Herb Pharm In the News

Occasionally, the media will pen a story about us, or we’ll contribute a quote or background facts to an article of interest. Either way, the news pieces below provide interesting insight into Herb Pharm and the broader world of medicinal herbs.

STILL HERBAL AFTER ALL THESE YEARS Numen: The Nature of Plants
Numen, defined as the animating force in nature, is a full-length documentary film focusing on the healing power of plants, and contains interviews with Herb Pharm co-founder Ed Smith. Featuring stunning footage of medicinal plants and thought-provoking interviews, the film calls for a re-awakening of traditional knowledge about plants and their uses. Clicking the link takes you to the Numen site where you may preview a clip of the film.

Herbal renaissance: Herbal remedies are hotter than ever (September 2008)
Sarah Lemon discusses popular herbal trends with Herb Pharm's owners Sara Katz and Ed Smith for Healthy Living Magazine.

Herb Pharm’s Success Story One of Many Told at Annual Get-together (June 2008)
by Susan Goracke reprinted courtesy of the Grants Pass Daily Courier

Medicinal Herbs Increasingly At Risk (June 2007)
by Edith Decker, reprinted courtesy of the Grants Pass Daily Courier

Still Herbal After All These Years (April 2006)
An interview with Herb Pharm's founder, Ed Smith, in Herb Companion (formerly Herbs For Health) magazine.

Herb Pharm Featured in "Save the Herbs!" article in The Herb Companion (April 2005)
This informative article is written by Laurel Vukovic and offers practical ways that you can work with the earth for your health and a healthy ecology. There is also information about United Plant Savers, how to establish a botanical sanctuary, and our own Sara Katz, co-owner of Herb Pharm, discusses ways to ensure the survival of native plants.

Get Back Your Get-Up-and-Go with Maca (December 2005)
Herb Pharm's "Herbal Ed" Smith is featured along with his photos in this article published in The Herb Companion.

Herb Pharm: Setting a sustainable tone for the herb industry (April 2004)
In an article for PCC Sound Consumer, Cameron Woodworth writes about Herb Pharm's committment to sustainability and environmentally sound business practices.

Herb Alert (July 2003)
As featured in Country Living Magazine, Herb Pharm is weighs in on medicinal herbs that are " At-Risk" in the wild due to their increased popularity.

Herb Pharm’s Success Story One of Many Told at Annual Get-together
by Susan Goracke reprinted courtesy of the Grants Pass Daily Courier

When Herb Pharm owners Sara Katz and Ed Smith moved to Southern Oregon from Florida 30 years ago to grow medicinal herbs, they were "two hippies trying to avoid getting a job," Smith said.

The couple picked Williams south of Grants Pass for its ideal herb-growing climate and its proximity to the Illinois Valley's Kalmiopsis Wilderness, one of the most botanically diverse areas in the world, Smith added.

At first, Katz and Smith harvested wild herbs and bottled their own extracts in their kitchen.

"We were in the business 10 years before we had our first business plan," Smith added.

Thanks to a renewed interest in all things natural and the explosion of the herbal and mineral supplements industry, the timing was right for Herb Pharm to grow and prosper into a multi-million-dollar business.

"Of the top 100 herbs in the United States, we sell 40 of them," Smith noted.

Today, the couple's business has grown to include an 85-acre organic farm, a 16,000-square-foot production warehouse about two miles away and 75 employees.

"We've always been on a mission," Smith added. "Money was never really our priority, but it sort of happened."

Herb Pharm's success story was one of many told Wednesday night at Southern Oregon Regional Economic Development Inc.'s annual dinner to celebrate 21 innovative companies throughout the Rogue Valley.

Each of the honored businesses had set up displays around the large meeting room at Medford's Red Lion Inn and were available to talk and showcase their products or services to the close to 265 people in attendance.

Josephine County businesses were well represented.

Medicinal Herbs Increasingly At Risk
Edith Decker, Courtesy of the Daily Courier

WILLIAMS — You might be surprised at some of the plants on the United Plant Savers list.

Goldenseal, echinacea, American ginseng and wild yam are among the medicinal plants considered at risk by the group. Oregon grape and white sage are among the 22 plants on the "to watch" list.

As more people are discovering herbs, the herbs that grow in the wild are put in harm's way as they're harvested, say Sara Katz of the Herb Pharm and Richo Cech of Horizon Herbs.

Herb companies like theirs try to keep up with demands, but they also encourage home gardeners to "grow their own."

"Conservation through cultivation is what we call it," Cech adds. It's the idea that herbs in the wild will be left alone to thrive if people cultivate their own.

