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Organic Marshmallow Leaf vs Wildcrafted

06.20.2012 · Posted in Alternative Medicine Articles

Marshmallow leaf has been a herb used for healing since olden times; it is mostly used to relieve irritation, inflammation caused by diarrhea. Marshmallow leaves are preferred more to marshmallow roots even when the roots have stronger effects. The most common preparations for using them medicinally are tinctures, warm infusions, fluid extracts, cold macerations, or even capsules. Originally, there was only one way to source these leaves making it possible only for limited parts of the world to have easy access to the medicinal properties of this herb, and for the areas who wanted this herb, it became quite costly to source them. However, as time passed and technology advanced, it became possible to harvest the herb from their natural habitat and grow them in other places. There have been a lot of controversies surrounding the use of organic vs. wild crafted marshmallow leaves for a variety of reasons. rnrnOrganic modes of growing the leaves involve the natural process of plant growth where the synthetic fertilizers and pesticides are completely excluded or strictly limited for use. The methods used to enhance plant growth are compost, green manure, crop rotation, etc. organic mode of production ensures that the soil remains healthy, and so do the ecosystem and the people. rnrnWild crafting is the method in which the plants are harvested from their natural/wild habitats. This means that the non-cultivated plants harvested to be grown at another place apart from the original one. There are a lot of ethical considerations surrounding this practice as even though it is expected to harvest the plants with care, leaving the living plant while only the leaves are taken or if the whole plant is required, then seed of the same plant are sown at the same place. However, in the race to provide the exquisite and to make maximum profit, many a times these plants are removed from their natural habitats in huge quantities and never replaced, which endangers them, robbing the wild habitat of the species and eventually leading to its extinction. rnrnAnother issue surrounding the use of organic or wild crafted marshmallow leaves is that the organic plants are grown by following certain legal regulations and are certified by the government, this means that they have been grown keeping in mind the most natural way of providing the herb instead of growing them synthetically or using too many pesticides or growth hormones. On the other hand, even though the wild crafted plants may be brought from the wild and may be better than the organic products, they may not be certifiable as the practices surrounding their growth cannot be guaranteed and the nature of the area they were brought from may be unfamiliar. This unfamiliarity makes it difficult to be sure of the complete effects of the products created as they may act in different ways than the organic ones that are grown in a regulated manner. rnrnThe wild crafted leaves may have been subjected to treatment and may not be certified or may also cause reactions in certain users due to their unknown nature whereas the organic ones are much more predictable in their action and outcome. Also, because the wild crafted leaves are not organic, a person cannot be sure whether they are truly marshmallow leaves and in the quantity that is required. It is also possible that the leaves may be modified to get faster results but cause an undesirable reaction in the user. However, it is also possible that the wild crafted leaves may have better effects since they grow in the wild, the way they are supposed to. rnrnIt is a difficult choice between the two; the best an individual can do is to research thoroughly before they make the purchase.

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