorbing phosphorus. The fungi, are givers in this sense as they readily absorb phosphorus. Many farmers tend to provide plants with conditions that distinguish fungi as it is not deemed useful to their crops. Methyl bromide, which has been banned in America, was once used to castrate the beds which would kill beneficial organisms such as mycorrhizae Bidlack & Jansky, 2023). A process that appears invasive, provides so many nutrients to plants which in turn increases potency. 

References

American Botanicals. (2019). Wildcrafted, Organic, or Conventional Herbs and Botanicals. American Botanicals. https://americanbotanicals.com/wildcrafted-organic-or-conventional-herbs-and-botanicals/ 

Bidlack, J.E., & Jansky, S.H. (2023). Stern’s Introductory: Plant Biology. Roots and Soils: Mycorrhizae. 15. 73-74. McGraw-Hill Education. 

Bidlack, J,E., & Jansky, S.H. (2023). Stern’s Introductory: Plant Biology. Ecology. 15. 473-497. McGraw-Hill Education.

ISAAA Inc. (2020). Plants Have Memories, But How Do Plants Forget? International Service for the Acquisition of Agri-biotech Applications. https://www.isaaa.org/kc/cropbiotechupdate/article/default.asp?ID=18118 

Maison Made Biodynamic Skincare. (2018). Wildcrafted vs. Organic Herbs. Biodynamic Skincare. https://journal.maisonmade.co/en/journal/2018/wildcraftedvsorganicherbs