case I rejoice in their ability to devote themselves to the healing arts without the constraints of financial issues. However, for most of us it is essential that our herbal practice sustains itself and sustains us, whether that is in a full-time or a part-time capacity. Herbal practitioners who struggle to keep a roof over their family's heads, or food on the table, are unlikely to stay herbal practitioners for long. It always saddens me when I hear about herbalists who decide that they are unable to continue in practice because they cannot support themselves financially. I know how difficult a decision that must have been and how much they must have tried to manage on very limited income before finally giving up.
With that explanatory preamble and non-acquisitive context, let me explain that there are actually sound business reasons for choosing to establish a self-sufficient practice. To build up a dispensary based on home-grown and gathered herbs reduces the requirement for working capital, helps us to maintain stock levels, helps to ensure continuity of supply and reduces costs. Frankly, it may also give our business additional appeal in a world where more and more people wish to source locally, whether that be food or medicines. Remember, the more patients that seek our help, the more people we and our herbs can help. If we find that too many people come to us, we can refer them to fellow practitioners. Either way, we are spreading the healing wonder of herbal medicine.
First, let us look at the issue of working capital requirements. Whether we make handmade herbal products or whether we treat patients, we need to hold some stock of herbs. If we buy these in, we will have to fund that outlay until we get a return on that investment. When I first qualified, like most herbal practitioners, I realized that to build up a good dispensary with many different herbs and tinctures would involve a very significant financial cost, more than I could afford at the time. However, if I could gather and make some of my own medicines, I could substitute labour for capital and build up a wider dispensary within the budget I had available. In the early stages of being in herbal practice we have, in theory, more time available to source our own medicines. I say, ‘in theory’, because in my case I was actually working two other part-time jobs in order to make ends meet. It is true that there is a cost, known as opportunity cost, to the time that we spend gathering and processing herbs, because we could be using that time to do other things. However, if we love herbs, the time we spend working with them can be viewed as rest, recuperation, and inspiration for the future of our practice.
In comparison to gathering our own herbs, it is relatively costly to buy in herbs from a wholesaler. Part of the cost goes towards their profit, which is fair enough, and we also have to pay for shipping. Often, we need to pay multiple lots of shipping charges, because as companies reduce the volume of stock that they hold and reduce their product lines, it is rare these days to be able to source all that we require from one supplier. We may also be liable for purchase tax, depending where we are in the world. Here in the United Kingdom, herbs are subject to Value Added Tax (VAT). If business turnover exceeds the designated threshold for registration, it becomes mandatory to charge VAT on the products and services that we supply. The threshold changes regularly, so if you are not sure of the current figure, check on the Her Majesty's Revenue and Customs (HMRC) website. If your turnover is below the designated threshold, you can still voluntarily register your herbal business for VAT, enabling you to claim back the VAT that you have paid on inputs such as herbs. This may make sense if you are a manufacturing business buying in a lot of herbs and packaging, especially if you can readily increase product prices without affecting your sales volume. If your main focus is on providing consultations, then you should be aware that if you register for VAT, you will need to start to charge VAT on your consultations, and you will have to pay this amount to HMRC. This means that it will be necessary to increase your consultation charges immediately by the amount of VAT that you will need to pay in order to maintain the level of gross income from consultations that you had prior to registering. This may not be a problem in some areas where there is a higher ‘willingness to pay’, but if you like to make your services as accessible as possible and you are based in an area where the average income is low, you may wish to think twice about this.
If we love herbs, the time we spend working with them can be viewed as rest, recuperation, and inspiration for the future of our practice.
I am sure that I am not the only one who prefers to spend time harvesting and gathering herbs in preference to ordering, packing, and posting prescriptions.
If creating a dispensary from scratch is prohibitively expensive, there is a perfectly valid school of thought that opts to hold only minimal stock and then order new supplies from wholesalers as needed, once each patient consultation has been carried out. However, a just-in-time stock control system does entail much more time spent ordering, packing, and posting, not to mention increased delivery costs (and the associated environmental impact) from the wholesaler. I am sure that I am not the only one who prefers to spend time harvesting and gathering herbs in preference to ordering, packing, and posting prescriptions.
We should also consider what our potential customers want. More and more people are excited by the idea of low food (or medicine) miles and like to feel that their herbal medicine has been grown or wildcrafted in the area local to where they are being treated. Most of my herbal medicines have been sourced within two miles of my clinic, and many of my patients mention this as something that first attracted them to my practice. By sourcing some or all of our own herbs, we may well be increasing our appeal to potential customers, and as a result of this we can bring herbal medicine to more people who need it.
PART TWO
HOW TO BE SELF-SUFFICIENT
6
Wildcrafting
Gathering medicinal herbs is a wonderful, magical activity. It is glorious to wander through wild places with an open heart and an empty basket, waiting to see which herbs will announce themselves. Our ancestors gathered wild foods and medicines. Gathering is in our bones.
When I lead foraging courses, I see the strength of our pull to gather herbs. Sometimes during our shared day of exploration and learning we pause in a meadow, and I set the group the task of gathering a particular herb, such as Red Clover (Trifolium pratense) flowers or Plantain (Plantago spp.) leaves. For many people, this may be the first time that they have actually settled into gathering any quantity of a particular herb. They tell me afterwards that when they first came to the gathering location, they could see that there were a few of the plants that we were intending to gather, but there did not seem to be many of them. Once they started to gather, they looked around the area, and they realized that the plants were becoming much more visible and prominent. Suddenly what looked as though it would be ‘slim pickings’ became an abundant natural medicine chest. You could describe this as ‘getting your eye in’, or you could say that the herbs ‘call to you’. It does not really matter what terms you use. The point is that as human beings we learn foraging quickly. We have an aptitude for it. It is also interesting to note that foraging course attendees often embark on the gathering task with sociable enthusiasm, enjoying the opportunity to get to know their fellow course attendees. Over time, though, they seem to drift apart, each finding their own little ‘territory’ for gathering and relaxing into a quiet, reflective rhythm. When the time comes for the group to move on, I notice that people find it hard to tear themselves away, feeling a deep urge to bend down to just pick one or two more flowers or leaves. I feel this too, whenever I am gathering. There is such a strong pull to pick just one more handful or just another couple of stems.
