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Berberis tincture update.

Submitted by Blog - Henriette on 21 September, 2005 - 10:00
Blog categories: 
Single herbs
Botanical name: 
Berberis vulgaris
Mahonia aquifolium

Remember my berberis tincture?

So I needed some herbs only available from the US (like ginseng leaf). And ordered both barberry (Berberis vulgaris) and Oregon grape root (Mahonia aquifolium) from Blessed Herbs while I was at it, just to see their quality (and I was running out again).

Their "Oregon Grape Root (Mahonia aquafolium" (sic)) is bright yellow.
Their "Barberry Root (Berberis vulgaris)" is brown with a few yellow bits here and there. At least the UK herbal outfit labelled it barberry root bark ...

... argh. So should mahonia root be yellow and barberry root bark brown, as bought in bulk?

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Related entries: Barberry bark - Berberis tincture - Signatures

Comments

Submitted by jim mcdonald (not verified) on 21 September, 2005 - 17:53.

Blessed herbs, eh? You could find better suppliers of bulk herbs. I've gotten some stuff from them and had it be OK, but seen other stuff that was little better than what frontier carries. Of course it was probably all good when they got it, but they deal in such huge quantities that stuff hangs around for awhile, methinks. At amy rate, the last time I ordered from them I asked to know the location the herbs I was getting came from and how long it had been from harvest. They had no idea, and weren't keen on trying to find out for me.

But I won't patronize Blessed herbs at all anymore, not since they sent me a multi-brochure mailing of their super cleansing detox kit, which cost (and I'm not kidding) just under $300. IT came with verysensationaluist literature, as well, about how it removes all kinds of "toxins" and "parasites" and a nice little story about how so and so couldn't believe how much stored toxins he had, and even had pictures of him smiling next to what he cleansed out. nice.

So, no more stuff from them for me; I'd rather not encourage the "We're all toxic & parasite laden" approach to "herbalism".

Submitted by Herbinator (not verified) on 22 September, 2005 - 00:32.

Hmm, ... three things.

I like my Barberry yellow.

I order mostly from Monteagle Herbs now. Quality is exceptional but they are starting to get fussy with payment (probably only is intimidating to newbies and isn't much of a concern with long-time customers).

I blame "toxins" for a lot of evils but no "kit", no matter how expensive, is going to put a dent in them. That's all marketing crap. Some people have no shame.

Submitted by Henriette on 22 September, 2005 - 09:26.

Trouble with other suppliers is, I need to buy from within the EU. Buying from mercadia was an extravaganza, what with duties and so on, and customs were most interested in the contents of my herbal package, nevermind that it's actually ginseng root that's on the prohibited list, not ginseng leaf.

There are herbal bulk houses in the UK. Unfortunately, I haven't found one yet which would know quality berberis (or quality balm of gilead bud). Nor do they carry ginseng leaf, lomatium, osha, or balsamroot, to mention a few.

For barberry, that problem is solved: I'll just pick my own barberry stem bark. The others, hmmm.

As to "cleansing kits": aye, shame on blessed herbs for jumping on the parasite bandwagon.