Back Talk

Does Organic Agriculture Have A Role In The Therapeutic Value Of Herbs?

A single serving of fruits and vegetables may contain enough harmful chemicals to exceed government health standards, according to a recent study by Consumers Union, the publisher of Consumer Reports. What then of the plants we use as medicine? No one knows for sure if there are medicinal differences between organic and conventionally grown herbs, but opinions vary.

"The benefit of organic herbs seems obvious to me. Why would I want to give anyone an herb with pesticides on it?

"Also, I'm put off by any standardized herbal products that use acetone, hexane or other environmentally unfriendly chemicals to process the herbs. Ideally, if extracts are made properly there won't be any traces of those industrial solvents left in the final product, but those solvents end up in the environment eventually. You have to ask, 'How clean is the product and how clean is the karma behind the product?' Maybe the solvent or chemical isn't in the final goods, but it is in the environment somewhere and you've contributed to that pollution."

Ed Smith
Founder and Co-owner, Herb Pharm
Williams, Ore.

"Do we know pesticides affect the plants for certain? No. Do I believe there is an effect? Yes, absolutely. Does [pesticide use] change the medicinal properties of the plant? We don't know for sure, but I definitely believe so.

"I want the highest-quality plant because I want the herbal medicine to work. I want a plant from the most alive soil. I believe there is more power, more life force coming from an herb grown in an organic field."

Sunny Mavor
Herbalist and Co-founder, Herbs for Kids
Bozeman, Mont.

"All of our raw materials come from India, which doesn't have certifying agencies like the United States does—at least to my knowledge. Most of our raw materials are gathered in the wild; only a few are cultivated. So technically the wild plants are organic, they just haven't been put through the same evaluation provided by U.S. certification agencies. The wild plants are what nature has provided, so you could call that organic.

"I don't believe being organic has an effect on the medicinal quality of a plant. If care is taken—if the material is safe, clean and free from excessive pesticides, residues and heavy metals—I think the material is all right. I don't see the difference between organic and nonorganic if the product is safe. To me it is a marketing differentiation. People should buy from companies that have a reputation for providing safe products."

Todd Norton
Executive Vice President, Sabinsa Corp.
Payson, Utah

"My preference, since we are using herbs as medicine, is that they be the finest quality possible. Why, for example, would a pregnant woman want to drink a tea made with sprayed raspberry leaves? You don't want to expose yourself to toxic medicine. I'd rather not have the plant at all than have a plant that's been sprayed."

Brigitte Mars
Herbalist and Founder, UniTea Herbs
Boulder, Colo.

"Does the fact that an herb is not organically grown have an effect on the medicinal qualities? No. Whether or not an herb is organically grown should have no impact on its active constituent. However, the chronic ingestion of pesticides and herbicides may be a potential health concern. In fact, the issue of manufacturing herbs that are not organically grown and that may contain pesticides and herbicides is not just Solgar's, but an issue for the entire industry. Solgar has very strict pesticide and herbicide control specifications for our suppliers to assure safety for our customers.

"We do use organic herbs when materials are available, but it is difficult to get commercial quantities. The amount of organic herbs used at Solgar is currently small, but we are working with growers and suppliers to increase the number of organic herbs in our line."

Carl Germano, R.D., C.N.S., L.D.N
Vice President, Product Development & Research, Solgar Vitamin and Herb
Leonia, N.J.