Michael's Stories | Martha's Stories | Shalom's Stories

President & Co-Founder Michael Volchok shares his stories

Today: Michael relaxing in a field of Dandelions
Birth of Blessed Herbs Twenty years ago and struggling to support 4 children, we were asked to pick Mullien and bought groceries with the $30... Read more. I like the woods The thoughts of humankind, the pressures of our small mindedness and the vibrations of our busy lives have not been laid down there... Read more. My first experience with herbs All the infection left his leg and the wound drained naturally, I became a believer... Read more. My personal pain and hope. I have lived most of my life with a deep uneasiness that never allowed me any real lasting peace. Yet, I am finding that I have hope, despite these old and crusted patterns of behavior. Read more. More stories by Michael - Drying our first herbs - Searching for true species - Washing roots - Our first powder machine - Our first liquid extracts - About my wife Martha - Pricing herbs - Advice on buying herbs - Handling & Storing herbs - Where we find our herbs - Environmental Concerns - Where we are today - Go lightly , Go simply.	Where we Find Our Herbs by, Michael Volchok You might find it of interest to know just where our herbs come from and how we find them. From the beginning of Blessed Herbs we have sought out individuals and companies that have been in the business of harvesting the wild medicinal plants and who had organic farms. Sometimes we found them and sometimes they found us. Whenever we came across someone who had some plants we needed we traveled to where they lived and saw first hand how these collectors lived, where the plants lived and what kind of relationship these people had with their environment and the plant world. We would sometimes go out and gather herbs with them and just talk, eat, and visit, always looking to see the spirit at work joining our hands with their hands. Sometimes everything jelled and sometimes it didn't. Martha always comes alive when we get ourselves deep into the "wild country" as she calls it. We don't mind a short walk in Manhanttan now and then, but give us a country creek, way down some hollow with a couple of coon dogs around and we blossom just like the flowers getting their morning sun. Corny? You bet! But I wouldn't trade it for the world. Over the years we've even watched several of our closest plant collecting allies die (Marvin, Lee and John, among others) and we wish them well. Among states we have traveled to Washington, Oregon, California, Utah, Montana, Wyoming, New Mexico, Nebraska, Kansas, Texas, Georgia, Florida, Illinois, Tennessee, Kentucky, Ohio, and Pennsylvania. We have found great herb sources in Canada, Mexico, England, France, Australia, New Zealand, Chile, China, Costa Rica, Brazil, Africa, Spain, Israel, Egypt, India, Jamaica, Italy and many other foreign countries. In every case, our secret has been maintaining open, honest, and trusting relationships with these people. This allows us to be sure of the quality and integrity of the herbs they produce. We also try to pay enough money so the people collecting the herbs can feel a dignity about their lives and their work. All this is not always easy, but we are determined to keep establishing better communications and relationships with everyone who supplies the herbs we buy. Also of concern to us is the effect wild harvesting has on the plant populations. Because of this, we continue to support small organic farmers in their efforts to grow medicinal herbs. We have partnered with growers in Costa Rica, Jamaica and the United States. We have also established relationships with many others who are involved in supporting the efforts of organic growers.