so the spirit of a boiled vegetable is contained in the water always?

Yes' think Ayahuasca here' the spirit/essence is in the plant' the plant is enfused in the water!

and what is the correct way to collect and dry a herb?

Offerings must be given' also the plant must be asked of to allow you to cut it' the correct time/season/phase of Sun and Moon must be chosen' then the herbs to be dried must be cared for as living entities'
They must be kept seperate from each other'
The plants are then dried or cured to maintain their potency'

Bliss!

Nobu +

yea indoor plants rock :D
not much edible stuff in my yard.. rosemary, mint, thai coriander and basil.. some roses (i used to eat them when i was a kid but not so anymore)

so then what about the spirit of the chamomile in tea bags from the supermarket?

i agree with all of u.... many blessings... u all r so beautiful.... it is a part of sight, sense and intuition that u can use to sense whether a dried plant that u have come across still holds some or it's spirit or 'essence'..... simple things like it's colour.... most plants that r green generally.... if they look brown... r no longer holding that essence. i think that is common sense though. a year to store the dried plant on a shelf protected form moisture, air and light... as long as it has been respected and harvested properly is the maximum that they hold their medicinal essence for.... generally speaking again... (some r definately good for longer) some plants u just need to look at and 'sense' and listen with more than your ears.. 'intuit'... and u will probably know when it has passed it's best and it's spirit has moved on.

i prefer to work with fresh plants and to sing to them and or harvest them with reverence, appreciation and intention... knowing that they r sentient beings... simply spending time over the years... sittting with them and listening... asking if u can harvest them and asking them to communicate with u. always thanking them and giving them something, even a token in honour... before harvesting them shows the greatest respect. there is a lot to be learned in those regards.... but it doesn't take much... just a keen yearning to know and learn and a good sense of listening and seeing that reaches a little bit beyond the normal definitions of those senses.. intuitive at first... until they outright reach out to u! ;^)

i call it spending the time to really hear... and listen.

about the chamomile tea bags in the grocery store.... i learned my lesson with those.. what do u think? i should've know better... a few years ago... the chammomile i grew would've never given me the allergic reaction that i experienced from the supermaket ones... just think! how were they harvested and grown? with what chemies? with any kind of spiritual acknowedgement? what kind of pesticides were sprayed on them? perhaps nun. i dunno... your better off with whatever grows in your garden or as a weed anywhere else as long as pesticides haven't been sprayed and too many dogs have peed on them.... if u live in the city if your lucky enough to have a good herbal store which can be hard to find... the herbs and medicines should be of good quality... look healthy.. not too far off from what they look like when they're fresh... not older than a year dried shelflife... and humanely (plant wise) harvested with respect in a non pesticide or chemically polluted area. they should be stored in amber jars in the store or... at least protected from sunlight and be in sealed containers.

sorry i've totally rambled....
that's my view anyways

meme.. ;^)