Monday, September 4, 2023

When to Harvest Herbs for Medicine

This schedule is specific for my area.  You will need to adjust it somewhat for your location.  I thought it would be a helpful reminder, especially for those herbs whose optimal harvest time isn’t so obvious, like the sagebrush I keep missing out on because it's supposed to be harvested in spring.  It’s just a guideline, not a hard and fast rule about dates.  Refer to the individual herbs for specifics on harvesting and preparations.

·       Year-round

o   Arrow-leaf balsam root (roots)

o   Elder (bark, leaves)

o   Juniper (needles and twigs)

o   Lomatium (roots)

o   Mormon tea (leaves)

o   Oak (inner bark)

o   Rosemary (leaves)

o   Usnea (whole plant)

o   Wheat grass (leaves)

·       Spring

o   Blackberry (leaves)

o   Cattail (pollen)

o   Cinquefoil (leaf, flower, stem, new growth)

o   Dandelion (leaves, when in flower)

o   Hawthorn (flowers and leaves)

o   Isatis (leaves, before flowering; roots of second year plants)

o   Mullein (second year leaves)

o   Peach (blossoms, leaves)

o   Pine (new, green needles)

o   Plantain (leaves, for fresh use)

o   Quaking aspen (unfissured bark, before trees leaf out)

o   Red clover (just as blossoms begin to appear)

o   Sagebrush (just before flowering)

o   Snapdragon (flowers and leaves)

o   Snowball bush (after pruning, inner bark, before leaf buds open)

o   Willow (leaf buds)

·       March

o   Quaking aspen (leaf buds)

·       April

o   Dandelion (leaves, when in flower)

o   Pine (new, green needles)

o   Plantain (leaves, for fresh use)

o   Quaking aspen (unfissured bark, before trees leaf out)

·       May

o   Japanese honeysuckle (flowers)

o   Dandelion (leaves, when in flower)

·       June

o   Arnica

o   Arrowleaf balsamroot (leaves)

o   Dandelion (leaves, when in flower)

o   Elder (flowers)

o   German chamomile (flowers)

o   Goldenrod (flowers and leaves)

o   Japanese honeysuckle (flowers)

o   Peach (leaves)

·       Summer

o   Blackberry (fruit)

o   Cabbage

o   Catnip (when flowers are in full bloom, along with leaves)

o   Cattail (green flower heads)

o   Cinquefoil (leaf, flower, stem, new growth)

o   Comfrey (leaves and flowering tops)

o   Corn silk (silk, before pollination occurs)

o   Dill

o   Echinacea (aerial parts)

o   Eggplant (fruit)

o   Forsythia (leaves)

o   Japanese honeysuckle (leaves)

o   Lamb’s quarter (leaves)

o   Lavender (buds just before they open and leaves)

o   Mallow/hollyhock (leaves)

o   Milk thistle (flower heads, just as they are going to seed)

o   Mullein (flowers, first year leaves)

o   Oregano (leaves, before flowering)

o   Plantain (leaves, for fresh use; for drying for future use, after the flower spike has formed)

o   Pumpkins and other squash (flowers, just as they are about to open)

o   Purslane (leaves)

o   Raspberry (leaves)

o   Russian thistle (stems and leaves)

o   Spearmint (just as flowering begins)

o   Spotted knapweed (leaves, when plant is in flower)

o   Sunflower (flower petals and seed heads, leaves)

o   Thyme (blooming heads)

·       July

o   Bee balm (peak of flowering)

o   Peach (fruit, leaves, seeds)

o   Pumpkin and other squash (flowers)

·       August

o   Calendula (when buds are just opening)

o   Chokecherry (bark)

o   Elder (berries)

o   Gumweed (flowers)

o   Hawthorn (berries)

o   Jimsonweed (flowers and leaves)

o   Lemon balm (leaves, just before flowering)

o   Licorice

o   Lomatium (seeds)

o   Mallow/hollyhock (flowers, when open)

o   Peach (fruit, leaves, seeds)

o   Pumpkin and other squash (flowers, leaves)

·       September

o   Forsythia (unripe fruit)

o   Garlic

o   Gumweed (flowers)

o   Licorice

o   Parsley (roots and seeds, after flowering)

o   Yarrow (roots)

·       Fall

o   Blackberry (roots)

o   Cabbage

o   Bearberry

o   Chokecherry (berries and bark)

o   Chrysanthemum (flowers)

o   Comfrey (roots)

o   Currants and gooseberries (end of season, flowers and leaves)

o   Dandelion (roots, 2 yr old roots more medicinal than 1 year old roots)

o   Echinacea (roots)

o   Elder (roots)

o   Isatis (roots of first year plants)

o   Japanese barberry (roots)

o   Japanese honeysuckle (stems)

o   Juniper (berries, after the first frost)

o   Lamb’s quarter (leaves)

o   Mallow (roots)

o   Mullein (taproots of first year plants)

o   Nasturtium (flowers and leaves)

o   Peach (stem bark, roots)

o   Peony (root)

o   Peppermint (just after flowers begin to emerge)

o   Plantain (leaves, for fresh use; for drying for future use, after the flower spike has formed)

o   Poppy

o   Pumpkins and other squash (seeds, when fruit is fully mature)

o   Quaking aspen (unfissured bark, after leaves have fallen)

o   Snapdragon (flowers and leaves)

o   Snowball bush (inner bark, after leaves turn)

o   Sunflower (roots)

o   Yarrow (flowers and leaves)

o    

·       October

o   Pomegranate (peel)

·       November

o   Valerian (roots)

·       Winter

o   Japanese honeysuckle (stems)

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