Berberis tincture update.

Remember my berberis tincture?

So I needed some herbs only available from the US (like ginseng leaf). And ordered both barberry (Berberis vulgaris) and Oregon grape root (Mahonia aquifolium) from Blessed Herbs while I was at it, just to see their quality (and I was running out again).

Their "Oregon Grape Root (Mahonia aquafolium" (sic)) is bright yellow.
Their "Barberry Root (Berberis vulgaris)" is brown with a few yellow bits here and there. At least the UK herbal outfit labelled it barberry root bark ...

... argh. So should mahonia root be yellow and barberry root bark brown, as bought in bulk?

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Related entries: Barberry bark - Berberis tincture - Signatures

Trouble with other suppliers

Trouble with other suppliers is, I need to buy from within the EU. Buying from mercadia was an extravaganza, what with duties and so on, and customs were most interested in the contents of my herbal package, nevermind that it's actually ginseng root that's on the prohibited list, not ginseng leaf.

There are herbal bulk houses in the UK. Unfortunately, I haven't found one yet which would know quality berberis (or quality balm of gilead bud). Nor do they carry ginseng leaf, lomatium, osha, or balsamroot, to mention a few.

For barberry, that problem is solved: I'll just pick my own barberry stem bark. The others, hmmm.

As to "cleansing kits": aye, shame on blessed herbs for jumping on the parasite bandwagon.