Protecting Yourself from Contamination
It does not make sense to heal yourself with herbs that are contaminated with chemicals that can harm your liver and kidneys. Organic herbs may cost more, but I strongly recommend them—they are healthier, and health, after all, is the point of using herbs.Spraying pesticides on herbs in the field is a great concern. In the early 1970s, I was part-owner of an herb company that sold herbal blends. We discovered that it was nearly impossible to find organically grown herbs; we had to grow our own. Today, organically grown herbs are big business.
You should not assume, however, that all herbs and herb products sold in natural food stores have not been sprayed. Even restricted pesticides sometimes sneak into the United States and Canada. When the American Spice Trade Association and McCormick, the world's largest spice company, began monitoring spices imported from India, they found only low levels of pesticide residues. However, the residues they did find included DDT and other chemicals that have long been banned in the United States and Canada. DDT is now restricted by the Indian government, but it is still being used in many other countries.
Pesticides sprayed on growing plants are not the only concern. Chemicals called fumigants are often used to kill pests on dried herbs, sometimes even plants that have been organically grown. Ethylene oxide, ethylene bromohydin and ethylene chlorohydrin are commonly sprayed on herbs to destroy bugs and microbes. The safety of the herbs once they are sprayed is the subject of much debate. Most herb companies argue that the gas residues are long gone before the plants reach the consumer. I certainly hope so—thus far, ethylene oxide has been linked to birth defects and to spontaneous abortions in hospital workers who used it to sterilize equipment.
Ethylene oxide is also considered a possible carcinogen. The results of one study conducted in Sweden found that the incidence of leukemia in workers exposed to ethylene oxide was more than ten times higher than that of the general population. In 1990, 800,000 pounds of this chemical were used in California alone—much of this which was released into the air as industrial plant emissions. State officials estimated that this use could result in up to 510 cancers over the next 70 years. In 1990 the Indian government passed legislation requiring that herbs and foods treated with ethylene oxide be clearly marked; U.S. authorities have not even considered setting such restrictions.
Another method of "cleaning" foods is irradiation. This is probably the least of your worries when it comes to herbs, though. This is not because radiation does not pose any risks, but because the process is so expensive that so far it has been restricted mostly to perishable, high-priced items, such as fresh strawberries and a few expensive spices used in prepared foods. Some herb companies make a big deal about not irradiating their herbs. Check to see if they make an equally big fuss about their herbs not being subjected to pesticides or gases.