Essential Herbal Wisdom: A Complete Exploration of 50 Remarkable Herbs [Paperback]

Nancy Arrowsmith (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 8, 2009

Popular author and healing practitioner Nancy Arrowsmith takes readers on a fascinating in-depth exploration of the herbal arts. Arrowsmith's friendly voice and vast knowledge of herbal applications, history, and folklore shine through in this herbalism reference work.

As entertaining as it is practical, this comprehensive illustrated herb guide covers everything from herb gathering prayers and charms to signatures for fifty powerful herbs. Each herb is described in detail, with tips on growing, gathering, drying, and storing these marvelous plants, as well as their culinary virtues, cosmetic properties, medicinal merits, veterinary values, and household applications.

Along with thought-provoking bits of folk history and literary and spiritual references to herbs and nature, this directory includes step-by-step instructions on cooking with herbs and preparing herbal remedies, as well as gardening hints and seed-saving tips.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Arrowsmiths modern herbarium, first published in a German edition, draws on decades of personal experience. Working deeply rather than broadly, she focuses on 50 potent, multitasking herbs commonly found in Europe and North America, divided into sacred, solar and lunar categories. Some cultures, Arrowsmith (A Field Guide to the Little People) says, identified herbs as the little people of the plant world, and she encourages a similar respect for their medicinal, cosmetic, culinary, household and ritual virtues. She aims, she says, for a unified and balanced understanding against the modern tendency to isolate particular plant compounds for pharmaceutical purposes. She relates hundreds of ways to use herbs in daily life, with tips on planting, gathering, drying and storing; preparing tinctures, teas, salves, beauty treatments and special cures; treating humans and animals; cooking and baking; and creating nurturing environments. She includes recipes (sorrel fritters, marigold cordials, etc.); poems; quotes from the likes of Shakespeare, Chaucer and Milton; legends; and describes the magical powers attributed to various herbs. While color photos, rather than the basic line drawings that are here, might better serve aspiring herbalists, this trove of herbal wisdom is a splendid homage to herbariums of the past. (Feb.)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

About the Author

Nancy Arrowsmith (Arizona) is the founder and former editor-in-chief of Kraut & Rüben, Germany’s first organic gardening magazine. She also founded the international seed organization Arche Noah, with the mission to preserve endangered plants. Arrowsmith has a master’s degree in acupuncture and runs her own healing practice in Arizona. She is also the author of the classic A Field Guide to the Little People (Farrar Straus & Giroux).

Product Details

• Paperback: 576 pages
• Publisher: Llewellyn Publications (February 8, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0738714887
• ISBN-13: 978-0738714882
• Product Dimensions: 10 x 7 x 1.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.6 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,043,588 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Herbal wisdom for everyone, February 13, 2009

By 

Stephanie D. Stark "Dr. A. Mehrabani" (Tucson, AZ) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Essential Herbal Wisdom: A Complete Exploration of 50 Remarkable Herbs (Paperback)

This is one of the most comprehensive as well as entertaining herbal reference books that I have read. Filled with medical, cultural, magical, culinary, and many other aspects of herbs this book can be a great reference for a broad spectrum of people intested in herbology.

Dr. Ardeschir Mehrabani, Naturopathic Physician at Blue Oak Clinic in Tucson, Arizona

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Blends folk wisdom with spiritual references, July 18, 2009

By 

Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Essential Herbal Wisdom: A Complete Exploration of 50 Remarkable Herbs (Paperback)

From herb healing prayers to charms to descriptions of fifty powerful herbs and how they may be gathered, dried, and applies, ESSENTIAL HERBAL WISDOM is a pick for new age and many an alternative health library alike. It blends folk wisdom with spiritual references and includes step-by-step basics on cooking with and preparing herbal remedies. New age health collections will find it an excellent primer.