Questions to Ask Before Buying Herbs with Ann Armbrecht

Where do your herbs really come from? What happens before they land in your tea cup, tincture bottle, or spice jar?

The journey from seed to shelf is full of twists and turns, and the choices we make as herbalists and consumers can shape that journey in meaningful ways.

In this episode, I’m talking with Ann Armbrecht, the author of Following the Herbal Harvest. Ann has spent years exploring the global herbal supply chain, and she’s sharing four essential questions to ask before buying herbs—questions that can help you make more informed, ethical, and high-quality choices.

And because Ann is wonderful, she’s also offering listeners a free excerpt of her book! You can find it in the resource section below. Honestly, I think this book should be required reading for everyone who loves herbs! 

By the end of our conversation, you’ll know:

🌿 Why an organic certification isn’t a golden ticket—but why it still matters

🌿 How the choices of farmers, suppliers, and consumers are all connected in a web of well-being

🌿 A simple but powerful question to ask yourself before purchasing any herb

🌿 …and plenty more thoughtful insights that might just change the way you see your herbal allies.

For those of you who don’t know her, Ann Armbrecht, PhD, an anthropologist, is the director of the Sustainable Herbs Initiative. She is the author of Following the Herbal Harvest: A Search for the Healing Promise of Plant Medicines (previously published under the title, The Business of Botanicals: Exploring the Healing Promise of Plant Medicines in a Global Industry) that documents her journey following herbs from seed to shelf. She is also the co-producer of the documentary Numen: The Healing Power of Plants and the author of the award-winning ethnographic memoir Thin Places: A Pilgrimage Home, based on her research in Nepal. Ann was a 2017 Fulbright-Nehru Scholar documenting the supply chain of medicinal plants in India and she now lives with her family in central Vermont. 

Grab a cozy cup of tea, settle in, and join us for this fascinating conversation!

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Get full show notes and more information at: herbswithrosaleepodcast.com

For more behind-the-scenes of this podcast, follow @rosaleedelaforet on Instagram!

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On the podcast, we explore the many ways plants heal, as food, as medicine, and through nature connection. Each week, I focus on a single seasonal plant and share trusted herbal knowledge so that you can get the best results when using herbs for your health.

Learn more about Herbs with Rosalee at herbswithrosalee.com.

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Rosalee is an herbalist and author of the bestselling book Alchemy of Herbs: Transform Everyday Ingredients Into Foods & Remedies That Heal and co-author of the bestselling book Wild Remedies: How to Forage Healing Foods and Craft Your Own Herbal Medicine. She's a registered herbalist with the American Herbalists Guild and teaches many popular online courses. Read about how Rosalee went from having a terminal illness to being a bestselling author in her full story here.