Rosemary Gladstar's Medicinal Herbs: A Beginner's Guide: 33 Healing Herbs to Know, Grow, and Use

Craft a soothing aloe lotion after an encounter with poison ivy, make a dandelion-burdock tincture to fix sluggish digestion, and brew up some lavender-lemon balm tea to ease a stressful day. In this introductory guide, Rosemary Gladstar shows you how easy it can be to make your own herbal remedies for life's common ailments. Gladstar profiles 33 common healing plants and includes advice on growing, harvesting, preparing, and using herbs in healing tinctures, oils, and creams. Stock your medicine cabinet full of all-natural, low-cost herbal preparations.

"A true reflection of its author in its wisdom, knowledge and practicality. It is filled with information, illustrations, anecdotes and simple, clear instructions for creating herbal remedies. This is not only a solid basic primer for the beginning herbalist but also a comprehensive resource book for all."

"This delightful book is full of wonderful information, recipes, and pictures to inspire new and old herbal students alike."

"Now more then ever we need to learn to care for ourselves while also caring for the Earth and this book is packed with simple, practical advice for using the plants growing right outside your back door! Who better to guide us into this world, whether for the first time or the hundredth, than Rosemary Gladstar. Her deep love and knowledge of the plants and her joyful spirit infuses her words and her remedies."

Table of Contents:
Chapter 1: Welcome to the Wonderful World of Medicinal Herbs
What Is a Medicinal Herb?
How Is Herbal Medicine Used?
The Benefits of Herbal Medicine
Starting a Home Medicine Garden

Chapter 2: How to Make Your Own Herbal Remedies
Setting Up Your Kitchen Pharmacy
Herbal Teas
Syrups
Oils
Salves
Tinctures
Herbal Pills
Baths, Poultices, and Compresses
The Skinny on Dosage and Duration of Herbal Treatments

Chapter 3: 9 Familiar Herbs & Spices to Grow and Use
Basil
Cayenne
Cinnamon
Garlic
Ginger
Rosemary
Sage
Thyme
Turmeric

Chapter 4: 24 Safe & Effective Herbs to Know, Grow, and Use
Aloe Vera
Burdock
Calendula
Chamomile
Chickweed
Dandelion
Echinacea
Elder
Goldenseal
Hawthorn
Lavender
Lemon Balm
Licorice
Marsh Mallow
Mullein
Nettle
Oats
Peppermint
Plantain
Red Clover
St. John's Wort
Spearmint
Valerian
Yarrow

"This book is a brand new, sparkling gem, full of treats and surprises and everything important. ... not just for the beginner, even though that's what the title says. It will definitely be inspiring and helpful to someone just starting out, but also to anyone who's been working with herbs for a while and might be looking for some fresh inspiration."

"Rosemary Gladstar has been herbal wise woman to several generations, training future herbalists for 25 years at herSage Mountain Retreat Centeron 500 acres in Vermont. For those new to using herbs medicinally, her "Rosemary Gladstar's Medicinal Herbs: A Beginner's Guide"(Storey Publishing, 2012) is the perfect entry, with easy recipes, preparation basics and growing know-how."

-- HerbalGram: The Journal of the American Botanical Council

"One of the most-trusted and well-respected herbalists of our time, Rosemary Gladstar, teaches readers how to grow, harvest, prepare, and use 33 of her favorite herbs in this new title. ... this book is a must-read for every budding herbalist."

-- Urban Farm

"This expert herbalist always offers exert advice ... Anyone can prepare her tried and true, yet always effective, recipes."

-- The Essential Herbal




Jacket Description/Back:
Home-Grown Medicine

Effective, safe, and inexpensive, medicinal herbs are simple to grow, and they can be used to naturally fortify your body against common upsets and ailments. Rosemary Gladstar, the godmother of modern herbalism, offers a fresh introduction to growing and using 33 of her favorite herbs, complete with tips on introducing an herb patch to your backyard garden and easy-to-follow recipes for brewing restorative teas, blending soothing salves, and making tinctures, oils, syrups, and pills.

124 of Rosemary Gladstar's favorite medicinal recipes include:

Creaky Bones Cayenne Rub, page 63
Warming Cinnamon Bath Salts, page 68
Ginger Lemonaide, page 80
Brain Tonic Tincture, page 85
Good Gargle for a Bad Throat, page 88
Rosemary's Famous Face Cream, page 116
Nutritive Heart Tonic Tincture, page 136
Lemon Balm Bath, page 160
Peppermint Tooth Powder, page 187

"A compilation of the insights and wisdom gained from a lifetime of practice using medicinal herbs ... highly useful for anyone wishing to bring herbs into their life"

"The goal of this beginner's guide is to teach readers how to identify and cultivate medicinal herbs and then use them to create healing oils, salves, tonics and more. ... Whether your passions lie in gardening, crafting or natural health, you'll find this a wonderful addition to your home library."

Rosemary Gladstar is the best-selling author of Rosemary Gladstar's Medicinal Herbs: A Beginner's Guide and Rosemary Gladstar's Herbal Recipes for Vibrant Health, which draw on her 40-plus years of experiences studying and teaching about the healing properties of herbs. She is a world-renowned educator, activist, and entrepreneur, and the founding director of Sage Mountain Herbal Retreat Center, the International Herb Symposium, and the New England Women's Herbal Conference. Gladstar is founding president of United Plant Savers, a nonprofit organization dedicated to the conservation and preservation of native American herbs. She was the original formulator for Traditional Medicinal herbal teas and has led herbal educational adventures around the world. She is the recipient of an honorary doctorate from the National University of Natural Medicine in Portland, Oregon, and serves on the board of the Association for the Advancement of Restorative Medicine and The National Health Freedom Coalition. She lives in Vermont.

Storey Publishing

Pub Date: April 10, 2012

0.6" H x 8.9" L x 7.0" W 

224 pages

paperback