You've picked a lot of medicinal herbs. What do you do now? Drying them for future consumption, and storing them properly are both important steps that are thankfully not difficult.

Note that the following information is true of culinary herbs as well, however proper drying and storage is more important when working with medicinal herbs.

The first step for drying is to sort and clean the herbs. Rinsing under cold water and shaking or patting dry is the most common method of cleaning. This removes debris, dirt, pollen and dust.

The sorting is done based on the plant part that is going to be used. Roots, leaves, stems, blossoms and seeds should all be dried separately, since they will each have different drying speeds. Large pieces, such as of roots, should be chopped more finely before drying.

Lay these out on a fine screen, such as a window screen, and place in an area that is in the shade, out of direct sunlight which can drive off the volatile oils. The screen should be blocked up high enough to allow airflow under as well as over the drying herbs.

Avoid using an oven or food dehydrator to dry the herbs. The additional heat will not only dry the herbs too fast, it will also remove a portion of the healthful substances in the herbs. In essence, they will become weaker and won't last as long in storage.

For most medicinal herbs, they are dry when they crumble or break easily. If they are stored before they are thoroughly dried, mold can develop, resulting in unusable herbs.

The storage is just as critical. While medicinal herbs can be stored in clear glass jars with tight fitting lids, if you do this you must store them in a dark place. Sunlight robs the herb of its effectiveness.

This is the same principle that causes doctors and pharmaceuticals to recommend storing medicines in a closed medicine cabinet. It is also why most medication comes in dark colored or completely opaque bottles. Further, it is why many foods are sold in boxes or opaque containers.

Saving bottles of this sort isn't a bad idea, though larger ones will most often be used since teas and the like generally require a much larger amount of substance. As an example, amber colored bottles that beef and chicken bouillon are sold in are great for this purpose, because of the size. Small pill bottles are not.

Note: Do not use any bottle that non-consumable products have been stored or transported in. The container can still contain toxic substances. Also, dark glass bottles and tight fitting crockery can be purchased specifically for this purpose. It makes little sense to collect and dry herbs to help with health, and then to end up storing them in containers having poisons in them.

A majority of medicinal herbs, dried and stored properly, will retain most of their potency for a year. There are exceptions both ways; some will last much longer than a year, and some will only be good for a lesser time. Done properly, though, the herbs will last much longer than if they are improperly dried and stored. It is quite worthwhile to know the proper way to do it.

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