A note on how this page works: we name no vendors — here or in print. A recommendation vouches for batches we have never seen, from businesses we cannot inspect. What we can give you instead is the skill, and the skill doesn't go stale.
1 · The label test
A trustworthy label states the Latin binomial — a common name can cover several plants; "echinacea" on a label names a genus, not a medicine. It states the plant part — the part is the article: a flower can carry a monograph where the leaf stands on tradition only, and a leaf can be approved where the oil is a different drug entirely. It carries a lot or batch number and a harvest or best-before date. A label that answers none of this is not a bargain, whatever it costs — and a price far under every other seller's is itself a flag.
2 · The paperwork test
A certificate of analysis — a COA — is a laboratory report on the lot in your hand: identity, the plant is what the label says; purity, screens such as heavy metals, pesticides and microbes. Suppliers worth your money publish COAs or send them on request — ask, and ask with the lot number. "Third-party tested" means the laboratory is not the seller's own; a seller who cannot name the laboratory is self-certifying.
3 · The senses test
The good article announces itself. Colour alive, not greyed; aroma present and true — a scentless aromatic herb is an old one; never musty. Whole or coarse-cut beats powder: once a plant is milled, nothing is left that your eye or nose can check. Each entry in our book prints what that specific plant should look, smell and taste like, straight from the pharmacopoeial record.
4 · The source tiers, in rough order of reliability
- A local grower you can question — provenance answered in person.
- An established supplier that publishes its testing.
- A farmers market with the grower present.
- Caution tier: an anonymous marketplace listing — the label test and the paperwork test usually fail here.
When this page changes
The criteria above are stable; what changes is the world around them. When something here is revised, the "Last reviewed" date at the top moves with it. Our newsletter, in the footer below, is where we announce updates.
This page is educational, not medical or purchasing advice. We do not evaluate, endorse, or accept payment from any supplier. Plants described in our book and articles can be unsuitable or unsafe for some people — see a qualified practitioner for guidance about your own situation.