An herb company may source anywhere from thirty to several hundred species of plants. They may need to find roots or resins of some species, leafy parts or flowers of others, and even bark of certain species. Roots must be handled differently than flowers or barks. Each species and plant part must be harvested at certain times of year, dried at specific temperatures, and processed in unique ways.

Plants contain a particular combination of constituents based on where they grow–the soil, the weather, the altitude. Change the growing location and the constituents may change, too. All of these factors impact whether the plants being sourced have the necessary qualities to be effective. For these reasons, sourcing herb plants is challenging, even on the open market where there is no need to trace the plants to the source.

Sourcing high-quality, sustainably harvested or certified organically grown herbs—and verifying that the workers are paid a fair wage as well—requires so much attention to detail that it boggles the mind.

Read the sections below to learn more about the steps involved.