Overview

Medicinal herbs, some of the oldest medicines known to man, continue to be a major market and constitute a multi-billion dollar industry.

Herbs may be grown hydroponically; in a field, raised bed, greenhouse, and container; or in the forest. Production requires a few acres of land. Herb crops may be sold wholesale, through farmers’ markets or through direct sales.

Herbs are a subset of botanicals, which are plants valued for medicinal or therapeutic properties, flavor and/or scent. They are sold in many forms: liquid or solid extracts; fresh or dried; tablets, capsules or powders; or tea bags. Leading uses for herbal remedies include colds, burns, headaches, allergies, rashes, insomnia, premenstrual syndrome, depression, diarrhea and menopause.  April 2008. . . Medicinal Herbs

Marketing

• American Botanical Council
• American Herbal Pharmacopoeia (AHP) - Pharmacopoeia's goal is to produce 300 qualitative monographs on therapeutic botanicals, including many of the Ayurvedic, Chinese and Western herbs most frequently used in the United States. Once completed, AHP's monographs will represent the most comprehensive, critically reviewed body of information on herbal medicines in the English language and will serve as a primary reference in the United States.
• American Herbal Products Association - The national trade association and voice of the herbal products industry.
• The American Herbalists Guild (AHG) - A nonprofit, peer-reviewed organization in the United States for professional herbalists specializing in the medicinial use of plants.
• American Nutraceutical Association
• American Spice Trade Association
• Botanical Debate on FDA Rules Infuses Herb Industry, USA Today, 2003.
• Botanical Dietary Supplements: Background Information, Office of Dietary Supplements, National Institute of Health.
• Chinese Medicinal Herbs: Opportunities for Domestic Production, University of Massachusetts at Amherst and High Falls Gardens, Philmont, New York, 2002.
• Christopher Hobbs Virtual Herbal - This site is devoted to honoring the plants, the spirit and traditions of herbal medicine, and to the celebration of health-your health, and the health of all life on Earth. Christopher Hobbs L.Ac., A.H.G. is a licensed acupuncturist and 4th-generation herbalist and botanist with over 30 years of experience.
• Dietary Supplements Overview, Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition, U.S. Food and Drug Administration, 2001.
• Dr. Duke's USDA Phytochemical Database - While working at the USDA for 30 years, Duke created this searchable database so that a user can type in almost any plant and get a list of the plant's chemical components. The user can also type in a specific chemical and receive a list of plants containing that chemical.
• Economics of Forest Farming of Native Medicinal Plants in Eastern North America: Opportunities, Challenges and Potential Solutions for Adoption by Land Owners, the Pennsylvania State University, 2005.
• Economic Issues with Echinacea, Kansas State University, 2002 - The objective of this publication is to describe characteristics of echinacea and discuss their implications for producers.
• Ginseng, Goldenseal, and Other Native Roots, Appropriate Technology Transfer for Rural Areas (ATTRA), 2002 - Native U.S. ginseng (and related species), goldenseal and other forest roots are used in certain nutraceutical products. Export and domestic niche markets may exist, especially for organically raised roots. Most such crops are raised under contract by experienced growers.
• Green Medicine, Medicinal Plant Working Group, Plant Conservation Alliance - This is a consortium of 10 U.S. federal agencies and more than 225 non-federal cooperators working on issues associated with native plant extinction and native habitat restoration.  
• HerbDay - This is a coordinated series of public educational events celebrating the importance of herbs.
• Herbal Gram - The journal of the American Botanical Council.
• Herb Growing and Marketing Network - A trade association of herbal product retailers, wholesalers, growers and manufacturers.
• Herb Market Wholesale (Terminal) Report, Fruit and Vegetable Program, Ag Marketing Service, USDA.
• Herbal Medicine, U.S. National Library of Medicine and the National Institutes of Health.
• Herbal Medicines, National Toxicology Program Fact Sheet, 2003.
• Herb Research Foundation - The site offers numerous research papers, publications and so on about herbs.
• Herb Society of America - This organization promotes the knowledge, use and delight of herbs through educational programs and research.
• Herbivores for Health, Ag Innovation News, Agricultural Utilization Research Institute (AURI), 2001 - Growers start a small co-op to share knowledge and market medicinal herbs.
• HerbMed - An interactive, electronic herbal database that provides hyperlinked access to the scientific data underlying the use of herbs for health. It is an evidence-based information resource for professionals, researchers and general public. HerbMed® is a project of the Alternative Medicine Foundation, Inc, provided as a freely available, public resource.
• International Alliance of Dietary Food Supplement Associations
• International Bibliographic Information on Dietary Supplements (IBIDS) Database
• International Herb Association - A professional trade association providing educational, service and development opportunities for those involved in herbal endeavors.
• Lavender Production, Products, Markets and Entertainment Farms, Appropriate Technology Transfer for Rural Areas (ATTRA), 2006 - Interest in growing lavender has taken an upsurge in the past three years, with the old-fashioned lavender fragrance becoming popular again, perhaps because of its use in aromatherapy.
• Marketing Herbs, Alternative Nature Online Herbal - This site provides advice on selling points and quantity.
• Medicinal Herbs for Commerce Project, North Carolina State University - This project is aimed at helping farmers explore the economic feasibility of medicinal herb production.
• Medicinal Herb Production and Marketing - A class offered by the University of California-Davis Extension Service. You may e-mail them to be notified of the next class offering.
• Missouri Alternatives Center - This is a comprehensive list of herb resources, both general and specific to individual herbs, found on the Web.
• A Modern Herbal - This online version of a book, authored by Mrs. M. Grieve, contains medicinal, culinary, cosmetic, cultivation and folklore of herbs.
• Native American Ethnobotany, University of Michigan-Dearborn - This is a database of foods, drugs, dyes and fibers of Native American peoples, derived from plants.
• Plants From Many Healing Landscapes: Gathering Information and Teaching Clinicians about the Cultural use of Medicinal Herbs, Medical Library Association, 2006.
• United Plant Savers - A nonprofit education corporation dedicated to preserving native medicinal plants.
• Wholesale Terminal Market Report, Herbs, AMS, USDA.

