MoonBranch BotanicalsTM

Purveyors of Fine Native Plants

MoonBranch BotanicalsTM

Building community, enhancing biodiversity

Mission:To be a trusted source of sustainably and ethically produced botanical products.

5294 Yellow Creek RoadRobbinsville, North Carolina 28771

828.479.2788moonbranchinfo@gmail.com

“Hello again” for those of you who already know me (and know this update is LONG overdue!) or “Thank youfor taking time from your schedule to allow me to introduce myself and my company” (for those of us whohaven’t yet met). As owner and founder of MoonBranch Botanicals, I generally use this area of the catalogue toexplain some of the vision and philosophy of MoonBranch Botanicals. This time I will let an article from someonewho tells the story better than I to do the explaining for me.

The following is from the August 2007 New Life Journal and may be accessed online at: http://www.thefreelibrary.com/Into+the+forest%3a+Allison+Perrett+discovers+a+model+for+land...-a0167344848

Enjoy!

Robin A. SuggsRobin A. SuggsProprietor

Into the Forest Allison Perrett discovers a model for land conservation in our own backyard.

In the far reaches of Western North Carolina, in a relatively remote and wild valley carved out by a tributary of the Little Tennessee River, Robin Suggs grows native medicinal plants. His business, MoonBranch Botanicals, supplies raw botanical ingredients valued for their medicinal qualities to medicine makers and herbal practitioners.

This is not your typical operation. At MoonBranch Botanicals, you won’t find greenhouse nursery production. On 32 acres of forested land, Robin cultivates plants in their naturally occurring environments. Home to more than 3,000 native plant species, this area of the southern Blue Ridge Mountains is botanically rich, and Robin’s business depends on maintaining the integrity of this biodiverse natural system.

Ten years ago, when Robin began working on this land, he used conventional means of production. Several years ago, he began to explore alternative methods. “I began to see that the way I was approaching my production was an uphill battle. I was working against nature,” Robin says. “Rather than modifying the natural system to fit the crops, I started to modify my production practices to fit the natural system. It makes perfect sense. Natural systems are the result of hundreds of thousands of years of trial and error. The native plants I work with are perfectly adapted to the conditions of this region.”

On a recent visit, Robin led me along one of the trails that traverse his land. I followed Robin as he crossed over a meandering stream that veered off the path into a veritable sea of green. To my inexperienced eye, each plant looked the same. Not so for Robin, who has been working with plants for over 25 years. He pointed out bloodroot, American ginseng, mayapple and witch hazel—just some of the plants he cultivates. He then stopped and kneeled down in front of the plant he was looking for: black cohosh; its root is sought by herbalists to treat symptoms associated with menopause.

Robin cleared organic debris from around the base of the plant, then pulled out a clawed tool to break up the earth so that he could use his hands to gently free the root. Before placing it in his satchel, Robin broke off a piece of the root and replanted it. He told me that replanting is an essential and basic step in his harvesting practice. “My production relies on stewardship of a naturally occurring system. Taking steps to maintain its integrity ensures the forest system’s ecological health and also the viability of my business.” The rootRobin dug during my visit will supply an order from one of Asheville’s local grocers, like Greenlife or the French Broad Food Co-op, or for a local herbal practitioner, while the replanting will generate new growth.

Working Forests: A Renewable Resource

Driving along the main road of his community, Robin and I counted the number of real estate signs advertising home sites for sale. “Things are really changing. When I moved out here a decade ago, it felt like I was living in a remote place. It doesn’t feel like that anymore. More roads. More second homes. If we keep heading this way, we’re going to lose it,” he says. We followed one of the signs up a freshly cut road to a cleared home site. Robin commented on the view. “Who wouldn’t want to live here? Look at it. People come here because they want to live in a beautiful place, to get away from crowded cities. The irony is that the sale and subdivision of the land is destroying the very thing that attracts people to this region.”

At a time when our forested areas are shrinking, Robin’s model of production offers a means to protect them from further development. North Carolina currently leads the nation in loss of forested lands. A recent report published by the North Carolina Division of Forest Resources reports that pressures related to the expansion of urban areas have contributed to the loss of more than 1,000,000 forested acres since 1990.

“A line of thinking that dominates discussions on land use is that wildlands are valuable for their development value,” Robin notes. “If you want to base their worth purely on the bottom line, then their value lies in their natural state. Working forests managed properly can be renewable and profitable sources of medicine, food and fiber.”

As the name suggests, working forests are not nature preserves. Forested areas are utilized for their resources—timber and nontimber—in a way that maintains ecological integrity and that can potentially enhance biological diversity. “One of the best ways to preserve wildlands is to make them economically productive, to manage them as working forests,” Robin believes.

