Ethical Wildcrafting
with Rosemary Gladstar

Today’s resurgence of herbalism as a healing art is inspiring, yet it brings with it unique concerns for both people and the environment. More and more people harvesting plants in their natural habitats and competition among herbal businesses bring new levels of stress to ecosystems worldwide. It is more important than ever to show our respect for the world around us by following ethical guidelines in wildcrafting and by patronizing businesses that do so as well.

1. Before purchasing herbs it is important to ensure that:

a.		they were organically cultivated.
b.		they were imported.
c.		they were wild-harvested and are not on the At Risk or To Watch list.
d.		a and c

2. ________ is the world’s largest producer of medical plants, but its wild native plants are becoming sparse.

a.		China
b.		India
c.		The United States
d.		Greece

3. ____________________, such as with St. John’s wort, can cause irreparable damage to a plant’s population status.

a.		Making harvesting illegal
b.		The disinterest of drug companies
c.		Sudden surges in popularity
d.		Large scale cultivation

4. True or false: It’s important to remember that bioregional abundance does not ensure a plant’s long-term sustainability.

a.		true
b.		false

5. ___________ is/are the greatest threat to plants.

a.		Habitat loss
b.		Cultivation
c.		Wildcrafting
d.		Herbal imports

6. Plants growing only in select regions, which are in great demand by both herbal and pharmaceutical companies, are of particular concern for ethical wildcrafting today. These include the North American:

a.		goldenseal.
b.		blue and black cohosh.
c.		blood root.
d.		all of the above.

7. We can act as stewards by _____________ existing wild plants and ______________ non-native species.

a.		weeding out; spreading the seeds of
b.		ignoring; spreading the seeds of
c.		spreading the seeds of; weeding out
d.		none of the above

8. Making ___________ is one way to gain the benefits of a plant without disturbing its life cycle or destroying it.

a.		an essential oil
b.		a flower essence
c.		a salad
d.		all of the above

9. In traditional cultures, a person asks permission before:

a.		harvesting herbs.
b.		planting seeds.
c.		drying herbs.
d.		cooking with herbs.

10. Buying _________________ supports the survival of wild plant communities and local farmers.

a.		herbs from third-world countries
b.		wild land herbs
c.		organically cultivated herbs
d.		non-native herbs