Herbal Foundations

This lesson gives you a solid foundation of both books and online resources that you can come back to again and again. 

There's so much information online about herbs. Unfortunately, a lot  of that information is not sourced or backed up, in any way.

Looking for solid herbal information with a search engine can be ineffective, at best, and potentially dangerous, at worst.

Now,  don't get me wrong, there certainly are reliable sources of herbal  information on the internet. Unfortunately, these reliable sources often  get lost in the popularity contest of search engine algorithms.

And,  actually, a lot of the information that we're looking for about herbs  has been around a lot longer than the internet, anyway.

The  reality is, a shelf of herbals that you can rely on will win over a  random google search almost every time. With a shelf of trusted  reference books, cross referencing is quick and easy.

Books are  there for you, even if the power goes out, and they don't need to be  charged. Or you can just slip the book in your backpack and take yourself off the  grid. It's so lovely to study the plants when we're are surrounded by  nature.

Now, I'm not talking about filling up a bookshelf with  random herb books that you find at yard sales (although, believe me,  I've got my share of those, too). I want you to have a reference library  filled with books written by authors you have researched and whom you  respect.

New Holistic Herbal, by David Hoffman

This is the very first herbal that I ever got. I bought it with my birthday money from my Nana, way back when, in my early 20s.

For  a while, this was my only herbal. I slipped it in my backpack and took  it everywhere. It's now tattered and stained with dirt and spilled  tinctures, and the cover is held on with masking tape.

It remains one of my go-to herbals to answer my questions and inspire my projects.

David  Hoffman is a fantastic resource. He's just rock solid. He comes from  the European tradition of herbal medicine. The European tradition didn't  experience the break between medicine and herbs that we have  experienced in the US due to the influence in the US of the American  Medical Association. 

This means that, from the beginning, David Hoffman has been talking about the meeting place of science and tradition.

He  has a deep and profound respect for our relationship with the natural  world, and our place in that interconnected web, which adds another  facet to his wisdom.

I recommend all of his books and teaching materials. Top notch. 5 stars.

The Illustrated Herbal Handbook, by Juliette de Bairacli Levy

Juliette  de Bairacli Levy is one of my all-time favorites. She is considered by  many to be the grandmother of the modern herbal renaissance. She's  traveled, lived with, and learned from people in many different cultures  from many parts of the world. Her gentle and powerful wisdom is an  example of how herbs can be a link to our interconnection with both the  natural world and the world family. This lovely little book is packed  full of traditional herbal knowledge.

Any time you see a book by her, grab it. You'll thank me, later.

The Herbal Medicine Maker's Handbook, by James Greene

This book gives you everything you need to get started making your own herbal extracts.

I  mean, seriously. If you are interested in making tinctures, infusions,  salves, lotions, syrups, honeys, and more, this is the book for you.

In  case you're still hungry for more, here are some more of my favorite  herbals and reference books from my own library, and a few other books  that I look forward to adding to my collection, some day.

Some More Herbals That I Love:

Any book by Rosemary Gladstar

Medicinal Plants of the Desert and Canyon West, by Michael Moore

Medicinal Plants of the Mountain West, by Michael Moore

Healing Wise, by Susun Weed

The New Menopausal Years, by Susun Weed

The Modern Herbal, 2 volumes, by Mrs. M. Grieve

An Herbal Guide to Stress Relief, by David Hoffman

An Elder's Herbal, by David Hoffman

Herbs for Animals:

The Complete Herbal Handbook for Farm and Stable, by Juliette de Bairacli Levy

The Complete Herbal Handbook for the Dog and Cat, by Juliette de Bairacli Levy

Dr. Pitcairn's Complete Guide to Natural Health for Dogs and Cats, by Pitcairn and Pitcairn

Botany:

How To Identify Plants, by H.D. Jarrington and L.W. Durrell

Botany In A Day, by Thomas J. Elpel

Plant ID:

Peterson Field Guides (for your region)

National Audubon Society Field Guide to North American Wildflowers (for your region)

Old Timey Books:

Somebody,  back in the day, told me that if I see an herbal that's telling me  something that I have never seen before, go ahead and grab it, because,  chances are there is going to be some information in there that is, at  least, worth looking into.

And so began my love of random, very  old books about herbs. These are full of recipes and woodcut drawings  and old-time life hacks. These books blur the line between medicinal  plants, dye plants, spices, and herbs for cleaning.

These books  remind us that, in the "olden days", being an herbalist was simply part  of being alive and managing a household and a family.

It's so fun  to cross reference the information in these old books with some of the  cutting-edge science of the day, and look for any connections.

Personally, I love these old books. They are some of my most cherished herbals.

For the more serious student:

1898 edition of King's American Dispensatory, 2 volumes (https://archive.org/details/kingsamericandis01kinguoft/page/n5)

Therapeutic Herbalism, by David Hoffman

The German Commission E Monographs

This is, by no means, an exhaustive list. 

Certainly not.

In fact, this barely scratches the surface of the herbals out there, these days. There are tons of other herbals out there.

Like  I said, this is just a little slice of my herbal world, to show you how  important these books are to my personal herbal experience.

Don't get me wrong. 

I'm  not saying that you need to become an herbal-hoarding bookworm like me.  However, I do strongly suggest that you get at least two or three  herbals, that you know you can rely on, and put them on a shelf in your  apothecary.