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.	Environmental Concerns by, Michael Volchok Environmental concerns of the plants themselves is very important. Some plants have been collected so extensively that their lives are threatened in the wild. There are even locations where the overpicking of herbs has completely eliminated some species. Wild ginseng root, Goldenseal root, Lady Slipper root, and False Unicorn are just a few of the plants that are in threat of being over harvested. Over the years we have formed alliances with wildcrafters to assure they are not adding to the over harvesting problem. We have also helped support farmers and small growers who cultivate many of these threatened plants. We have our own Echinacea angustifolia and Goldenseal acreage and work with other growers, buying cultivated Black Cohosh, and many other herbs. There are lots of good and concerned people doing this type of work. Together we hope to be able to convince more large manfacturers of the ethics and wisdom of supporting farmers in their quest to grow popular medicinal herbs.