Studies conducted by the American Farmland Trust support Robin’s statement. These studies, which compared the costs of providing infrastructure and services to residential property versus farm, forest, and open lands in 83 communities across the country, demonstrate that residential land uses are a net drain on municipal funds. It costs local governments more to provide services to homeowners than what residential landowners pay in property taxes. By contrast, working farms and forested lands generate more in local tax revenues than they require in services (Cost of Community Services Studies: Making the Case for Conservation, 2002).

As I collected my notebook and camera to make my journey back to Asheville, Robin gathered up his equipment to go back out into the forest. “In our society,” he told me, “we have become so disconnected from the land, people forget that they are just part of one living world.”

His statement captures the reciprocal relationship that binds owner and forest on working lands. Forest products provide landowners with a source of income; forested land owners steward and build a natural resource.

For more information about MoonBranch Botanicals, visit http://www.moonbranch.com.

Allison Perrett is a PhD candidate in applied anthropology, works for Appalachian Sustainable Agriculture Project, and teaches at Warren Wilson College. Send comments to allison@asapconnections.org.

We at MoonBranch Botanicals are proud that you have entrusted us as your supplier of quality botanical products. Our philosophy centers on the belief that plants produced in their native habitats consistently yield a higher quality product. Through our sustainable sourcing methods involving the responsible cultivation and wildharvesting of botanicals within these habitats, we strive to consistently supply our customer with the highest quality botanicals available. This is the foundation of our approach to satisfying and exceeding expectations relevant to consistency, potency, and proper species identification.

OUR SOURCING METHODS:

WoodsCultureTM & MeadowCultureTM

Produced under proprietary production systems developed by MoonBranch Botanicals. These systems are designed in accordance withthe unique habitat requirements of each species produced. They generally seek to mimic the natural plant communities in which each

of the species occur within their native range.

Sustainable WildharvestProduced using a “best efforts” approach developed in collaboration with various state, federal, and non-profit organizations assuring

long term sustainability of the plant resources used in our offerings.

Certified OrganicGrown in accordance with USDA Organic Standards.

ConventionalGrown using a system other than one of those described above.

MoonBranch BotanicalsTM

Building community, enhancing biodiversity

Mission:To be a trusted source of sustainably and ethically

produced botanical products.

5294 Yellow Creek RoadRobbinsville, North Carolina 28771

moonbranchinfo@gmail.com

BULK BOTANICALS PRODUCT LISTING

Autumn 2016FRESH AND DRIED BOTANICALS

Availability and price of fresh botanicals varies seasonally by species May through October.Orders for fresh materials placed by noon on Mondays are generally delivered by the close of business

the following Friday. Shelf containers and other marketing supplies are available by request.

Common/Botanical Name Quantity Description of Plant Part Available 8 ounces 1 pound 5 pounds+

American Ginseng Panax quinquefoliuscultivated root 109.00 155.00 143.00

Beth Root Trillium erectum cut root 16.00 24.00 22.50

Black Cherry Prunus serotinacut bark 15.50 22.00 20.00

Black Cohosh Actaea/Cimicifuga racemosacut root 24.00 34.00 32.00

Black Walnut Juglans nigrahulls 10.50 15.00 14.00

Bloodroot Sanguinaria canadensiscut root 42.00 59.00 54.00

Blue Cohosh Caulophyllum thalictroidescut root 19.00 28.00 25.00

Boneset Eupatorium perfoliatumherb 13.50 19.00 17.50

Cranesbill Geranium maculatumcut root 17.00 24.00 22.00

MoonBranch BotanicalsTM

Building community, enhancing biodiversity

5294 Yellow Creek RoadRobbinsville, North Carolina 28771

828.479.2788moonbranchinfo@gmail.com

Common/Botanical Name Quantity Description of Plant Part Available 8 ounces 1 pound 5 pounds+

Elderberry Sambucus nigra ssp. canadensis fruit 14.50 21.00 19.50

False Unicorn Root Chamealirium luteumcut root 225.00 320.00 295.00

Goldenseal Hydrastis canadensiscut root 96.00 130.00 120.00powdered root 99.00 135.00 125.00

Mayapple Podophyllum peltatumcut root 17.00 24.00 22.00

Partridgeberry Mitchella repensherb 42.00 59.00 54.00

Queen of the Meadow Eupatorium fistulosumcut root 12.50 18.00 16.50

Sassafras/File’ Sassafras albidumleaf/file’ 13.50 19.00 17.50cut root 23.00 32.00 29.00

