Why Fresh, Homegrown & Wildcrafted Herbs Are The Way
Hey y’all, Leilani here. I’m currently tucked up on the mountain as the rest of the country is getting some pretty cold winter weather. We have escaped so far and have been enjoying temps in the seventies and sixties. I’m not bragging— I actually MISS snow, being from Illinois. Alas, I cannot complain to not have to be braving the treacherous drifts and icy temps. I’m working hard up here near Potter Valley, California, where the air smells fresh and where my spring flowers are already starting to peek through. However— it’s STILL winter, and you guys are keeping me SO busy shipping out my herbal tinctures to support your immune systems and my tallow butters to keep your skin glowing.
I get asked this a lot: “Leilani, why do you insist on fresh, homegrown, or wildcrafted herbs for everything you make? Can’t I just grab a jar of dried [insert herb] from the health food store?” Fair question. And honestly? You can. Plenty of folks do, and it’s better than nothing. However, if you’ve ever tasted the difference—or felt it in your body—you know there’s something alive in fresh plants that fades when they sit on a shelf for months (or years).
Let me break it down from my hands-in-the-dirt perspective.
1. The Vitality Is Still There
When I harvest motherwort or cleavers or lion’s mane right here from my garden, the land—or forage usnea from the old oaks nearby—that material is pulsing with life. Those delicate volatile compounds, the juicy polysaccharides, the full spectrum of flavonoids and alkaloids… they’re at their peak. Drying is a preservation method, sure, but it drives off a lot of those water-soluble goodies and some of the aromatic “spirit” of the plant. Herbalists that I respect also talk about this “vibrancy” or “energy” that fresh material holds on to. I feel it every time I gather fresh vitex berries from our tree—the colors are brighter, the scents are stronger, the medicine feels… awake.
Store-bought dried herbs? They’re often harvested months (or seasons) ago, shipped long distances, and stored in warehouses. Over time, potency drops. What started as vibrant becomes muted. I’ve seen jars where the color has faded to grayish-brown and the aroma is barely there. That’s not the plant’s full gift.
2. Fresh Allows Me To Capture What Drying Loses
For tinctures especially (which are most of what I craft here), fresh herbs shine. The plant’s natural water content helps pull out certain constituents that alcohol alone might miss on dried material. I’m working small-batch and immediate— so there’s no long lag between harvest and extraction. No middleman, no guesswork about how old the batch is or how it was dried (low heat? high heat? sun? oven?). I know exactly: picked at peak, processed same day, steeped in 100 proof vodka while the plant’s essence is still singing.
Dried berries and roots can make solid extracts too—don’t get me wrong—but for something that you are taking internally and are counting on to work for you? Fresh is where it’s at. You want the highest chances of success, right?
3. Connection to Place & Gratitude
There’s something sacred about knowing the exact hillside where your herb grew. The soil it drank from, the rain that fell on it, the bees that danced around it. When I wildcraft sustainably or tend these plants in our garden, I’m in relationship with them. I whisper thanks, I observe everything around the plant, I harvest only what’s needed. That intention carries into the medicine.
Mass-produced dried herbs? They come from who-knows-where, often large-scale farms or wild-harvested without the same care. The energy feels… disconnected. I want my apothecary to feel like an extension of the mountains, not a factory shelf.
4. Potency & Real Results
Wildcrafted plants often grow tougher—they face wind, drought, cold—and that stress can concentrate their protective compounds (nature’s pharmacy at work!). Homegrown ones get my love and compost tea, so they thrive without chemicals. Either way, the result is medicine that feels stronger, more resonant. People tell me all the time: “This tincture works faster” or “I can feel it working deeper.” That’s not placebo—that’s freshness.
Of course, dried herbs have their place (long shelf life, convenience, great for teas when fresh isn’t available). But for potent extracts, salves, and blends? I’ll always choose fresh, wildcrafted or homegrown.
If you’re curious, peek at the Simple Tinctures collection—every one starts with plants I know intimately, harvested at peak. I am SO grateful your amazing reviews! They show me that what I care about is also what YOU care about.
I am truly grateful for every plant and person that trusts me with the medicine making and sharing process.
Thank you for being here with me.
With Love From The Mountains,
Leilani Díaz McKay
Your Herbalist & Craftswoman
❈ A Woman Of Nature ❈
