This page offers a very small sampling of resources currently available. Other publications and web-based resources will be added.

Books to start

  • Medicinal Herbs: A Beginner’s Guide. Rosemary Gladstar. A great first book that includes information on select herbs, how to use them and how to grow them. Gladstar is renown nationally. Considered the “godmother” of American Western herbalism, she is an experienced clinician, teacher, lecturer, and author. Check out her online courses.
  • Encyclopedia of Herbal Medicine: 550 Herbs and Remedies for Common Ailments. Andrew Chevallier. Provides brief history of herbalism throughout the centuries, descriptions and pictures of herbs, and pages outlining how to use herbs for specific ailments.
  • The Complete Medicinal Herbal. Penelope Ode. Very much like the Encyclopedia, above.
  • Wild Remedies: How to Forage Healing Foods and Craft Your Own Herbal Medicine. Rosalee de la Foret and Emily Han. The title says it all in this very approachable, very credible book. If you’re only going to buy one book right now, this is it. Rosalee also produces an always interesting podcast, and several online courses.
  • Alchemy of Herbs: Transfer Everyday Ingredients into Foods and Remedies that Heal. Rosalee de la Foret. Holistic herbalism is very much about the foods we eat. I think you’ll like this one.

Books to help you continue forward

  • Rosalee de la Foret’s books are very valuable to any herbalist several years into their studies.
  • Edible and Medicinal Wild Plants of the Midwest. Matthew Alfs. A valuable book based on decades of clinical practice, research and teaching. Alfs is one of about 300 Registered Herbalist with the American Herbalist Guild. This book is heavily illustrated with beautiful photographs, and extensively footnoted with references to expert herbalists and scientific studies. A must-have resource.
    Alfs is the founder and chief instructor of the Midwest School of Herbal Studies, headquartered in New Brighton, MN. Since 2003, his school has offered rigorous courses informed by Native American, Ayurveda, Traditional Chinese Medicine, Arabic herbalism, American Western herbalism, and other major traditions.
  • The Modern Herbal Dispensatory: A Medicine-Making Guide. Thomas Easley and Steven Horne. This book gets into the details of remedy-making. Its materia medica (descriptions of single herbs), help identify which herbal preparations suit different herbs.
  • Making Plant Medicine. Richo Cech. Another book about how to make herbal remedies and how to dose the final products. Again, from an herbalist with decades of experience and who is respected by other elder practitioners. He and his family are the founders and owners of Strictly Medicinal Seeds, and wonderful source for medicinal herb seeds and plants.
  • Trees and Shrubs That Heal: Reconnecting with the Medicinal Forest. Anne Stobart. It isn’t only soft-stemmed herbs that contain helpful compounds. Shrubs and trees have been and continue to be significant sources of helpful barks, leaves and blossoms, and fruit. This books is an invaluable guide to the helpful woody plants already living in your own backyard. Living in Devon, England, Anne is an experienced herbal clinician, a permaculture expert and teacher, medicine historian, teacher and author. She offers online courses and publishes a newsletter, the Medicinal Tree Woman, via substack.
  • Energetic Herbalism: A Guide to Sacred Plant Traditions Integrating Elements of Vitalism, Ayurveda, and Chinese Medicine. Kat Maier. This book brings Maier ‘s decades of both conventional medical training and herbalism clinical experience to everyone deeply interested in the healing power and traditions of herbalism. A must-have.
  • The Book of Herbal Wisdom: Using Plants as Medicines. Matthew Wood. With nearly 40 years experience as a clinician and educator, Wood is an engaging and deeply knowledgeable herbalist and writer. A prolific writer, his books are packed with stories, case studies, histories, and information about herbs and how they have been used over the centuries by diverse cultures. His publications are regularly referenced by other highly experienced herbalists. He also offers online courses.

Let me know what you think of these books. Do you have a recommendation? Let me know.

There are scores of books that can help you dive deeper into this amazing connection with helpful plants. I’ll be glad to share additional titles on request.