To that end, the Herb Pharm plans to host a United Plant Savers conference on July 14. Called "Planting the Future," the conference includes classes and hands-on activities. A tour of some of the herb farms in the area is set for July 15. Registration to attend is $70.

Attendees are expected from around the West, but the conference will provide locals with a great chance to learn more about medicinal herbs, Katz says.

Space is virtually unlimited for the conference.

Call (802) 476-6467 or register online at www.unitedplantsavers.org.

"UpS is a very grass roots organization. It's about 1,000 people," Katz says.

The nonprofit organization's goal is to support herb farms and herbalists, but also to "encourage people to grow (endangered herbs) so they continue to exist," she adds. Also, to "turn their property into a bit of a sanctuary" for rare plants, particularly medicinal herbs.

"A lot of these plants have not been grown as garden plants or as harvest plants," Katz says, adding that it's taken time to figure out how to transform them from wild plants into a harvest plant to supply the herbal medicine business.

Over the years, gardeners and herb growers have observed the plants they want to cultivate in nature, then tried to make their growing habitats similar.

Cech, the author of a book about growing rare medicinals, says herbs often grow in "waste places — and thrive there." While helping save these plants, then, you can also solve a gardening problem.

"Most of these are slow-growing perennials," Cech says. "It takes years."

But the pay-off will be two-fold. You'll have helped save an endangered plant and also be able to harvest herbs for your health. (That part of the process requires training.)

In addition to gardeners around the country growing patches of rare medicinal herbs, UpS supports 360 acres in the Appalachian forest, an area known for its variety of medicinal plants.

"It's a living seed bank," Cech says, noting that the the land includes a medicine trail. It's part of the UpS sanctuary project. They give grants to public educational projects that help teach about herbs and saving rare plants.

UpS holds several conferences each year in various parts of the country. This is the third that Williams area herb growers have hosted.

Anyone can join UpS — membership costs $35 a year — and members receive a journal twice a year and sometimes free seeds and plant offers. See the UpS site at www.unitedplantsavers.org or call (802) 476-6467 for information.

Like to cultivate some herbs? Start with these…

If you’re interested in growing your own herbs, Sara Katz and Richo Cech suggest starting with the following plants. If you can’t find them locally, they include resources for finding them. Note that a knowledge of herb preparation is needed before using herbs for medicinal purposes.

A ‘starter’ herb garden:

BLACK COHOSH: Also called black snakeroot and black bugbane, its Latin designation is Cimicifuga racemosa.
“It’s very easy to grow” and “beautiful and elegant,” Katz says. It grows in partial sun or shade. Black cohosh has become popular to treat women’s reproductive system problems and menopause.

ECHINACEA: Also easy to grow, this immune system booster is so popular that supplies are becoming limited. Many species are available.
GOLDENSEAL: A shade plant from the Eastern forests of America in the Canadensis family, goldenseal is a popular plant because of its multipurpose uses, including as a laxative, digestive aid and anti-inflammatory.
YERBA SANTA: This woody desert dweller is a Southwestern plant used to heal chronic congestion.
BLOODROOT: Another Canadensis, this white-flowered plant’s root is used to treat breathing problems and some skin conditions. But be aware it can be poisonous if used incorrectly.
HOLY BASIL: Also called Krishna Tulsi, this herb is part of the Ayurvedic tradition and is an antifungal, antibacterial and immunity enhancer.
WHITE SAGE: Salvia apiana has white foliage and silver –blue flowering spikes. This sage is valued by Native Americans to make top-quality smudge for cleansing ceremonies.

Protect these plants:

LOMATIUM: “It actually grows all over the place,” Katz says. It’s good for flu symptoms.
TRILLIUM: The white flower is an Oregon classic, but development has made them more difficult to find.
OREGON GRAPE: On the United Plant Savers “To-Watch” list.
ARNICA: A plant more common in higher elevations.
GENTIAN: Many varieties are available.

Resources:

Cech has finished a book called “Growing At-Risk Medicinal Herbs” in cooperation with UpS.
Cech and Katz also suggest identifying plants with either the “Peterson’s Field Guide to Western Medicinal Plant and Herbs” or the similar guide from Foster and Hobbs.
The United States Department of Agriculture keeps an impressive database of native plants with regional maps and photographs. Its home page is at http://plants.usda.gov.
The three sponsors of the conference have Web sites with useful information: The Herb Pharm, Pacific Botanicals and Horizon Herbs. See also the United Plant Savers site at http://www.unitedplantsavers.org.
For information and seeds to start plants, look for seed catalogs from Prairie Moon Nursery, J.L. Hudson Seedsman and Gardens of the Blue Ridge as well as the local business, Horizon Herbs.