Multiple field guides should be used to identify any plant intended for medicine or food.
Good places to look for herbs are forest edges and old farms.
Never collect plants from roadsides, around power lines, or along railroad tracks because the ground tends to be toxic from sprayed and spilled chemicals.
Have a "caretaker attitude" when gathering plants. Harvest only one third of the plants that you find in abundance and only one third of the leaves a single plant has.
You should collect the leaves before the flower blooms.
Collect the flowers as they are bursting into bloom.
Collect roots late in the fall after several frosts.
Dry them for at least two weeks by hanging them upside down or by placing them on screens covered by cheesecloth, unless of course you have a food dehydrater which will dry your herbs in only a few hours.
Once dried they should be placed as whole as possible into airtight glass or ceramic containers. They will retain there potency for about a year.
One crow for bad news, two crows for myrth, three for a wedding, four for a birth, five for treasure, six for a thief, seven a journey, eight is grief, nine for a secret, and ten for sorrow, eleven reunion and twelve joy tomorrow.
