Growing Wholesome Herbs

General sowing information

For seeds of different plant species different sowing recommendations apply. Because of this do make sure to pay close attention to the sowing information on the related product pages. In general it is held that you do not sow the seeds deeper than twice their own size.

A seed which is approximately 1 millimeter in size therefore has to be sown only 2 millimeters deep. And it means you can put a 1 centimeter sized seed 2 centimeters deep in the ground.

Best harvest time

In order to benefit as much as possible from the beneficial ingredients in herbs determining the right time for harvesting is important. This time is different for each part of the plant.

• Leaves: You can collect the leaves during the entire growth season. The growth season in most cases starts in the spring and ends in the autumn. If you want to harvest a lot of plants from a particular species, it is recommendable to prune the plants to half size early in the summer. You can then harvest a second time in the autumn.

• Flowers: The flowers are best picked right after they open.

• Fruits / Seeds / Pits: Pick the fruits, seeds and pits when they are ripe and not shriveled or spoiled.

• Roots: The best time to harvest the roots is after the autumn since by then they will have stored all the significant nutrients.

What is phytotherapy?

Phytotherapy literally means treatment with plants. This includes all treatments which contain only plants, parts of plants or plant materials in a raw or processed state as active ingredients. With these treatments no use is made of substances derived from animals, like honey for instance. The word phytotherapy comes from the Greek words phyton which means plant and therapeia.

Buying dried herbs?

You do not want to grow your own plants and herbs, but would like to take advantage of the many health benefits? In our product range it is also possible to purchase ready-to-use dried herbs with which you can start immediately. You can for instance add the herbs to a meal, but you could also make a healthy tea with it. You can also process the herbs in empty capsules so you can very easily consume a daily dose with being bothered by the taste.

Risks and detrimental effects

Despite the fact herbs are completely natural products, there can indeed be risks and detrimental health effects after using them. Some herbs can be toxic in certain dosages and some can cause an interaction with medications.

Interaction with medications

Some herbal preparations can cause negative effects when taken at the same time as medications. This could mean that the effect of a medication is decreased or rather to the contrary increased,

which could lead from minor to serious side effects occuring.

It is therefore at all times recommendable to confer with a physician, pharmacist or phytotherapist if the intended herb can influence the effect of a prescribed medication. For that matter it could also be that the interaction actually provides beneficial effects.

Herbs which might cause a possible interaction

Below is a list which has been put together by the RIVM (National Institute for Public Health and the Environment ) by order of the NVWA (Netherlands Food and Consumer Product Safety Authority ). On the list herbs are mentioned of which is known that they can cause possible interactions with medications:

• American ginseng (Panax quinquefolius)

• Danshen or red sage (Salvia miltiorrhiza) • Turmeric (Curcuma longa) – Available as dried herb

• Ginkgo or maidenhair tree (Ginkgo biloba)

• Green tea plant (Camellia sinensis)

• Garlic (Allium sativum)

• Milk thistle (Silybum marianum) • St John's-wort (Hypericum perforatum) – Also available as dried herb

• Valerian (Valeriana officinalis) • Coneflower (Echinacea) – Also available as dried herb