Shelf life of dried plants.

Newsgroups: alt.folklore.herbs
Subject: Re: Shelf life of powdered herbs
From: HeK.hetta.pp.fi (Henriette Kress)
Date: Sat, 04 Jan 1997 19:19:56 GMT

>Do herbs loose their potency over time?

Yep.

>For instance, I have a number of bottles of capsules of different herbs, (golden seal, ginsing, valerium, that I have probably had since 1991 or so. Should I toss 'em, or are they just fine.

1991? Hmmm. I'd try the smell of the Valeriana, if it's still potent use it. Can't say about goldenseal or ginseng.

>Is there any rule of thumb as to how long they typically retain their potency? ....

Shelf life of dried whole plants:

Flowers and other really perishable plant parts: 3 - 6 months
Leaves: 6 - 12 months (some plants up to 18 months)
Roots, fruit: 12 - 36 months (some plants longer).

It helps to keep plants in a tight glass jar in a dark cupboard.
It helps to keep plants as whole as possible. If you grind them to a powder you'll end up with plants with shelf lifes about ¼ to ½ of above.

And, if you -buy- your plants, there's no saying for how long they've been on the shelves before you even got 'em... so pick your own, and don't pick more than you need for one year, unless you tincture.

Henriette

Newsgroups: alt.folklore.herbs
Subject: Re: Shelf life of powdered herbs
From: JWell.cwo.com (Jacob's Well)
Date: Mon, 06 Jan 1997 08:07:33 GMT

>1991? Hmmm. I'd try the smell of the Valeriana, if it's still potent use it. Can't say about goldenseal or ginseng.

I'll pop in here..if the herbs are in dark containers and from 1991, and good quality..then they should be fine. Most companies put the herbs in dark or opaque containers. Most herbs last in this way for 3-5 years.

If those are your conditions, then I would keep them and use them..if not...then I would probably still use them, just double up on what I took.

Janine