Alternative Nature Online Herbal is intended to be a starting place to learn about herbs, especially those found in the wild that are used for herbal medicine. Most of the focus of my writings are the medicinal herbs that I gather and use as home remedies in my every day life. There are also many other writers on this site, with various opinions and a wide range of herbal knowledge.

The Herbal Remedy used for Herpes, (Prunella Vulgaris)

Jewelweed Flower

  There are many common medicinal plants in the wild which can be harvested. Some of the invasive herbs that can be harvested here are dock, passionflower, yarrow, poke, rabbit tobacco, evening primrose just to name a few.

For the most part the woodland herbs should not be harvested unless one is propagating plants and actively seeing to the wellness of the plant population. When I harvest Jewelweed , (considered an invasive in much of the state)  I only take the tops of the plants in most cases. Jewelweed is an annual herb and will not maintain a healthy stand (by that I mean a dependable yearly harvest) if it is pulled up by the roots instead of leaving part of the plant to reseed.

See United Plant Savers for more information about endangered medicinal herbs.  Herbs have been used for healing since the beginning of time. A large percentage of prescription medicines are plant based, so propagation of endangered medicinal plants is necessary to our future survival. It takes a long time to restore habitats, and there is no way to bring back extinct medicinal herb species.   Once you have read my disclaimer at the bottom of this page, feel free to email your questions about herbs to karen@altnature.com . If you want me to take time to write back, please take the time to read my disclaimer at the bottom of the page, along with the added comments.

   I cannot not answer questions that pertain to diagnosing, treating or curing any disease. My specialty is learning about herbs, not your anatomy. My answers are only my personal opinions and I encourage you to study many different sources to learn about herbs and their uses.

Please read Herbal Questions and Answers before emailing your question If I cannot provide the herbal information you are looking for, I hope I can guide you in the right direction. Or join me on Facebook, I post herbal information every few days and answer questions on my fan page.

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Herbal Links 

  Our huge directory of hand picked quality herbal sites.  A great reference as we only feature sites that have useful and interesting content about herbs, plants, alternative medicine, herbal remedies and other subjects of interest to my readers.  This is also the place to look for courses on Herbalism.

Ginseng

  Ginseng is a "good herb". We should keep our ginseng in North America. Much of the wild supply sold to dealers goes to Asia because they have exhausted their domestic Ginseng supply. Ginseng is known to have many herbal health benefits. I'm a believer! 
Click here to read more about Ginseng    

My Free Ginseng and Other Herb Videos Will be back on sooon.