Earth and Spirit: Medicinal Plants and Healing Lore from Puerto Rico [Paperback]

Maria Benedetti (Author), Hrana Janto (Author), María Benedetti (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0963344013 | ISBN-13: 978-0963344014 | Publication Date: June 1998 | Edition: 3

This Caribbean adventure in botanical and spirit healing contains interviews with twenty Puerto Rican men and women who know, love and work with medicinal plants and island-based earth lore: traditional , a granny midwife, spiritual healers, natural beauticians, and others. In addition to an animated conversational text, remedies are presented in an extensive reference section organized by health condition ranging from Alcohol Addiction to Warts. The author's foreword and epilogue place this work in cultural and ecological contexts, and all plants are cross referenced in English, Spanish and Latin. A carefully wrought, bilingual subject index adds reference value to this entertaining volume. Earth and Spirit inspires love and respect both for the living world of plants and for the resourceful people of Puerto Rico who keep the tradition alive against formidable odds.

Editorial Reviews

Review

Earth and Spirit provides a fascinating glimpse into little-known practices, plants and remedies, offering a refreshing perspective quite outside of the North American health food and herb industry mainstream. Books of this type not only add to our knowledge but also help to reinvigorate our enthusiasm for traditional healing. So far, this is my book of the year, and I highly recommend its purchase. -- Herbs!, issue 6

From the Publisher

Mara Benedetti is an empirical herbalist and professional journalist, motivated by her deep love and respect for the people presented within this book and by a sense of urgency about the need to conserve Puerto Rico's herbal wisdom and resources.

Product Details

• Paperback: 284 pages
• Publisher: Verde Luz; 3 edition (June 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0963344013
• ISBN-13: 978-0963344014
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.4 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #748,151 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The human spirit is what makes this book a must have!, January 15, 2004

By 

~bobbi "crvgrl" (Liberty, MO USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Earth and Spirit: Medicinal Plants and Healing Lore from Puerto Rico (Paperback)

I found this book on a recent to Puerto Rico to visit family. The book creates an immediate respect for the land of Puerto Rico. The interviews bring you right there to glimpse into the lives of the midwifes (curanderos) and healers.
Maria Benedetti, a NewYorican empirical herbalist, paints a beautiful picture of what it was like to go "home" for the first time in 1987 to work on this book. Her love for the people presented in the book shine through. She illustrates the need to "conserve Puerto Rico's herbal wisdom and resources."
The book also contains a section on medicinal plants and how to prepare remedies, two indices on medicinal plants by name and family (Spanish and English) and a Puerto Rican glossary.
If you are intersted in green medicine, the Caribbean or enjoy the human experience, this book is a MUST!!!