Alternative Herbal Medicine Net

The purpose of this web site is to educate about medicinal herbs, alternative medicine, and related things that cross my mind. I strive to learn as much as I can about alternative medicine, health, and even the politics that drive our economy and our health care system in the United States. Too many regulations are prohibiting common sense herbal medicine from having a place at the table with the financial interests of Big Pharma.

My Herb Picture collections contain over 500 medicinal herb photographs of the plants in their natural habitat or garden settings.

  I am not so much a practicing herbalist, as an explorer constantly learning about plants. My friend Deb and I call ourselves "herbologists". I do not dig roots unless it is from a plant that I have grown or been given permission to dig from the grower. Digging a root means killing a plant. I'd rather have most of them around to photograph again next year. I harvest a few herbs for my own use. I do not wildcraft enough herbs to sell. You can get quality bulk herbs from Mountain Rose Herbs.  Once dried it takes a lot of herb material to make a pound. One needs to ask what impact a large harvest would have on any wild plant population.

There are, of course, exceptions. You can find lists of wild plants that can be harvested freely by checking noxious weed and invasive plant lists from your area.  I have some on my links page to help you. Many of our "weeds" are really herbs used in Alternative Medicine.

  For the last ten years, my "project" has been photographing and learning to identify as many medicinal plants as I can.  Am I forgetting something? Oh, yeah, I am also the editor of Alternative Nature Online Herbal, the huge web site with all the herb pictures, and I make and sell Poison Ivy and Oak remedies from Jewelweed.

I am a conservative, pro life and liberty, Libertarian, and a firm believer in Ronald Reagan when he said "Government is not the solution, Government is the problem."  I wish only the best for our new President, and appreciate his apparent willingness to include both sides of the aisle in policy making. I plan to support him when he is right, and scream loudly when I don't agree. When it comes to the FDA, and Big Pharma - I'm ready to scream.

Peace and Love,  Karen

Submit and article, inquire at karen@altnature.com