Drying medicinal plants in the WALA herb garden

Zur Herstellung der Dr.Hauschka Körperöle als auch der medizinischen WALA Öle werden getrocknete Pflanzen bzw. Pflanzenteile benötigt. Diese als Drogen bezeichneten Bestandteile stellt die WALA größtenteils aus Heilpflanzen her, die im eigenen biologisch-dynamischen Anbau kultiviert oder durch Vertragsanbau von ökologisch arbeitenden Betrieben geliefert werden. Weitere Heilpflanzen stammen aus kontrollierten Wildsammlungen.

The Condensation process

The plants are dried in the drug house by the so-called condensation process. In this process the warm, moisture-laden drying air is cooled to below dew point. This leads to condensation of the moisture which can then be removed in liquid form. Some of the energy generated during this process can be returned to the air current. The average room temperature during the process is 25-35°C. The condensation process allows us to dry the plants as quickly as possible. This is very important for a high product quality.

Quality assurance

For the drying of medicinal plants the company's quality manual contains a number of standard operating procedures which describe various operations such as preparatory work, maintenance work and occupational safety rules. These procedures are reviewed annually and updated if necessary. The employees working in the WALA herb garden take part in annual training courses on implementation of the standard operating procedures.

The drying process

The drying process begins with the delivery of fresh plants and the identification of the delivered plant parts. The plants must fulfil certain quality criteria:

• They must be free of dust and dirt.
• They must display no outward signs of disease or significant damage and there must be no withered or dead plant parts.
• There must be no rotting, pests or other changes which are not species-related.

A written evaluation bearing the name, date and signature of the inspector and any special observations is documented on the manufacturing form.

After release, the plants are weighed and, if they have not already been comminuted or chopped, are spread out evenly on the racks in the drug house. These racks are made of fine silk material mounted on wooden frames. Silk is particularly suitable for drying because it does not absorb moisture, does not swell and is particularly permeable to air.

Drug yields

In 2008 about 735 kg of fresh plants cultivated in our own gardens, by contract farmers or wildcrafted, were dried in the drug house to produce about 212 kg of drugs. Here are some of the individual yields for 2008:

Latin name	English name	Part	Fresh weight	Drug
Althaea officinalis	Marshmellow	Root	95 kg	28 kg
Artemisia absinthium	Wormwood	Leaves	200 kg	58 kg
Levisticum officinale	Lovage	Root	121 kg	25 kg