Slippery Elm Ulmus rubrainner bark 20.00 28.00 26.00

Solomon’s Seal Polygonatum biflorumcut root 32.00 45.00 42.00

Spikenard Aralia racemosacut root 20.00 28.00 26.00

Stoneroot Collinsonia canadensiscut root 12.50 18.00 16.50

Sweet Birch Betula lenta NEW!cut bark 15.50 22.00 20.00

Wild Ginger Asarum canadensecut root 17.00 24.00 22.00

Wild Hydrangea Hydrangea arborescenscut root 17.00 24.00 22.00

Wild Indigo Baptisia tinctoriacut root 42.00 59.00 54.00

Wild Yam Dioscorea villosa/quaternatacut root 20.00 29.00 27.00

Common/Botanical Name Quantity Description of Plant Part Available 8 ounces 1 pound 5 pounds+

Witch Hazel Hamamelis virginianaleaf 15.50 22.00 20.00cut bark 15.50 22.00 20.00

Yellowroot Xanthorhiza simplicissimacut root and stem 22.50 32.00 29.50

*CUSTOM PACKAGING, DELIVERY AND SOURCING SERVICES AVAILABLE.Custom harvest protocol (i.e. calendar, moon phase) service available.

PLEASE CONTACT US FOR MORE INFORMATION REGARDING YOUR NEEDS.

We at MoonBranch Botanicals are proud that you have entrusted us as your supplierof quality botanical products. Our philosophy centers on the belief that plantsproduced in their native habitats consistently yield a higher quality product.

Through our sustainable sourcing methods involving the responsible cultivation andwild harvesting of botanicals within these habitats, we strive

to consistently supply our customer with the highest quality botanicals available.This is the foundation of our approach to satisfying and exceeding expectations

relevant to consistency, potency, and proper species identification.

MoonBranch BotanicalsTM

Building community, enhancing biodiversity

GENERAL COMPANY POLICIES:MoonBranch Botanicals is a wholesale supplier of high quality botanical products. We sell only to herbalists, herbal product processors, retailers and others generally involved in the natural products industry. Please respect this policy.

Warranty:MoonBranch Botanicals is committed to providing the highest quality sustainably produced plant products that are correctly identified in regards to genus and species through currently accepted botanical taxonomy. If for any reason our customers suspect that products they receive are incorrectly identified we ask that they contact us immediately so that we can remedy the situation. Minimum Order:Minimum order is $50.00 US

Refund Policy:We will accept returns for any reason on any merchandise for up to 30 days from the date of purchase. All merchandise must be returned postage paid in the condition it was received. A credit will be issued or refund sent within 5 days for the purchase price of the returned product not including any shipping charges. A copy of the invoice and the reason for the return must be included with product returned. No refunds will be issued on returned plant products that exhibit any signsof tampering or adulteration.

Privacy:We respect your right to privacy. Therefore, we do not sell any names or any information to mailing list. We only use your information to help us process your orders and to better serve you.

Payment:We accept most credit cards and payments by check or money order in US currency.

Shipping:Standard Shipping: Most in stock items are shipped within 2-5 business days after orders are received. Back ordered items are shipped within 2-5 business days of receipt or processing by MoonBranch Botanicals.

Expedited Shipping: Next day delivery and other custom shipping methods are available as listed in the website shopping section. Custom shipping services as well as just in time delivery and standing order services are available based on schedules established by dialogue with our customers. Please call us for more information on these services and for scheduling delivery of fresh plant materials.

Use and Materials Statement:The Food and Drug Administration has not evaluated our products. All of our products originate in the United States unless otherwise stated.

Regarding the use of the term “Sustainable Wildharvest”One may notice that MoonBranch Botanicals uses the term “Sustainable Wildharvest” as opposed to “ethically wildcrafted” or some similar terminology. While not opposed to the use of the word “ethical” by well meaning companies and individuals, MoonBranch Botanicals is attempting to be more specific in its description of practices that impact plant species, bio-diversity and ecosystems.

“Ethics” often differ depending on the individual, the company, and sometimes the culture. “Sustainable” by definition refers to a practice that is ongoing and indefinite. To be ongoing and indefinite, harvesting methods must necessarily benefitthe plants ecosystem and the biodiversity contained therein.

MoonBranch Botanicals applauds the efforts of those that have practiced and continue to practice truly ethical wildcrafting from an ecosystem perspective as well as those that have increased public awareness of the issue. MoonBranch Botanicals believes that the term “Sustainable Wildharvest” is better suited to describe our own production methodology.

STAINLESS STEEL BATCH DRYER

L- FRESH WILD YAM R- FRESH SOLOMON’S SEAL

PROPRIETOR, ROBIN SUGGS INSPECTING POLYCULTURAL PRODUCTIONOF WILD YAM, BLACK WALNUT, SPIKENARD AND OTHERS.

Shown above is an example of suggested label positioning on a 32 ounce straight-sided glass container.*

* Please reference species information and production protocol shown on bulk product package for label selection used in retail display.

Please let us know if you have specific labeling needs.