Processing/Manufacturing

• Forest Botanicals as Flavorings, Medicinals and Pharmaceuticals, USDA - Discusses uses, harvesting, storing, equipment and buyers of herbs.
• Harvesting Herbs - The article offers advice on optimum herb harvesting.
• U.S. Grade Standards for Fresh Fruits, Vegetables, Nuts & Other Products - Explains voluntary grading program applicable to herbs.

Production

• Growing for the Medicinal Herb Market Selected Sources and Resources, National Ag Library, ARS, USDA, 1998 - This site lists resources for producers interested in medicinal herb production.
• Growing Herbs in Minnesota, University of Minnesota Extension Service.
• Herb Crops for the Great Plains, Kansas State University - This research narrowed possible herbs for the Great Plains and provided seed and resource listings.
• Herb Production in Organic Systems, Appropriate Technology Transfer for Rural Areas (ATTRA), 2005 - This publication emphasizes research on organic herb production in the United States and implications for herb production under the National Organic Program regulations.
• Herbs, North Carolina State University Department of Horticultural Sciences - The site identifies herbs and offers growing, harvesting and preserving information.
• Herbs, The National Non-Food Crops Centre, Heslington, York, U.K. - Provides overviews of such herbs as borage, chamomile, lavender and peppermint.
• Herb Production in Saskatchewan, Saskatchewan Agriculture and Food, 2007 - This page lists the types of herbs grown in this province and unique production aspects.
• Medicinal Herb Resources, Center for Agriculture, Natural Resources and Community Development, West Virginia University Extension Service - Lists herb buyers, seed sources, associations and herb production guidelines.
• Organic Greenhouse Herb Production, Appropriate Technology Transfer for Rural Areas (ATTRA), 2003 - This publication treats topics specific to small-scale organic greenhouse herb production, focusing on fresh-cut culinary herbs, potted herb plants and relevant applications of the Final Rule of the National Organic Program.
• Peppermint, Integrated Pest Management guidelines, University of California, Davis.
• PlantFacts, Ohio State University - This Web site provides a full-text search engine of all extension and academic department information from all land-grant universities in the United States. Additionally, there are significant image and video databases, a FAQ database and a glossary.

Businesses/Case Studies

• Ali'I Kula Lavender - Established in 2002, this farm on Maui, Hawaii, hosts walking tours and has a retail store featuring more than 75 unique lavender products.
• Bonny Donn Farm - This farm opened for business in 1972 and claims to be America's original fine English lavender estate. Located at Santa Cruz, California, three varieties of lavender are grown.
• Fredericksburg Herb Farm - Herbs on this Texas operation are grown organically.
• Glenbrook Farms - Teas, oils, potpourri, bulk spices and so on are crafted from the herbs grown on this Live Oak, Florida, operation.
• Grand Oak Herb Farm - Located near Bancroft, Michigan, the farm offers teas, plants and potpourri from their herbs.
• Oregon's Wild Harvest - Since they began shipping dried herbs in the early 1990s, Oregon's company has expanded to encompass 40 acres in the mountain foothills of Sandy, Oregon. The organically grown and cultivated herbs are grown, processed and shipped from the Oregon farm.
• Papa Geno's Herb Farm - A case study from the University of Nebraska for the North Central Initiative for Small Farm Profitability. The Internet helped turn a small mom-and-pop business into a leading e-business of herb plants, scented geraniums, vegetable seedlings and herb-derived crafted goods. Papa Geno’s partnered with dot-com giant Garden.com in 1997 to be one of Garden.com’s primary shippers. Business for Papa Geno’s multiplied 1,000 percent during the partnership. Then, in November 2000, in the middle of the Christmas shipping season, Garden.com folded and Papa Geno’s was left holding the bag. This case study details the struggles and successes of Papa Geno's Herb Farm.
• Shady Acres Herb Farm in Minnesota is celebrating 25 years of herb sales.
• Wappel Farms - This San Pierre, Indiana, farm has grown mint since 1988. In 1990, the farm built a mint distillery. The oil is sold to a broker.

Links checked February 2008.