Gaia Herbs and the journey towards sustainability

As part of Gaia Herbs’ journey to sustainability, we have taken the We Use Wild Pledge. Gaia proudly supports wild herbs that have been ethically and sustainably harvested. With over 30 wildcrafted ingredients, we are constantly assessing the factors that come into play to ensure that the herbs we use continually meet our standards.

The WildCheck Platform takes the top wild ingredients like licorice and provides rankings on environmental and social factors. This helps companies like Gaia assess ingredients for responsible purchasing.

One of the herbs near and dear to our hearts at Gaia is goldenseal, categorized as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List, and one of the WildCheck Platform’s ‘Wild Dozen’. This herb is part of the native ecosystem where our company is based in North Carolina. We developed our farm there because of the region’s native biodiversity and climate, which allow a variety of plants to be grown. The Blue Ridge Mountains are the 3rd oldest mountain range in the world and have long been a haven for diverse plants and fresh air. People have travelled to our home to seek healing or simply experience the beauty of the mountains, and it happens to this day. Gaia Herbs moved to North Carolina in 1997 precisely for these same reasons. 

Indigenous peoples used the root for a variety of traditional uses to support the healing of the skin and wounds, coughs and fevers, as well as boiling the roots to make a yellow dye. These uses were then passed to Europeans; as settlers spread throughout the region, and trade developed, the use of this wild plant grew. Its popularity developed through the 1900s when it became an official drug (this ended in 1955) and was manufactured by drug companies of the day. With this stamp of approval, harvesting boomed in the Southeast.

To combat the effects of overharvesting, it is important that harvesters use sustainable techniques. We meet many harvesters for whom this is truly a craft, and a continuation of what generations of elders taught them, for goldenseal, and other woodland plants. On a recent trip to Tennessee, a harvester told me about the goldenseal roots he replanted on his property so that his grandchildren could carry on the tradition. When he said, “I planted a tree I’ll never sit in the shade of”, he was commenting on the time it takes for roots to regenerate, and the importance of thinking into the future. Our suppliers also take the time to train on specific techniques that increase the chances each of those plantings has at successfully ushering in another generation of goldenseal for harvest. Without this, years down the road, there will not be goldenseal to harvest.

For those of us buying and selling ingredients, it is easy to get lost in a nameless “supply chain”. Diving into these networks of plants and people develops a deep respect for what goes into bringing those products to market. Wild plants are so closely tied to their ecosystem, connecting us directly to a place and time.

As consumers and companies keep asking the right questions, the demand for these sustainable ingredients increases. Organizations like FairWild Foundation, or more locally, one being piloted in the Southeastern US to certify master wildcrafters, grow as a result, and provide assurance to companies like Gaia that the ingredients they source are truly benefiting the wild places where they grow, and the communities that harvest them.

By Stephanie Kane

To learn about Gaia Herbs, visit www.gaiaherbs.com