Zai Sheng Herbs

11/06/2022

This is an old story with new characters. Think about what this means, as your grocery (and medicinal herb) bills go up.

Farmers are losing properties to wealthy buyers from the city, while leasing land from the new owners can feel like a “modern-day feudal system.”

26/04/2022

Sophora flavescens, ku shēn, coming up. These seeds were a test - they’re over 10 years old, but they started germinating in just over two weeks. Seeds from the Fabaceae family can have a substantial storage potential! Sophorae flavescens Radix is in the category of Herbs that Clear Heat and Dry Dampness.

09/04/2022

Eleutherococcus senticosus (source of ciwujia), stem cuttings taken last year and kept barely above freezing all winter, have rooted and are leafing out. Thank you, Harry!

31/03/2022

At last! Good germination on Aconitum carmichaeli (source of Zhi Fu Zi). The seed was only three months past harvest when sown. Slow-growing, the plants will have to be kept in pots for at least a year before planting in the ground.

26/03/2022

Attending “Growers and Makers Roundtable” today. An invaluable discussion and resource for the TCM community, and the herbal medicine community at large. Thanks to SNS for orchestrating this event and choosing this topic!

“The Shen Nong Society is an organization formed to support the vital and committed community of practitioners of East Asian medicine who design and recommend individualized formulations of herbs and natural products for their patients. These recommendations are based on the over 2000 years of practice traditions that have spread from China to Japan and Korea and throughout East Asia and evolved over time.”

21/03/2022

What does "organic" mean to us?

Our New York farms can choose different certification options:

。NOFA-NY Certified Organic

。Certified Naturally Grown

。Demeter Certified Biodynamic

All forms of certification are based on interpersonal trust.

Each of our product descriptions lists the certification of the farm that grew the herb.

Farms with no formal certifications are endorsed by Zai Sheng Herbs. Many small farms in New York prefer to remain uncertified, even if they maintain the most scrupulous organic practices. Usually these farms do direct sales to a stable customer base. "Know your farmer" is an admonition taken literally.

We know our farmers as friends and colleagues. We visit our farms at least once per year and are familiar with their history and their ecological and regenerative practices. We also trust and admire them!

📷: Group harvest of Dan shen (Salvia miltiorrhiza) at one of our farms, autumn 2021)

Reorganizing a perennial bed this spring is an opportunity to see root growth progress in:
a) Anemarrhena asphodeloides, Zhi Mu

b) Aconitum carmichaeli, Zhi Fu Zi

14/03/2022

“During the past [five] decades, traditional Chinese medicine, based primarily on plant materials, has been adopted throughout much of the Western world and become one of the fastest-growing healthcare choices in the United States.
.. [The] increase in traditional Chinese medicine practitioners has increased the demand for medicinal plant material. Yet, practically all of the plant material (cultivated or wildcrafted) used in the practice of traditional Chinese medicine in the US is imported from China. Since many of the imported Chinese medicinal plant species are produced in environments similar to environments in the US, the possibility of domestic production of these plants for the US Chinese medicinal market exists. Domestic production of these botanicals would help insure the safety, freshness, and quality of the material.
.. Given the many possibilities among the approximately 5000 plant species used in traditional Chinese medicine, the task of selecting plants for production in [North America] is substantial. “

From “Chinese Medicinal Herbs: Opportunities for Domestic Production” - Craker, L.E., and J. Giblette, a joint publication of the Laboratory for Natural Products, Medicinal and Aromatic Plants, Univ. of Mass., Amherst, and the High Falls Gardens, Philmont, NY. 2002.

(At the time this paper was written, the “carbon footprint” of international shipping was a nascent concept; today, it adds considerable weight to the goal of domestic production of Chinese medicinal herbs.)

📷: Newfield Herb Farm, VT, a germination site for Zai Sheng Herbs.

10/03/2022

再生, zàishēng, means regeneration, and that term applies to our ecologically-minded farming practices, as well as to our hopes for a future of trusted, accessible, and responsibly grown medicine.

We also believe that North American domestic production of herbs from the Chinese Materia Medica is part of this regeneration. Through our network of farmers across New York, we are engaged in producing quality herbs that practitioners can look to as the standard for domestically-sourced medicine.

06/03/2022

As friends and colleagues of , and as fellow gardeners and farmers with elemental appreciation of the work and vision cultivated there, we ask that you take a minute to read about the loss of their central structure last week, and consider donating to their rebuilding fund, if you can. As growers and practitioners of medicine, sometimes the best thing we can do for pain is bring love.

26/02/2022

Wu wei zi (five flavor berry, Schisandra chinensis) buds emerging from the new snow on one of our farms. They are eager!

21/02/2022

To those of you who are unfamiliar with Zai Sheng Herbs and its origins, here’s a quick introduction to our work.

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Zai Sheng is a project of the High Falls Foundation, a 501(c)3 founded out of Jean Giblette’s High Falls Garden. Since 1999, High Falls Garden has been the site of investigation and experimentation into growing Chinese medicinal herbs in New York’s climate and soil.

Today, High Falls Foundation has undertaken sponsorship of Zai Sheng Herbs. Jean has coordinated with other New York growers since 2003. Funding from the NY Farm Viability Institute enabled the gradual expansion of this group. In 2021, the Foundation elected three of its farmers to its Board of Directors and now boasts a producer majority-controlled Board—all women.

The concept and business plan for Zai Sheng Herbs was developed in close cooperation with the Council of Colleges of Acupuncture and Herbal Medicine. High Falls Foundation has compiled a production priority list of 150 herbs based on agronomic feasibility and market demand, influenced by other priority lists such as Dr. Huang Huang’s Top Fifty.

We are now a team of 30 farmers from all over New York, representing five distinct climate zones!

Domestic production is expected to be a dynamic process, with considerable input from the EAM community, and informed by skilled, experienced growers. Please join us in celebrating our first year of growing herbs under an organized business with a platform for direct sales. It is big step on a long but exciting and rewarding journey!

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Please visit our website to view updated inventory.

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Images

1: planting out huáng bai (Phellodendron spp.)
2. Dried dang shen, (Codonopsis pilosula)
3. Dried harvest from 2021, packed for cool storage

18/02/2022

Seeding is almost upon us!

Every year we distribute seed and plant starts to our member farms. The seed comes from our own organically grown, open pollinated crops when possible, a capacity we are striving to increase. This allows us to select for high quality medicine, climate and soil suitability, and to verify genetics.

We track our seed and seedling sourcing from acquisition to final herbal product. There is a clear paper trail for the life of each of our plants, which is a stark contrast to much of the herbal supply chain. Transparency is a key component of good medicine.

Stay tuned as we kick off our first formal year of production!