In one of the meetings of “Ishkashim Volunteers School”, the intricacies of herbal medicine and the rules and traditions of collecting, drying, and storing medicinal plants in the Pamirs were discussed. The following text presents some points from the discussion.
- Before heading to collect plants, it is necessary to wash yourself and put on clean clothes.
- Reaching the place where the required plants are picked, one needs to greet nature, ask the herbs for their help in healing diseases, and apologize for bringing them harm.
- It is not recommended to collect plants near buildings, in towns, inside a city, near roads, in or around landfills, etc.
- It is not recommended to collect herbs during wet weather with high precipitation.
- Flowers and petals are best collected between 7 and 11 am during a period of full moon (biologically active substances at this time rise from bottom to top of the plant).
- Roots are best collected between 4 and 6 pm, and during the start of a new moon as well as in fall and spring (biologically active substances are concentrated in the roots).
- Fruits and seeds should be collected only when they are ripe.
- Buds and bark are to be collected in spring.
- Roots need to be dug up with a shovel, then washed in cold water and chopped to a length of 3 cm.
- Flowers, petals, stems, fruits, and seeds are to be collected manually or with scissors.
- The optimal temperature for drying plants is between 40 and 60 °C. In the absence of a drying machine, fruits, roots, and bark can be dried in warm weather under direct sunlight. Flowers, petals, stems, and buds are to be dried in a shady place with good ventilation.
- Dried herbs should be kept away from moisture.
- They should be kept in a well-aired room in paper, wood, or glass packages. Always indicate when the herb was collected on the packaging.
- Flowers, petals, and buds are stored from 1 to 2 years.
- Fruits are stored from 2 to 3 years.
- Roots and bark are stored from 3 to 5 years.