Customer Reviews

The Earthwise Herbal: A Complete Guide to Old World Medicinal Plants

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I was lucky enough to be able to use a draft version of this text in conjunction with one of Matt Wood's Herbal classes for most of the last year, and it fills virtually every hole [half the holes really] left open by the authors' earlier *Book of Herbal Wisdom*; a true masterpiece which I and all of my fellow healers turn to over and over.

BoHW had only 40 or so herbs and an excellent if brief Therapeutic Repertory at the end. This tome - or 1/2 tome really - has begun the process of providing a nearly complete Western Herbal Materia Medica; the like of which has not been seen since the Eclectics demise far back in the early 20th Century. And indeed goes beyond the Eclectics usual bare-boned and dry essentials for prescribing. Matt knows most of these plants like we know our friends. Like Tolkien's 'Smith of Wooten Major' he has been given a passport to go directly into the worlds of the plants soul and spirit, and while we may never have such direct access ourselves, Matt gives us a travelog in this [and all his books] simply unsurpassed in all of the worlds Herbal Literature [or at least the big slices that have made it into English!]

Another aspect makes this different from all other herbals out there is that it is a continuation of all that is good and true in most of the Schools of Western Herbology:
*Hippocratic and Galenic Humoralism
*Paracelsian Natura Sophia and medicinal specifics
*Physio-medicalism [Thompson and Dr. John Christopher]
*The Eclectics [Jones, Rafinesque and Scudder]
*Homeopathy - especially referencing the more eclectic Homeopaths like Burnett and Clarke - Matthew prefers the single remedy when possible but like most good herbalists - will use compounds if well indicated - and likely to benefit the patient]
*Chinese Medicine - which the author studied independently and with famed underground Herbalist/Acupuncturist William LeSassier also receives not just it's due, but it's still living energetic/elemental tradition updates and infuses the authors revised western system of 6 tissue states [below] at nearly every turn.
Heat/Excitation
Cold/Depression
Constriction/Tension [TCM=Wind]
Damp/Relaxation,
Dry/Atrophy
Damp/Stagnation
These are the Western equivalent of Chinese Medicine's Differentials - culled primarily from a 19th Century Physiomedical text but really being the medical/quasi-energetic terminology used by most 18th and 19th century healers of all schools to describe the conditions of all organs/glands/muscles etc [thus 'tissues'] as they could be perceived through palpation, pulse tongue and facial diagnosis.

For an acupressurist/homeopathic bodyworker like myself wanting an herbal-homeopathic system rooted in western plants but open to/informed by chinese medicine and human energetics, his system is exactly what I was looking for.

Keeping in mind this is ONLY Old -World plants [new world in the next volume due out shortly] undoubtedly many will find a plant or two they wish was covered, but far more importantly Matthew gives us the method [especially within his last books *Book of Herbal Wisdom* and *Practice of Traditional Western Herbalsim*] of seeing plants multi-dimensionally [essence and energetics, physical constituents, traditional uses], whether he has included them in his herbal or not!

Matthew has taken the hints of Bach for a new medical system; the potential equal of Homeopathy but based on the virtues of plants instead of the poisons of metals, chemical compounds and toxic plants, and combined it with the Eclectics TCM-like differential diagnosis and has essentially called Traditional Western Herbalism out of it's tomb like a 21st century medical Lazarus.

If you are wondering whether or not to buy this - the real question should be, as it is with *The Book of Herbal Wisdom* whether or not to buy 2. Because you are going to use it so much that you will quite possibly be loathe to loan your only one out.

This book and its New World sister are far more than herbals. To make a herbal of just this type, now, is a statement about the way medicine needs to go, and perhaps even civilization too. So it had to be done just right - which it has been.

Wood's approach is best conveyed in his own words:

'I have called this herbal "earthwise" to contrast it to other herbals reflecting the pharmacological approach. It is based on sources that the scientific approach ignores: historical uses, folk medicine, folk practitioners, the experience of actual herbalists, intuitive concepts of energy, plant properties, and medicine, daydreams, and dreams. It is, however, "scientific" in a broader sense of the word because it follows an organized and reasonably critical approach to understanding plant medicine.'

What a treat this book is! Respectful of every herbalist's approach, and of every herb, Wood places us back amidst a true and genuine western holism. Noting the systems of the Greeks, Chinese, and Ayurveda, he takes a simple approach (with which his readers will already be familiar) based on tissue states and actions. And Wood points out with perfect correctness that holism cannot take place without such an energetic approach.

Although, as he says, much of what was 'alternative' not so long ago is now 'complementary', and doctors are considering lifestyle and temperament issues just as much as biochemistry, even most 'holistic' western doctors haven't taken the plunge to a full western energetic concept as has Wood. They will look at bodily systems and say that all need to be addressed 'as a whole' - but (so far as I'm aware) most have had no overall concept by which to look at the human system as *one thing*, unless they were importing it from the East; this book will change all that.


