Medicinal Plant Propagation - Learning Resources

~By Erin LaFaive 

Saving the seeds from healthy plants is an ancient tradition in many cultures. Most seed saving is done for food, not medicinal purposes.
         
At HWB, we feel that our native medicinal seeds are just as important to save as food seeds. So many of our native medicines are in jeopardy if being lost due to over harvesting and land development. Mother Nature knows what these seeds and plants need to thrive. Many medicinal plants need particular needs to activate the seed to germinate.  Many of them need a double dormancy that Mother Nature does best.
         
In order to save seed one must grow the plant successfully first. Many herb seeds need specific treatment to break the dormancy of the seed. The resources below not only provide information about growing medicinal plants, but also are valuable resources on specific needs of how to break seed dormancy.

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The Organic Medicinal Herb Farmer: The Ultimate Guide to Producing High-Quality Herbs on A Market Scale. by Jeff Carpenter with Melanie Carpenter is written for people wanting to learn about growing herbs an several acres, but it also has useful information for the home gardener as well. The authors grow large amounts of herbs on their farm in Eastern USA. 50 herb profiles provided about: growing conditions, propagation, planting considerations, medicinal uses, harvest specifications, postharvest and drying considerations, pests and diseases, and yields.

Looking to purchase this book? Consider supporting Herbalist Without Borders using Amazon Smile. It's the exact same Amazon.com site but they track which organization you want .5% of the proceeds to go to.

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​The Chinese Medicinal Herb Farmer: A Cultivator's Guide to Small-Scale Organic Herb Production by Peg Schafer provides 79 plants profiled with information about: propagation, garden and polyculture planting, suitable companions, field production, pests and di seases, and harvest and yield. This book provides useful information for the home gardener as well.

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Internet resources:
Guide to Saving Herb Seeds by Mountain Rose Blog
Seed Savers Exchange Learning Page