Once your interest in plant medicine is piqued, your next step will be to figure out where to begin. There are so many sources of information available, it can be difficult to know where to start. Just when you might want to give up, herbalist, Rosemary Gladstar, comes to the rescue.
Her book; Rosemay Gladstar's Medicinal Herbs, A Beginner's Guide is the perfect beginner's guide; providing just the right amount of information and featuring common herbs including those you can find in your spice cabinet. Color illustrations help you identify the plants, many which you may be surprised to find growing in your back yard!
Click Read More below to see the complete post.
Chapter 1 introduces us to medicinal herbs by answering the questions; What is a medicinal herb? How is herbal medicine used? Then explains the benefits of herbal medicine and how to start a home medicine garden. From an economic and sustainability aspect, I love that she provides growing information for each herb. Creating a back yard pharmacy or simply learning to identify the wild plants that can be used to enhance your family's health is so empowering.
Chapter 2 provides instructions for making teas, syrups, infused oils, salves, tinctures, pills, and poultices and also gives dosage recommendations and treatment durations. This is hands-on, how-to information that teaches you how to use the plants you grow or wild craft (harvest from nature) and incorporate them into your life.
Plant medicine can be either very expensive or incredibly cheap. If you purchase prepared herbal remedies from a health food store, you will pay a premium price. If you grow or harvest your herbs from the wild and make your own remedies, the cost will be very low.
Culinary herbs with medicinal uses are highlighted in the next chapter. Basil, cayenne, cinnamon, garlic, ginger, rosemary, sage, thyme, and turmeric share center stage. You can grow most of these herbs in hardiness zone 4, with the exception of cinnamon and turmeric, making these herbs readily available and low cost.
Next Rosemary introduces us to 24 safe and effective herbs, all common plants with some we often call "weeds";
For each plant, Rosemary tells us how to grow it, the medicinal uses, and then provides recipes and tips specific for the plant. For example, in the Aloe Vera section, we learn how to cut the gel out of the leaves and how to make a lotion to treat poison oak and poison ivy.
The recipes included in the book make incorporating herbs into your day to day life easy. Herbs are used as ingredients for food dishes in these recipes; medicinal pesto, restorative oatmeal porridge, creamy nettle-potato soup, and steamed gobo (burdock root).
There are many recipes for herbal beverages including root beer tea, dandelion mocha, urinary tonic tea, carmelite water, and cough-be-gone tea.
Lotions, salves, tinctures, syrups, pills, sprays and liniments are designed to treat the medical needs of the young, old, and everyone in between.
There are so many great recipes that you will find yourself using herbs on a daily basis to nourish your body and support its innate ability to heal.
If you are ready to give plant medicine a try, buy this book and introduce yourself to the power of herbal medicine.
Her book; Rosemay Gladstar's Medicinal Herbs, A Beginner's Guide is the perfect beginner's guide; providing just the right amount of information and featuring common herbs including those you can find in your spice cabinet. Color illustrations help you identify the plants, many which you may be surprised to find growing in your back yard!
Click Read More below to see the complete post.
Chapter 1 introduces us to medicinal herbs by answering the questions; What is a medicinal herb? How is herbal medicine used? Then explains the benefits of herbal medicine and how to start a home medicine garden. From an economic and sustainability aspect, I love that she provides growing information for each herb. Creating a back yard pharmacy or simply learning to identify the wild plants that can be used to enhance your family's health is so empowering.
Chapter 2 provides instructions for making teas, syrups, infused oils, salves, tinctures, pills, and poultices and also gives dosage recommendations and treatment durations. This is hands-on, how-to information that teaches you how to use the plants you grow or wild craft (harvest from nature) and incorporate them into your life.
Plant medicine can be either very expensive or incredibly cheap. If you purchase prepared herbal remedies from a health food store, you will pay a premium price. If you grow or harvest your herbs from the wild and make your own remedies, the cost will be very low.
Culinary herbs with medicinal uses are highlighted in the next chapter. Basil, cayenne, cinnamon, garlic, ginger, rosemary, sage, thyme, and turmeric share center stage. You can grow most of these herbs in hardiness zone 4, with the exception of cinnamon and turmeric, making these herbs readily available and low cost.
Next Rosemary introduces us to 24 safe and effective herbs, all common plants with some we often call "weeds";
- Aloe Vera
- Burdock
- Calendula
- Chamomile
- Chickweed
- Dandelion
- Echinacea
- Elder
- Goldenseal
- Hawthorn
- Lavender
- Lemon Balm
- Licorice
- Marsh Mellow
- Mullein
- Nettle
- Oats
- Peppermint
- Plantain
- Red Clover
- St. John's Wort
- Spearmint
- Valerian
- Yarrow
For each plant, Rosemary tells us how to grow it, the medicinal uses, and then provides recipes and tips specific for the plant. For example, in the Aloe Vera section, we learn how to cut the gel out of the leaves and how to make a lotion to treat poison oak and poison ivy.
The recipes included in the book make incorporating herbs into your day to day life easy. Herbs are used as ingredients for food dishes in these recipes; medicinal pesto, restorative oatmeal porridge, creamy nettle-potato soup, and steamed gobo (burdock root).
There are many recipes for herbal beverages including root beer tea, dandelion mocha, urinary tonic tea, carmelite water, and cough-be-gone tea.
Lotions, salves, tinctures, syrups, pills, sprays and liniments are designed to treat the medical needs of the young, old, and everyone in between.
There are so many great recipes that you will find yourself using herbs on a daily basis to nourish your body and support its innate ability to heal.
If you are ready to give plant medicine a try, buy this book and introduce yourself to the power of herbal medicine.
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