The document outlines harvesting techniques for medicinal plants, emphasizing the importance of sustainable practices to avoid endangering plant species. It provides guidelines for harvesting various parts of plants, including roots, leaves, fruits, and flowers, ensuring minimal harm to plants and proper timing for collection. Additionally, it discusses post-harvest handling procedures, including drying, packaging, and storage to maintain the quality of medicinal plant materials.

1. HARVESTING TECHNIQUES
FOR MEDICINAL PLANT

2. Introduction
• Medicinal plants constitute the basis of primary health care for a
majority of the population.
• Critical source of income for many rural people particularly in area
near forests.
• They are a source of primary health care for more than 80% of the
population in developing countries who are dependent on traditional
systems of medicine.
• At present, 90% collection of medicinal plants is from the wild.
• Since 70% of plants collection involves destructive harvesting, many
plants have become endangered or vulnerable or threatened.

3. Introduction
• The appropriate part of the medicinal plant must be harvested at the
optimum stage of development, dried and stored at temperatures
and conditions that do not decrease the active ingredients.
• Only if all these steps are respected a high-quality product showing
batch to batch consistency can be maintained recessed using a
technique that maximizes phytochemical recovery.

4. Root harvesting
• From annuals shortly before flowering.
• From biennials during the autumn or winter following the first year
growth.
• From perennials during autumn or winter following the second or
third year’s growth.
• Dig the root at a considerable distance, at least 30 cm, from the main
stem or tap root.
• Avoid severing of the tap root.
• Do not collect all roots from the plant.
• Collect only the lateral roots.
WHO. 2003; Heron and Maiti, 2010

5. Root harvesting
• The dicussed guideline should be kept in mind.
• Don’t uproot the whole plant, when medicinal effectiveness is only
found in roots.

6. Leaf harvesting
• Least destructive as compared to others.
• Collection of all the leaves from the tree including cutting down the
branches.
• Collection should be made in dry weather whilst the plant is flowering.
• Pluck individual leaves instead of leaf striping and avoid use of sharp
pruning shears for leaves.
• Collection in the morning is providing quality product in some plants
(solanaceous leaves).
• Leaves should be harvested before or at the time of initiation of flowering
unless otherwise specified.
WHO. 2003; Heron and Maiti, 2010

7. Leaf Harvesting
• Avoid use of sharp pruning shears for leaves.
• Regularly prune branches to improve the quality and quantity of
leaves.
• Injure a limited number of roots to encourage sprouting of new root
suckers.
WHO. 2003; Heron and Maiti, 2010

8. Fruit Harvesting
• Collection should be made when fruits are fully grown and ripe or
nearly ripe.
• In forest areas, only collect fruits from some trees and leave others
completely for regeneration.
• Branches of the tree or shrub should not be cut for ease of collection
of fruits and seeds.
• Do not collect all good looking, high quality fruits but leave some on
the ground so that more plants of good quality can germinate.
WHO. 2003; Heron and Maiti, 2010

9. Fruit Harvesting

10. Annual herbs/Whole plant
• Annual herbs should be harvested at the time of initiation of
flowering.
• Whole population in a given area should never be harvested.
• Adequate population should be left for regeneration to facilitate
future collections.
WHO. 2003; Heron and Maiti, 2010

11. Bark Harvesting
• High demand.
• Autumn (after leaf fall) or spring (before development of leaves).
• Harvested with axe and bush knife.
• Remove the bark in long vertical strips using a thin flexible blade/bush
knife.
• Stem bark should not be collected again from same tree unless
adequate time has been allowed for it to regenerate completely.
WHO. 2003; Heron and Maiti, 2010

12. Bark Harvesting
• Stem bark should not be collected again from same tree unless
adequate time has been allowed for it to regenerate completely.
WHO. 2003; Heron and Maiti, 2010

13. Flower part
• Collection should be made in dry weather and in early hours of the
day, after due has dissipated.
• Flower buds must be collected before buds open and early morning
hours.
• Flowers must be harvested when they have just opened or shortly
afterwards to capture its aroma.
WHO. 2003; Heron and Maiti, 2010

14. Gums and Resins
• Ensure minimum harm to mother plant while collecting exudates few
longitudinal incision should be made and exposed part should be
avoid foreign matter mixed with gums and resins removed.
• Younger tree should not be tapped.

