How to Dry and Store Herbs for Maximum Potency (Without a Dehydrator)
- Cole Schoonover
- Apr 14
- 3 min read
After harvesting your herbs, the next step is just as important as the growing itself. This is where the vitality of the plant is either preserved or slowly lost. Taking a little extra care here ensures that the colour, aroma, flavour, and medicinal qualities remain as close as possible to how they exist in nature.
Drying or Curing Your Harvest
Once your herbs are harvested, begin by gently cleaning the plant material. If your harvest is particularly dusty or has been exposed to debris, you can give it a quick rinse or soak. However, it’s important to note that introducing excess moisture can increase the risk of mould during the drying process. If needed, I simply wipe the plants clean with a cloth and lay them out to wilt, allowing their natural structure and chemistry to remain intact without added moisture.
From here, I recommend curing herbs rather than dehydrating them. While dehydrators are convenient, they rely on heat, which can diminish delicate phytonutrients, aromatics, and volatile compounds. Curing, on the other hand, uses airflow and dehumidification to gently remove moisture without applying heat. This slower process helps preserve the plant’s full spectrum of qualities—its scent, its colour, and its medicinal integrity.
Creating a simple curing space at home can be quite accessible. If you have a spare closet or small room, you can turn it into a drying cabinet by adding a dehumidifier and ensuring there is gentle airflow. Shelving or hanging racks allow the herbs to dry evenly without crowding. Another method I’ve come to love is adopted from April Graham of her YouTube channel She Is of the Woods (1). Using a fabric wardrobe, you can line the shelves with a fine mesh and lay your herbs across each layer. With a small fan for air circulation and a dehumidifier nearby, this setup creates an ideal environment for slow, even drying in a compact space. (I highly recommend following her on YouTube, her videos are really accessible and includes herbs that are easy to find! - listen to her video on curing vs. drying here)
Storing Your Dry Herb
Once your herbs are fully cured, how you store them will determine how long that vitality lasts. I prefer to keep my plants in their whole form, only breaking them down into smaller tea-cut sizes just before use. This helps prevent excess oxidation, which can shorten the lifespan and diminish the potency of your herbs. It also offers a layer of reassurance—keeping the plant intact makes identification much easier, especially if something was mislabeled or forgotten over time. Store your dried herbs in airtight jars or bags, and be sure to label them with their Latin and common name, the date they were packaged, where they were harvested, and even the weight if you like to track your harvests year to year. Keep them out of direct sunlight and away from heat, treating them with the same care you would a high-quality oil or spice. When stored properly, herbs can remain vibrant for up to five years, though for the most potent flavour and medicinal qualities, they are best enjoyed within one to two years.
Benefits of Curing Herbs
Since adopting this method, I’ve noticed a profound difference in the quality of my herbs. Plants like Stinging Nettle retain their vibrant, alive qualities—even down to their sting—because they haven’t been altered by heat. The colour of the dried herbs remains rich and true, rather than fading into dull browns. And perhaps most noticeably, the flavour is far more vibrant. Delicate botanicals like Rose and Linden, which can easily lose their essence when dried improperly, maintain their full aromatic depth and softness.
When I first began working with herbs, I quickly realized how inconsistent the quality of dried plants on the market could be. Some herbs were easy to source in good condition, while others arrived dull, brown, and seemingly lifeless. Instead of offering something that felt disconnected from the plant’s true nature, I began growing and drying my own. I started with the herbs that were hardest to find in good quality, learning how to harvest and cure them in a way that preserved their vitality.
As my work continues to grow, my intention is to cultivate more and more of the plants I use—tending, harvesting, and drying them with care. This process allows my teas and formulations to offer something deeper: an experience of the plant as it truly is. Not just a dried ingredient, but a living expression of the land it came from—vibrant, aromatic, and full of relationship.
I hope that this information helps you make the most potent medicine out of your harvests! Share your bounty with loved ones in need to spread the abundance of the land with as many as need it. Please use this Herb Drying Checklist to support a vibrant and medicinal harvest!
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