Wood looks at *everything* about a herb. He wants you to understand its essence, its geist, its character and personality, the thing that makes a herb itself as a particuar entity. Of course he doesn't ignore molecular biology - why would anyone do that? - but he does acknowledge its huge limitations as a method of understanding the action of herbal remedies.

He will look at absolutely any piece of information that he can give which helps to form a picture of a herb - its taste is very important to him, for example, and in terms of indications he will give physical, emotional or mental symptoms as appropriate. Wood Betony, for example, is good for bronchitis or fear of vomiting, is traditional for demon posession, and thus good for those who are hysterical, good for 'tall persons, disassociated from their bodily instincts', etc. - from this plethora of well-organized detail a picture emerges, like a snapshot of 'what the herb is'.

This makes the herbal perfectly well suited for the amateur, but equally, more or less essential for the professional who wants to expand their knowledge, their instinct, and indeed their knowledge *about* instinct. Needless to say the list of herbs covered is very thorough (including bee propolis for example, or a dozen medicines made from grapes).

I have to say, the bibliography is no less interesting. The voices of Wood's favourite teachers and colleagues continue to ring through his work, passing on not merely particular information but also a general attitude - imaginative, awake common sense perhaps says it best.

This is a book about how to heal; it may yet heal, not just many of the maladies from which we suffer, but our relationship to illness, wellness and herbs as well.

Essential!

Those who are interested in herbs of North America will love this book. The authour provides detailed information about many poorly researched herbs that are valuable in natural medicine practice. He melds homeopathic provings with botanical information to create a full picture of each herb that he reviews!
For example, Lactuca is just a sleep herb, right? The authour reveals an entire personality and specific conditions that respond well to wild lettuce. Truely useful in any natural medicine clinical setting.

I consider myself a beginning herbalist and I love this book. I don't consider it hard to understand, but that may be because it reminds me of Pitchford's "Healing With Whole Foods" in the way that it describes herbs. I would recommend Pitchford's book for anyone having trouble understanding this one.

Wood seems to use not only "old world" plants, but old information, which makes the writing style- the quotes, rather- interesting.

My only complaint is that the general index is lacking. I can find many remedies for many different plants, but few remedies that I have looked for can be found in the index.

Enjoy!

This book and its companion volume should be in everyone's natural health library. The way the books are set up make it easy to find an herbal remedy by name, or by the condition you are dealing with. Also tells you the best way to take it, and which form is most helpful for specific conditions. Additionally, Matthew explains a bit of the historical use of each herb.

Really, I don't think you need any other books but these. They are very helpful when deciding to take control of one's own health issues.

This Guide to Old World Herbs and its sister companion book are simply 2 of the best herbals to be found anywhere. Chocked full of information, including scientific information, details, and experiences not found anywhere else, no herbalist should be without them. Having already purchased The Complete Guide to the Old World Medicinal Plants, I pre-ordered its New World Sister companion and waited months for its availability, And it was worth the wait!

The content of this book is wonderful. So glad to have it in my library.

My only complaint is the typesetting of the book. It's an old fashioned type that is not very easy on the eyes. An unfortunate choice.

And worse, the titles of the herbs in the Materia Medica don't stand out - the subheadings are in all caps, while the name of the herb is not. The herb names are the beginning of a new listing and should be larger and bolder than the subheadings and have more space before them so you can find the herbs more easily.

Should a new edition come out with better print, I will spring for another copy and sell this one.

Simply beautiful!
A feeling that one can trust the experience of the writer and try it out...........
Not just Western "laboratory proven compounds" ,but life as it is with pearls hardly showing up in any other herbal.

I recently purchased this book and I haven't been able to tear my eyes away from it. It immediately became my number 1, as I tend to read multiple books at the same time. This is the first of two volumes, the 2nd covers plants of North America, or the new world. This one covers the old world medicinal plants

It has a brief introduction, review of the different energetic philosophies for herbal medicine (ayurveda, tcm, and western) It goes more in depth with the western energetic system of herbalism, although not as in depth as The practice of traditional western medicineThe Practice of Traditional Western Herbalism: Basic Doctrine, Energetics, and Classification . What I really like is it links these systems of energetics together. It is all energy just different terms are used for different cultures.

The materia medica is fantastic in that it feels like a thorough account of each herb. Taste, temperature, humidty, tissue state, body system, preparation are covered.

I believe this will be one of my top resources to deepen my knowledge and understanding of how herbs work energetically and how to best use each herb in a clinical setting.

There is a great amount of information packed in this book. The problem is finding it. The index in this book is lacking. I have The Book of Herbal Wisdom by Wood: The Book of Herbal Wisdom: Using Plants as Medicines and the index is much better.

If you dont have any books by Wood I recommend Herbal Wisdom over this book, especially if you are learning about herbs.

Another book I like a lot, has a lot of recipes, and has a good index is: The Way of Herbs: Fully Updated with the Latest Developments in Herbal Science