Organic, Wildcrafted and Sustainably Harvested Herbs: What the Terms Mean
Organic, wildcrafted and sustainably harvested mean three different things on an herb label. See how US rules and one wild-harvest standard define them, and what they do not promise.
Content last updated . This page has not been medically reviewed.
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These three words answer different questions. "Organic" is a legal term in the United States about how a crop was grown or collected and handled. "Wildcrafted" means the plant came from the wild, but we did not find it defined in the US organic regulations. "Sustainably harvested" is a goal that some voluntary standards try to measure. None of them tells you that a product contains the right plant, is free of contaminants, is safe with your medicines, or works. NCCIH says "natural" does not always mean a safer or better option. [1]
How the sources define the terms
| Term | What the source says | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Organic | The word may only be used on labels of agricultural products produced and handled under the USDA organic regulations. [2] A product labeled "organic" generally has to be made of at least 95 percent organically produced ingredients, by weight or volume, not counting water and salt. [3] Production must avoid synthetic substances except those on an allowed list. [4] | US federal regulations (7 CFR Part 205), read 2026-10-23 |
| Wild crop | The regulations define a wild crop as any plant, mushroom or part of a plant collected from a site that is not maintained under cultivation or other agricultural management. [5] To be sold as organic, it must come from a designated area where no prohibited substance was applied for 3 years before harvest. [6] It must also be harvested in a way that is not destructive to the environment and that sustains the growth and production of the wild crop. [6] | Same regulations |
| Wildcrafted | Proper evidence not found for an official US definition. We searched the current US federal regulations (eCFR) for "wildcrafted" and the search returned no matching sections. [7] What a seller means by the word is not described in the sources we read. | Search run 2026-10-23 |
| Sustainably harvested | One wild-collection standard, FairWild, states its first principle as harvesting "in a manner and on a scale that maintains populations and species over time". [8] Without a named standard or certifier, the sources we read give no shared meaning. | FairWild Foundation (standard owner's own description) |
| Fair trade | Proper evidence not found for herbs. We read the Fairtrade International home page and found no statement about herbs or botanicals. FairWild's standard includes fair treatment and benefit sharing for collectors (below). | Searched 2026-10-23 |
Organic rules outside the US (for example in the European Union or Canada) are not covered because we did not read them.
What studies and reviews found
| Question | What the source found | Strength of evidence | What was studied |
|---|---|---|---|
| Does an organic label guarantee the right plant in a wild-harvested product? | Four of five essential oils claimed to be certified organic Boswellia carteri (frankincense) tested positive for methoxydecane. [9] That compound comes from a different tree species, Boswellia occulta. [9] The authors concluded organic certification is not sufficient to guarantee purity in wild-harvested products. [9] | Limited: one study of one product type | 13 frankincense essential oils (not an herbal supplement) |
| Do organic herbs give better health results than non-organic ones? | Proper evidence not found. The NCCIH, FDA and regulation pages we read make no such comparison. | None found | Not applicable |
| How much of the herb supply is collected from the wild? | A review says wild harvesting remains the primary source of raw material for traditional medicine and the herbal industry. [10] The FairWild Foundation says 60 to 90% of medicinal and aromatic plants in trade are wild collected, citing a 2022 report. [11] | Review and an advocacy source: an estimate, not a count | Medicinal and aromatic plants in general |
Why the wild matters for sustainability
The same review says heavy dependence on wild collection has increased pressure on natural populations, particularly for plants that grow slowly, have a limited range or need specialized habitat. [10] Certification of wild products has its own limits: one review notes that such schemes are often handicapped by limited ecological knowledge of the plant and how it is harvested. [9] For named at-risk plants see at-risk medicinal plants and conservation.
FairWild is one voluntary example. It has 7 principles and 24 criteria across ecological, social and business themes. [8] One principle says harvesting practices respect local communities' and Indigenous peoples' customary rights to wild resources and ensure fair and equitable sharing of benefits. [8] Its certification bodies carry out on-site visits, and certificates are valid for 15 months. [12] This is the organization's description of its own scheme; we found no independent evaluation in the sources we read.
Frequently asked questions
Is organic better for health?
Proper evidence not found. We looked for a comparison in the NCCIH, FDA and federal regulation pages we read and found none. Organic describes how a crop was produced and handled, not how it performs in the body. [2]
What does "wildcrafted" mean on an herb label?
It is generally understood to mean collected from the wild, but we found no official US definition. A search of the federal regulations for the word returned no sections. [7] The regulations do define a wild crop and set conditions for selling one as organic. [5]
Is wild-harvested the same as sustainable?
No. Wild collection can put pressure on slow-growing plants. [10] The organic wild-crop rule requires harvesting that is not destructive and sustains the wild crop, but only for products sold as organic. [6]
Does organic mean there are no pesticides, heavy metals or mold?
The organic rules we read restrict synthetic substances in production. [4] The pages we read do not say organic products are tested for heavy metals or mold, so this is not described in those sources. One frankincense study found organic certification useful against artificial chemical contamination but not enough to guarantee purity. [9]
How can I judge a "sustainably harvested" claim?
Ask which standard or certifier the claim refers to, because the term has no shared meaning in the sources we read. A pharmacist can help you read a label. See reading an herbal supplement label.
More details: evidence, limits and cautions
The details behind this page: cautions, limits of the evidence and where sources disagree. Open any note to read it.
Safety and who should ask a clinician
- Organic, wild or "sustainable" does not change medicine interactions, effects in pregnancy and breastfeeding, or risks for children, older adults, people with liver or kidney disease, or people having surgery. Ask a pharmacist or clinician. See how interactions work.
- This page gives no advice on gathering wild plants. Look-alike plants can be poisonous and a photo or app is not a safe check; see plant and mushroom poisoning and foraging, wildcrafting and growing herbs safely.
- For heavy metals and other contaminants, an organic label is not a test result. See heavy metals, pesticides and microbes in herbal products and third-party testing.
Related: essential oil organic, wildcrafted and origin claims and natural ingredient quality and labels.
References
- NCCIH (US). Natural Doesn't Necessarily Mean Safer, or Better. Read 2026-10-23.
- US Electronic Code of Federal Regulations. 7 CFR 205.300, Use of the term "organic". Read 2026-10-23.
- US Electronic Code of Federal Regulations. 7 CFR 205.301, Product composition. Read 2026-10-23.
- US Electronic Code of Federal Regulations. 7 CFR 205.105, Allowed and prohibited substances, methods, and ingredients. Read 2026-10-23.
- US Electronic Code of Federal Regulations. 7 CFR 205.2, Terms defined. Read 2026-10-23.
- US Electronic Code of Federal Regulations. 7 CFR 205.207, Wild-crop harvesting practice standard. Read 2026-10-23.
- US Electronic Code of Federal Regulations. Search results for "wildcrafted". Search run 2026-10-23; no matching sections returned. Read 2026-10-23.
- FairWild Foundation. FairWild Standard overview. Description by the standard's owner. Read 2026-10-23.
- Johnson S, DeCarlo A, Satyal P, et al. Organic Certification is Not Enough: The Case of the Methoxydecane Frankincense. Plants (Basel) 2019. Read 2026-10-23.
- Budau R, Bei MF, Dejeu DA, et al. Endangered and Protected Medicinal Plants in Forest Ecosystems: Diversity, Conservation Status, Therapeutic Potential, and Management Strategies. Plants (Basel) 2026 (review). Read 2026-10-23.
- FairWild Foundation. FairWild Foundation home page. Description by the standard's owner. Read 2026-10-23.
- FairWild Foundation. FairWild certification. Description by the standard's owner. Read 2026-10-23.