"I am an aspireing herbalist in a small city in central/western Massachusetts(northampton).I love how many herbs I can find growing in"waste" areas,like by traintracks,roadsides and abandoned buildings,or in vacant lots. I am wondering if there are any guidelines as to maximizing the saftey of what I am gathering from these"polluted" areas(many are semi industrial/brown zones ect)"

What I teach in my beginning herbal classes, is to only collect herbs that are 10 feet or more from any vehicular traffic.

Specifically those herbs that are to be ingested for upper respiratory or blood purifiers.

If poluted herbs are ingested into the body, they can do much more damage then what is already wrong with the body.

Maybe it could be worked out with ppl on tribe to exact a trade of sorts..

Mullein grows prolific around here right off the roadside. It is extrememly beneficial to the upper respiratory..

I teach that it should only be collected a minimum of 10 feet off the roadside.. however if the wind is blowing, in a downward draft, then it should not be collected then either. The same holds true that if the wind is blowing upward...

The reasoning behind this is that the wind will carry toxins and carcinogens into the nearby plants.

The plants can be very absorbant and when ingested into the body, it will deposit the toxins because the plant is already saturated instead of absorbing the toxins in the body and eliminating the body toxins.

having lived in the pioneer valley for some time, i will say that i am sure you can find some nice places in the woods to gather - even just outside n-hampton. look around.

Unfortunately, while you may not be able to see the toxins in the earth where these plants are growing in the industrial and urban areas, they may be and probably are still there. Oil spillage, car exhaust and lead, especially in near the roadsides, train tracks and foundations of buildings will be prevalent for decades as they are all not easy to clean up (if anybody has even attempted to). Many plants, dandelion included, are very metal absorbant and can do more harm than good. I live in the SF Bay area, and as difficult as it is to do, I drive well over 4 hours away to collect my herbs in a safe environment away from pollutants. If I can't get away, I will order them from a reputable company. Cheers!