Z MISC. PUBLICATION 77, U. S. DEPT. OF AGRICULTURE 



better returns for the time and labor expended. Nevertheless, 

 many of these plants may still be found in forests, meadows, and waste 

 places, and their collection may contribute to the family income. 



There is much demand for information concerning the collection of 

 medicinal plants, especially among persons who are not fully employed 

 or who are operating small farms that do not require their entire 

 attention. This publication has therefore been prepared as a guide 

 to assist such persons in acquainting themselves with those plants for 

 which there is a demand, and to furnish helpful suggestions regarding 

 the collection and preparation of such plants for market. 



The plants that are illustrated and described herein represent only 

 a small percentage of those which from time to time have been used 

 as home remedies or in local medical practice. Not all the plants that 

 furnish products for the crude-drug market are included but only those 

 which are the most important, as indicated by trade lists and cata- 

 logues of buyers of such products, and which therefore offer the best 

 opportunity to the individual who wishes to engage in their collection. 2 



The descriptions given are brief, and technical terms have been 

 avoided as far as possible, but the principal characters of the plants 

 have been emphasized. These descriptions, together with the illustra- 

 tions, should enable the reader to identify the plants when they are 

 met in their natural situations. Medicinal uses are not discussed. 

 To the collector who wishes to market the plants such information is 

 of no special value. Neither are prices given, since these are constantly 

 changing and are best obtained as needed directly from dealers in 

 crude drugs. 



COLLECTION AND PREPARATION OF MATERIAL 



The first step in the collection of medicinal plants is to acquaint 

 oneself with the market demands. Dealers in crude botanical drugs 

 usually publish lists of the plants they handle and indicate the general 

 range of prices. With such information at hand, and with the aid of 

 this publication, the prospective collector should be able to determine 

 which plants found in his locality offer the best opportunity for profit. 



It frequently happens that after gathering considerable quantities 

 of some plant the collector finds that the market is fully supplied at 

 the time and either there is no sale for it or it can be sold only at a 

 price that will not compensate him for his labor. Such a situation 

 may usually be avoided by first submitting representative samples of 

 the material to be collected, together with a statement of the approx- 

 imate quantity that can be furnished, to a number of reliable dealers. 

 This will generally bring information concerning the market possi- 

 bilities and the returns that may be expected. Such procedure is 

 especially recommended in the case of plants that are liable to deteri- 

 orate in a relatively short time, making it inadvisable to hold them 

 until market conditions improve. Some of the dealers in crude drugs 

 are willing to cooperate in this way with collectors, in order to prevent 

 loss through overcollection and to encourage the collection of adequate 

 supplies of the most-needed plants. 



2 The department in its use of common names of plants has adopted as authority the catalogue issued by 

 the American Joint Committee on Horticultural Nomenclature under the title "Standardized Plant Names." 

 As a result some of the plants are listed in this publication under common names different from those by 

 which they are best known in the drug market. In such cases the preferred commercial name is listed first, 

 under "Other common names." 



