Plants at risk

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WE’VE COME TO KNOW THEM AND TO LOVE THEM. Herbal remedies, which were largely unknown to many Americans less than five years ago, have become mainstays of our medicine cabinets. Echinacea keeps colds away. Goldenseal steps in when you get hit with a full-blown bug. Black cohosh provides women with natural relief from hot flashes.

But there is growing concern that we’ve come to love these plants far too much. Many practitioners of herbal medicine enjoy the increasing popularity of botanical remedies (Americans spend $3.2 billion a year on herbal supplements, by some estimates), yet these practitioners also recognize that the boom could deplete precious medicinal resources.

To that end, members of United Plant Savers (UpS), a nonprofit organization based in East Barre, Vermont, have identified twenty plants that are at risk of survival and another twenty-two that should be closely watched. Included on the at-risk list are well-known herbal medicines such as echinacea, goldenseal, and black cohosh, as well as lesser-known plants such as helonias root and partridge berry. The UpS watch list includes arnica, mayapple, Oregon grape, and yerba mansa.

Based in Rutland, Ohio, The National Center for the Preservation of Medicinal Herbs is another nonprofit endeavor and one that works closely with UpS and has a similar list. On it are fourteen herbs that center manager Tim Blakley describes as “critical to cultivate.” Cultivation provides the opportunity to leave wild stands alone, he says, as well as consistently produce high-quality herbs that are pesticide-free. Without cultivation, some herbs may be lost forever.

“Native wild plants simply cannot be sustained and meet the needs of the industry,” says Blakley, but adds that “not using an herb is not a solution. What we have to do is cultivate these herbs to have a sustainable supply. The consumer plays a major role in that.”

What’s a concerned consumer to do?

Short of setting up a greenhouse and cultivating your own supply of herbal remedies, how do you become a responsible consumer, one who can enjoy medicinal herbs without worrying whether you’re contributing to their depletion?

Blakley offers some consumer know-how:

Use purchasing power to the herbs’ advantage.

“As consumers, you can dictate quite a bit,” Blakley says. “Ask store owners whether the herbal supplements they sell are cultivated and whether they’re organically grown. For those who don’t sell cultivated and organically grown products, keep asking. Store owners will tell the manufacturers—and when consumers talk, manufacturers listen.”

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