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Ethical Wildcrafting is an important concept to embrace when out harvesting plant medicine from nature. I have learned from my teachers to only gather plants that you know are not endangered and gather only what you need. I suggest going out with botanists or herbalists trained in plant identification when first beginning to gather plant medicine. There are a handful of poisonous plants, depending on dosage, and these plants sometimes look like common edible wild plants. Therefore, it is highly important that you can actually key out a plant in a botany book and know that you are gathering the correct medicinal plant 100 percent of the time.

When wildcrafting each season,try and gather in various locations so that one particular stand of plants is not entirely depleted. This creates a harmonious balance ecologically and will have less of an impact on that particular plant species. The Cosmic Consciousness has given us an entire planet of medicine. It is our honor and duty to work towards a sustainable future through the eco-harvesting and nurturing of wild plant medicines, so gather mindfully.

It is common to gather only flowers and leaves of many medicinal plants. However, when the root, or the entire plant is taken from the earth,the plant has then completely surrendered its life to be used for medicine...so be conscious about the plants that you are taking in this way and make sure that the stand is abundant and healthy.
 
 









Some of my teachers would offer songs to these plants before the harvesting begins so the plants can be prepared for the transition that is about to take place...from living plant to an alchemical transformation through the elements into another form of themselves via tinctures, teas, essences, etc. 

Gathering medicine away from well travelled roads is highly advised, at the very least 500-1000 feet away...unless you are going for the homeopathic dose of car fumes...which I've known some herbalists to do. I refrain from gathering medicine along paved roads. Instead, I hike in the mountains and the desert,or seek out the waterways to gather and ethically harvest medicinal plants. Nature has a way of guiding you to the medicine, and sometimes even keeps entire colonies of plants invisible.

If you have time to process only a couple of ounces of medicine, than only take what you are sure to use. Also, it is very wise,compassionate,and strongly advised to give an offering to the plant spirit you are working with. The plants are more conscious than we are, in some people's opinion, and have been in existence long before the human race.Offering some tobacco, corn meal, a prayer, or even a piece of hair will ensure the beginnings of good medicine making and pay respect to  the plant spirit.