15. Collection/Harvesting of Medicinal plants
• Medicinal plants should be collected/harvested during the
appropriate season or time period to ensure the best possible quality
of both source materials and finished products.
• The best time for collection/harvest (quality peak season/time of day)
should be determined according to the quality and quantity of
biologically active constituents rather than the total vegetative yield
of the targeted medicinal plant parts during harvest.
Following are the general guidelines need to be practiced while
harvesting/collection of medicinal plant.
Pandey and Mandal, 2013, Pandey and Das, 2014

16. Collection/Harvesting of Medicinal plants
• Avoid dew, rain or exceptionally high humidity.
• Plant materials should not come into direct contact with the soil.
• Collected/harvested plant material should be placed in clean baskets,
mesh bags, other well aerated containers or cloths.
• The harvested raw medicinal plant materials should be transported
promptly in clean, dry conditions.
• The different plant materials should be gathered separately and
transported in separate containers. Cross contamination should be
avoided at all times.
(WHO, 2003)

17. Collection/Harvesting of Medicinal plants
• When containers are not in use, they should be kept in dry
conditions, in an area that is protected from insects, rodents, birds
and other pests, and inaccessible to livestock and domestic animals.
• The collected medicinal plant materials should be protected from
insects, rodents, birds and other pests as well as from livestock and
domestic animals.
• Collecting/harvesting implements (tools), such as machetes, shears
and mechanical tools, should be kept clean and maintained in proper
condition.
(WHO, 2003)

18. Post-harvest handling
• After harvest, the harvested fresh plant material undergoes a variety
of Processes which can be either desirable or undesirable.
• Primary processing practices viz. drying, storage and packaging
conditions are very important in order to maintain the quality of herb
after harvest.
• Plant materials should be promptly unloaded and transported at the
processing facility.
• Temperature and relative humidity are the main parameters during
storage.

19. Drying
• Drying is the most common way to preserve quality of medicinal
plants.
• The physical and chemical properties of medicinal plants are
determined by their moisture content.
• Give adequate consideration that drying conditions are chosen
appropriate to the type of plant-material processed.
• In case of air-drying, spread the plant-material in a thin layer.
• Make sure that the drying frames are located in a sufficient distance
from the ground to provide adequate air circulation and facilitate
uniform drying.

20. Drying

21. Packaging
• After removal of damaged material and foreign matter, the good dried crop
should be packed in clean, dry sacks, bags or boxes, preferably new.
• 2. Packaging materials should be stored in a clean dry place free from pests
and inaccessible to animals.
• 3. Reusable packaging materials such as jute sacks, plastic bags, etc.,
should be well cleaned and dried before re-use.
• 4. The packed crop should be stored in a dry place away from the wall and
off the ground and be protected from pests and farm and domestic
animals.
• 5. Whenever possible, the packaging materials used should be agreed
between the supplier and the buyer.

22. Storage
• Packed dried crop should be stored in a dry, well ventilated building,
with minimal variation in diurnal temperature and with good air
ventilation.
• Materials used for packaging should be non-polluting, clean, dry and
in undamaged condition and should conform to the quality
requirements for the medicinal plant materials concerned.
• Fresh medicinal plant materials should be stored at appropriate low
temperatures, ideally at 2-8°C; frozen products should be stored at
less than -20°C.

23. References:
• Pandey, A. K. (2017). Harvesting and post-harvest processing of
medicinal plants: Problems and prospects.
• Pandey, A. K., & Das, R. (2014). Good field collection practices and
quality evaluation of medicinal plants: Prospective approach to
augment utilization and economic benefits. Research Journal of
Medicinal Plant, 8(1), 1-19.
• WHO, 2003