Lithuanian Forests Offer Natural Remedies: 7 Plants to Gather Before Summer Ends

Valstybinių miškų urėdijos (State Forest Enterprise) specialist Gintarė Karelina guides readers on identifying and collecting medicinal plants in Lithuanian forests before the end of summer. She stresses the importance of responsible harvesting and proper preparation to maintain the plants' beneficial properties.

Karelina explains that medicinal herbs can enrich home supplies, enhance daily tea rituals, and offer natural flavors and aromas. She advises collecting plants on sunny days after the morning dew has dried, ensuring they are well-known and only clean parts are used. Washing before drying is not recommended; instead, damaged or dirty parts should be removed.

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Lithuanian forests grow many medicinal plants, long valued for their properties and diverse uses. Responsibly collected herbs can enrich home supplies, diversify daily tea rituals, and allow enjoyment of natural forest flavors and aromas. Such teas are valued not only for their taste and aroma but also because they are a natural choice for everyday life.

Proper drying is crucial, according to Karelina. Herbs should be dried in a well-ventilated area, protected from direct sunlight, spread thinly on paper, linen, or wooden sieves, and turned daily. This process helps preserve their valuable qualities.

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Drying is no less important than collection itself – improperly dried plants can lose some of their valuable properties.

The article highlights several plants suitable for collection: small-leaved linden (Tilia cordata Mill.) for its flowers, traditionally used to promote sweating and soothe sore throats; wild thyme (Thymus serpyllum L.), often found on dry, sandy slopes and used for respiratory support; raspberry leaves (Rubus idaeus L.), valued for teas during cold seasons; and wild marjoram (Origanum vulgare L.), recognizable by its fragrant leaves and purple flowers, best collected during its blooming period in July and August, and traditionally associated with aiding digestion.

Karelina reiterates that quality is paramount. It's better to collect fewer, healthy, undamaged plants from clean areas away from pollution sources. This ensures the herbs are of higher quality for home use.

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When collecting medicinal plants, quality is important, not quantity. It is better to collect less, but healthy, undamaged plants, gathered in clean places, away from heavy traffic or other sources of pollution. Such herbs will be of higher quality.