Herbs and spices have been of vital importance on my journey to health and wellness. In the past few years, I have found reliable sources for purchasing high-quality herbs and spices. I want to take this opportunity to share them with the community.
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Purchasing herbs locally
Purchasing herbs locally is a convenient option. Many herbal shops and health food stores offer a bulk section where you can weigh and select the desired quantity before buying. This also allows you to check the quality of the herbs. Local shopping is ideal for times when you only need a small amount or for short-term usage. Personally, I have saved a significant amount of money using this method.
Finding Local Shops
In Google Maps, you can type in keywords such as "herbs" and "herbal shops" to see what populates in your area.
National Co-Op Grocers
The East End Food Co-op is a local health food store that I visit when I need a small supply of herbs. With a wide selection, it's rare to leave empty-handed. They also offer a membership that provides a 20% discount on bulk orders. If you can't find what you're looking for, you can place a special order as a member and save 20%. Check if there's a National Co-Op grocery near you.
Buying herbs online
Buying herbs online is much more affordable than buying them in retail stores, especially when bought in bulk. I always shop online for herbs that I plan to use for the long term or frequently use. The beauty of buying herbs in bulk is that they will last you for a while.
Starwest Botanicals
I usually buy my herbs from Starwest Botanicals. Their prices are fair, and they always seem to have what I need. Actually, most of the herbs I purchase from the East End Food Co-Op come from Starwest Botanicals.
When purchasing herbs, it's important to be aware of their origin. I learned this valuable lesson dealing with Sarsaparilla. Sarsaparilla from India is not the Smilax species, which contains an excellent source of iron beneficial to our body and blood circulation. To purchase Sarsaparilla of the Smilax species, make sure it originates from Mexico, Jamaica, or Honduras.
Mountain Rose herbs
One of my new favorite online suppliers for herbs and spices is Mountain Rose Herbs. It can be challenging to find herbs in stock these days, but they always seem to have them available. Mountain Rose Herbs offers some of the best competitive pricing I've seen, while still maintaining high quality. I also learned a lot from their "herbal education" section. I highly recommend this site, not only for purchasing, but for learning as well!
Frontier Co-op
Frontier Co-Op offers a great selection of herbs and spices. However, their supply of herbs is limited, and their prices for bulk herbs are often similar to retail pricing, and sometimes even higher. As a result, I don't frequently purchase from Frontier Co-Op, unless they are the sole source for a particular herb that I strongly desire.