Books (MEDICAL HERBALISM)

From the bestselling author of ‘The Queen’s Conjuror’, comes the story of Nicholas Culpeper – legendary rebel, radical, Puritan, and author of the great ‘Herbal’. This is a powerful history of medicine’s first freedom fighter set in London during Britain’s age of revolution.

In the mid-17th century, England was visited by the four horsemen of the apocalypse: a civil war which saw levels of slaughter not matched until the Somme, famine in a succession of failed harvests that reduced peasants to 'anatomies', epidemics to rival the Black Death in their enormity, and infant mortality rates that left childless even women who had borne eight or nine children. In the midst of these terrible times came Nicholas Culpeper’s ‘Herbal’ – one of the most popular and enduring books ever published.

Culpeper was a virtual outcast from birth. Rebelling against a tyrannical grandfather and the prospect of a life in the church, he abandoned his university education after a doomed attempt at elopement. Disinherited, he went to London, where he was to find his vocation in instigating revolution.

London's medical regime was then in the grip of the College of Physicians, a powerful body personified in the ‘immortal’ William Harvey, anatomist, royal physician and discoverer of the circulation of the blood. Working in the underground world of religious sects, secret printing presses and unlicensed apothecary shops, Culpeper challenged this stronghold at the time it was reaching the very pinnacle of its power – and in the process helped spark the revolution that toppled a monarchy.

In a spellbinding narrative of impulse, romance and heroism, Benjamin Woolley vividly recreates these momentous struggles and the roots of today's hopes and fears about the power of medical science, professional institutions and government. ‘The Herbalist’ tells the story of a medical rebel who took on the authorities and paid the price.

Llewellyn's Herbal Almanac offers a wide variety of practical ideas on how to benefit from nature's most versatile plants. With hands-on projects, fresh ideas, and tips and techniques, this guide is designed for herb enthusiasts of all skill levels. It also features innovative herbal ideas that span gardening, cooking, crafts, health, beauty, history, and lore. This year's edition also includes profiles for ginger, rhubarb, chamomile, sunflower, and comfrey and articles on:

Aromatics for Nervous, Respiratory, and Digestive Systems • Edible Wild Herbs and Grasses • Swedish Princess Cake with Matcha • Chewable Herbal Pills • Late-Season Herb Gardening • Italian Citrus Fruits • Soup Garden • Tinctures • Crafting with Recycled Materials • Herbal Bath Recipes • The Gardens of Pompeii • Gourmet Herbal Sandwiches • Conservation Plants • Homemade Herbal Scrubs • And Much More

Adaptogens: Herbs for Strength, Stamina, and Stress Relief by Steven Maimes

An updated and expanded edition of the definitive guide to adaptogenic herbs

• Includes a Materia Medica with monographs covering 25 adaptogens, including eleuthero, ginseng, rhodiola, schisandra, ashwagandha, licorice, shatavari, reishi, and holy basil, as well as complementary nervines, restorative tonics, and nootropics

• Explains how adaptogens increase the body’s resistance to adverse influences, increase energy and stamina, and counter the effects of age and stress on the body

• Details the actions, properties, preparation, and dosage for each herb and their uses in Ayurveda and Chinese medicine and as remedies for animals

Every day our bodies strive to adapt and stay balanced, energized, and healthy, yet chronic stress and the resulting elevation of stress hormones such as cortisol have been shown to be major factors behind not only fatigue and weight gain but also many chronic and degenerative diseases. In this updated edition of the definitive guide to adaptogenic herbs, clinical herbalist David Winston and researcher Steven Maimes provide a comprehensive look at adaptogens: non-toxic herbs such as ginseng, eleuthero, and ashwagandha that help the body “adapt” to the many influences it encounters and manage the stresses it experiences. They also increase stamina and energy, boost cognitive function, restore the immune system, and counter the effects of aging, especially when used in appropriate combinations.

Beginning with a history of the use of adaptogens, including in Ayurveda, Chinese medicine, and Russian medicine, the book examines how these herbal remedies work and why they are so effective at combating stress-induced illness and ailments. The extensive Materia Medica includes monographs on 25 adaptogens, including eleuthero, ginseng, rhodiola, schisandra, ashwagandha, shatavari, reishi, and holy basil, as well as complementary nervines, restorative tonics, and nootropic herbs, such as milky oats, astragalus, St. John’s wort, and ginkgo. Each monograph presents the latest scientific research and details the origin, traditional and clinical uses, actions, properties, preparation, and dosage for each herb. The book also includes guidance on adaptogenic remedies for our animal companions.

Aimed not only at herbalists but also those interested in natural health, this guide to adaptogens will allow you to safely and effectively use these herbal remedies to enhance your health and improve your chances of living a longer, healthier, and well-balanced life.

The Earthwise Herbal Repertory, the definitive practitioners guide by Matthew Wood

Internationally known herbalist Matthew Wood takes the guesswork out of the application of medicinal plants and provides an invaluable cross-reference of constitutional types, energetic categories, and specific symptoms that helps the herbalist narrow down the number of possible remedies for a specific condition. Unlike many reference books in which medicinal plants are defined simply by condition or disease name, this book contains tools to differentiate between remedies and analyze each case in a holistic fashion. While this system of cross-referencing is well known to homeopaths, it is less frequently used by herbalists; The Earthwise Herbal Repertory seeks to bridge the gap between different systems, incorporating knowledge from ancient Greek and traditional Native American medicine, nineteenth-century botanical medicine, homeopathy, and modern biomedical research. This definitive repertory proves useful for homeopaths and herbalists, professionals and home practitioners alike.

Matthew Wood has been a practicing herbalist for over thirty-five years and is an internationally known teacher on the subject. Wood has an MS degree from the Scottish School of Herbal Medicine (accredited by the University of Wales) and is a registered herbalist in the American Herbalist Guild. He is the author of eight books on herbal medicine, including The Book of Herbal Wisdom, The Practice of Traditional Western Herbalism, and The Earthwise Herbal. For more information, please visit matthewwoodherbs.com.