Herbs website

I am interested in starting a website to earn extra income. I am very big on herbs as to their ability to heal. I am not planning on selling online other than as an affiliate. I've always wanted to do this as a means to guide people to the best, most trustworthy companies to deal with to order herbs from. I'd probably have to limit the list to about 10 as I wanted the web site to be simple and not overwhelm with info. If a person is interested, they can get more info by clicking on the sites I recommend.
I would like to include an article from each of the companies I promote. I would like to have a simple list of top herbs, that are common, can be used safely (turmeric, butchers broom, nettle leaf, etc.) and some recipes that can be incorporated into a smoothie. This is how I have greatly improved my own health.
Also, a list of excellent, simple herb books for medicinal use or cooking use for the normal, busy person who only wants a guide, not necessarily wanting to spend a lot of time they don't have.
It would be sort of like a drive through, get in, get out, get what you need. But the only goods you could purchase would be the top of the line.
The consumer wouldn't have to worry whether the herbs were organic or unhealthy or polluted with debris. I am located in AZ, USA. I would think Richters would be a good affiliate to list as one of the top ten.
Any suggestions as to how I should proceed or even if this website would have any chance of succeeding among all the thousands of herb websites already online. Any suggestions as to what I could do to make it stand out from the competition?

As you note, there is a lot of competition in the online herbal world. To a large degree the success or failure of your website depends on basic business and online principles that apply to any industry that does business online. You need to research topics such as effective website design and search engine optimization, and then with a mix of conventional and unconventional methods, you need to attract attention to your website to get the ball rolling. You need to make sure that you have compelling content so that your visitors will want to tell their friends about your site thus encourage organic growth in traffic. With these basic principles in place, your site and your online business will grow and not just be another online casualty.
With respect to the FDA, there is relatively little risk of the FDA or the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) bothering you if you don't make outlandish claims. The large numbers of herb-related websites is testament to the fact that online sales of natural health products is legal and protected by U.S. laws such as the Dietary Supplement Health Education Act.
Of course, we at Richters would be delighted if you would join the Richters network of websites by becoming a Richters Web Agent. You can learn more about our program at:
www.richters.com/show.cgi?page=./WebAgent/WebAgent.html
Good luck with your new venture!