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Drying
Most herbs were preserved through drying—removing moisture prevented decay while concentrating medicinal compounds. The process required:
Clean, dry space with good air circulation. Herbs bundled and hung upside-down, or spread on screens, out of direct sunlight (which degraded compounds), protected from moisture.
Proper drying took days to weeks depending on plant material thickness and weather. Insufficiently dried herbs molded in storage. Over-dried herbs lost potency.
Storage
Dried herbs stored in containers that excluded light and moisture—sealed clay pots, leather bags, wooden boxes. Properly stored herbs retained potency for one year, sometimes longer for particularly stable compounds.
Storage location was cool, dark, dry. Herbs kept in kitchen area (warm, humid) degraded faster than those stored in cool storeroom.
Each container was labeled—either with mark or by known position—indicating contents and gathering year. Old herbs were used first, maintaining rotation that ensured supplies remained potent.
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