When I talk about drying herbs prior to using them, so many people ask: Why can't I just pick the leaf and steep it?
You can. But if you have ever brewed a cup from freshly picked chamomile and found it thin, pale, and a little disappointing — and then made another from dried flowers and gotten something rich and golden and properly medicinal — you already know the answer in your hands, even if you have not yet heard the reason.
The reason is in the cells.