Wildcrafting herbs
The best weather for wildcrafting is dry, sunny weather. This is when volatile oil levels are at their highest.
While many of us gather blackberries and mushrooms in the countryside, we can also glean a bunch of medicinal plants such as red clover, rosehips and nettles. There are plenty of valuable medicinal plants indigenous to Australia and New Zealand, but this article focuses more on the plants familiar to Western herbalists, many of which have been imported from Europe. These plants include trees and bushes you commonly find in the countryside and parklands, as well as weeds that insist on growing in many suburban backyards.
WILDCRAFTING GUIDELINES
This may seem obvious but one of the most important pointers to keep in mind when wildcrafting is to double check you are identifying plants correctly. It can be helpful to know the Latin names of plants as common names can apply to more than one plant. A botany or herbal book with clear descriptions, plus photographs or drawings, can be extremely helpful if you’re in doubt.
If you are harvesting an invasive weed, it can be a good chance to clear them out completely while putting them to good use. For other plants, be sure to leave plenty
