Happy New Year!! I am very excited for 2013 and I hope your ready to share the journey with me. I am starting a new career that has motivated me to keep moving forward in positive, healthy, and creative ways. As a massage therapist, now more than ever I have to take care of myself. As a newlywed I now have someone else to take care of, which has opened up a whole new world of herbs for me. Also, as a recent graduate I can finally put down the textbooks and come back to the old familiar books that I hope to never part with. I love books, I really have too many. I try to weed them out every now and then, but a lot of times they just sit in a box that never gets donated. Waiting for the day when I have my dream library to display them in. But for now they are mostly boxed up in storage except for the choice few (many) that get to be on my little book shelf. My herb books are among the lucky ones on the shelf. Ready for quick reference or for a wintery night without power to be reread for the umpteenth time by candlelight. They are dog eared, highlighted, post- it noted, and stained like a cookbook. This is the time of year I like to pull them out and daydream of spring. Planning a garden, assessing my latest dis- ease, or copying down recipes I hope to try this year. My top five in no particular order are, Susan Weed’ s “Healing Wise”, Rosemary Gladstar’ s “Healing Recipes for Vibrant Health”, Susan Weed’ s “Childbearing Year”, and Michael Murray and Joseph Pizzorno’ s “Encyclopedia of Natural Medicine”. “Healing Wise” by Susan Weed was the first book that I bought for herb school. Being very new to herbs at that time I had never heard of Susan Weed but was quick to learn that she is a very well known and respected herbalist. After reading most of her books and attending classes at a conference I personally think of her as a great storyteller. “Healing Wise” is a story told from the perspective of the plants. Although only covering 7 herbs, she tells you just about everything you could possibly want to know about them. What’s great about this book and the Wise Woman Tradition of Healing is that its about simplicity and nourishment and using what is around you and abundant. I would recommend it to a novice herbalist who is looking for a simple (but thorough) introduction to plants and healing and isn’t interested in complicated formulas and preparations. I would also recommend “Healing Wise” to an experienced herbalist who is looking to go back to their roots and deepen their connection with the plants and the Wise Woman Way. “Healing Wise” is special to me because it was my “first real herb text book” but I really feel like all of Susan Weed’s books are worth mentioning. “Childbearing Year” would be my next favorite of hers although I am not a mother, nor am I pregnant. However, I have known pregnant women who I have tried to help through their pregnancies with herbs and used this book as a guide. However, I mostly use this book for everyday (or should I say monthly) woman’s issues. Written in the same style as “Healing Wise”, “Childbearing Year” focus’s on the herbs that effect women in general but especially during pregnancy. There is also “Menopausal Years” that you can find just as useful whether you’re at that stage in your life, or not. More recently published “Down There” explores both herbal and medical issues for men and women’s reproductive, endocrine, and urinary systems. Rosemary Gladstar’s “Herbal Recipes for Vibrant Health” is amongst my favorites because it is a good read and can easily be read cover to cover with its beautiful pictures and heart warming stories of grandmother herbalist’s and Rosemary’s personal recipes. Now that I’ve read it multiple times I still use it for reference and love that it lays flat on the counter like a cookbook. “Herbal Recipes for Vibrant Health” covers everything from everyday use and common ailments to beauty and spa treatments. It also has an herbal apothecary A-Z guide containing herbs for both men and women of all ages. Again I would recommend this book for a beginner or an experienced herbalist. “Opening Our Wild Hearts to Healing Herbs” by Gail Faith Edwards is the newest to my collection and instantly became a favorite. I have almost read the entire book and I just got it for Christmas! It has everything that I love about Susan Weed’s books, but includes a much wider variety of herbs. I am a sucker for personal experiences and this book is abundant with them. I find that I learn more not only my own experiences but feel that hearing experiences from others justifies just as much as scientific fact- for me, anyways. And it feels more magical! So if you are a more sciencey kind of person, this book might not be for you. But I just fell in love with it! Lastly, but certainly not least but is not an herb book, “The Encyclopedia of natural Medicine” is an Encyclopedia that I am proud to say that I have read cover to cover. I use it as a reference for dealing with illness and to help understand pathology. It has a great section on body systems and how they function. It covers a wide variety of diseases and conditions with detailed information that is easy to understand. Offers case study statistics, diet and nutrition, exercise and some herbal treatments. All of these books and be found on Amazon.com. All of Susan Weed’s books can be found on her website along with lots and lots of information. http://www.susunweed.com is a wonderful resource as well as info about the classes and the tons of things that Susan is up to. Information about Rosemary Gladstar and her beautiful Sage Mountain Retreat Sanctuary can be found at http://www.sagemountain.com Gail Faith Edwards is all the way up here in Maine at http://www.blessedmaineherbs.com My list of favorite books could go on and on and on. What are your favorite herb books? Happy Reading!
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AuthorI am an herbalist, massage therapist, childless, wife just trying to live a healthy, fun, magical life in this crazy beautiful world. Categories
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February 2020
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