How to Dry Herbs for the Strongest Medicine

Here’s yet another article I wish I’d thought to write before publishing Armageddon Pharmacy.  C’est la vie.

When growing herbs for medicine, we want to do everything possible to ensure we produce the most effective remedies.  After planting in good, fertile soil, in the best location, and with the right amount of water, we’d be fools just to thoughtlessly harvest the herbs. 

Essential to drying herbs for the strongest medicine is first harvesting them at the right time. 

Leaves, Flowers, and Stems

And for the aerial parts of the herb—everything that grows above the ground, that is in the morning, before the sun hits them.

Why is that?

It’s because that’s when the active constituents and essential oils are most concentrated in those parts of the plant.  If they’re harvested later in the day, those most medicinal essences have traveled back down the plant into the stems and roots.  Have you ever noticed that your culinary herbs smell much stronger when you harvest them in the early morning?

Which leads us to the next critical point:  Use a strong pair of scissors to cut the stems.  While it’s heavenly to inhale the fragrance emitted from many of our most medicinal herbs, that divine aroma is also informing us that we have damaged the leaves and they are releasing their oils—the medicine—right now.  Just what we don’t want to happen.  It’s best to handle the leaves and flowers as little as possible.

Roots

Roots are managed entirely differently.  While the aerial parts are harvested in the early morning in spring and summer, when the active constituents are accumulating in the leaves and flowers, medicinal roots are harvested in the fall.  And that’s because it’s the time when the active constituents are making their way down the roots to help preserve the plant through winter.  Since we are working with the roots, it’s important that we’re certain to be working with older plants, at least 3 years old for most.  And for the strongest medicine and best results, wait until after the first frost.  Most herbal roots, like echinacea and dandelion, are best left whole until ready to use.  Others, like Japanese barberry, should be chopped when fresh, or you’ll never be able to cut them down to size. 

Drying Options

Historically, the stems of the herbs were loosely tied together and hung upside down to dry, so that the oils and active constituents would remain in the flowers and leaves rather than flowing back into the stems.  The drying herbs should be out of the sunlight and there should be good airflow. 

If you don’t have the indoor space to hang your herbs, try placing them in a paper bag and hanging them outside, perhaps clipped to a clothesline.  A pillowcase may also work, but probably not in humid areas. 

My favorite way for drying herbs is my dehydrator, for the simple reason that I can control the temperature, which I set to 85-90°F.  A warm, but not hot, temperature and good airflow yield the most reliable, consistent results. 

Storage

After the herbs are thoroughly dried—crispy—it’s time to remove the flowers and leaves from the stem.  And to maintain the greatest medicinal value, we want to keep the leaves and flowers as intact as possible.  You’ve noticed that whole herbs retain flavor better and longer than crushed herbs, right?  The same is true when these herbs are used medicinally—the whole ones retain their medicinal benefits longer than crushed ones.  It’s another reason why you don’t make up tea bags in advance. 

Place the herbs in a canning jar and then vacuum seal it to preserve the active constituents as long as possible.  Store in a cool, dark cabinet.

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