The foundation of an herbal apothecary commences with powders, already deeply rooted in kitchens as the spices we cook with every day. Peek into your spice rack to see cinnamon, ginger, turmeric, cloves, nutmeg, cumin, cayenne pepper, all herbs that have been powdered from their original form whether that be root, bark, or berry. Others, rosemary, thyme, parsley, sage, these may be powders but more likely are there as dried leaves. The spices that you buy are less potent than an herb that you grind into powder in your kitchen because the strength of powders depends on how long since the grinding. Although they may not be the strongest form, powders are one of the easiest and more versatile ways to add herbs into cooking and baking.

To maximize the strength of a powdered herb, it is worth it to do the powdering yourself. On an esoteric level, it will help your connection with plants, the more you handle an herb the more you know it, the better your understanding of its character.

Powdering Equipment

I have a beautiful mortar and pestle, but it is more of a spiritual thing at this point. I did a couple of times attempt to pulverize some dried roots in it and it took forever, my arm was exhausted and the roots really were barely smaller than they had been when I started, certainly far from a powder. But it is nice to look at and imagine how in the world people of ancient times broke up hard plants using stones. I really wonder. They must have been very strong and very patient.

Any coffee grinder will work for dried leaves, but keep a separate one for coffee grinding because if you use the same one for both your herbs will taste like coffee and your coffee will taste like herbs. I bought an industrial strength herb grinder on Amazon for $125. It is worth it if you are going to grind harder barks, roots, or seeds, all of which may break a coffee grinder. Whether incorporating into a recipe or making tea, powdering your herbs just before using them retains their strength. For tea, follow infusion or decoction recommendations for each specific plant, but starting with powders will improve extraction benefits. While powdering yourself eliminates the concern about loss of activity, some really hard herbs you just have to buy powdered and there are reputable places to do that.

Method

The traditional way to powder herbs is to use a mortar and pestle; the easier way is to use an electric coffee grinder. Powdering fresh herbs will result in a mushy mess because there is still too much water in fresh. So the first step to powdering is drying. Grinding powders can be messy with herbal particles flying into the air. If this bothers your nose, you can wear a cloth mask or tie a scarf over your nose and mouth gently for a minute until the dust settles. After grinding, it is a good idea to put the powder through a fine sieve to remove any large particles remaining. Leaves, flowers, and softer roots are suitable for powdering on your own, but really hard plant materials like dried berries, barks, and most roots would break a home coffee grinder. Buy small amounts and use them up fairly quickly. Purchase from somewhere that you trust, and keep powders packaged in a dry place.

Using Herbal Powders

I recently heard a talk from an elder and most respected herbalist who said that powdering was his favorite way to prepare herbs. This surprised me because of the potency loss issues. The more I listened to his reasoning, the more I found his practice made sense. His premise was powder the herb yourself just before using and the potency will still be good. He also pointed to the benefit of ingesting all the plant material as a powder rather than only what is extracted in water or alcohol if using a tea or a tincture. Nothing is lost. The whole plant is reduced to a form that is readily obtainable. The controversy lies in whether it is better to use the whole plant powdered and then made into tea, syrup, tincture, or if powder can be added straight just as it is and still have effect. I do not claim to know the answer, but I do see the benefits of powdering and I like it because it makes things less complicated and that is a good way to extend a baking apothecary.

No doubt it is easy to use powders. Mix them with warm water to make a tea. Add them to yogurt, applesauce, or smoothies. Put them into capsules. Combine them with juice, honey, maple syrup, or roll into balls mixed with nut butters. Powders can be made into herbal jello or puddings for a nice way to use with children or anyone sensitive to the taste of herbs. And of course just open up your spice cabinet for endless possibilities. Do what you have been already in so many recipes. Add a bit more, a teaspoon, two or three, and experiment with a new plant like lavender, amla, chaga, or astragalus.