The Gathering of Herbs

Witches gathered their herbs under cover of night, not only for reasons of self-concealment, but because they believed that plants had to be plucked during specific phases of the moon in order to yield their powers most efficaciously. Some herbs had to be gathered when the moon was waning, some when the moon was waxing, some during full moon (moonwort, for example), and some during an eclipse. Often the witch had to be naked or skyclad for the gathering. Are there “scientific” reasons for this? Do the moon’s phases measurably alter the chemical properties of plants? And does the nakedness of the gatherer affect the potency of herbs? Perhaps some open-minded scientist should design an experiment to test this. Until then, I for one am willing to believe that these witch traditions have practical utility. There is no question that the moon affects our moods and tides. Why, then, shouldn’t the moon affect the properties of plants?