Customer Reviews

The Practice of Traditional Western Herbalism: Basic Doctrine, Energetics, and Classification

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This book, along with Vitalism, has given me a historical and practical context for Western Herbalism that makes sense to me. I've been a closet herbalist for decades, stumbling over what were to me, cryptic texts, out of context, and these books by Matthew Wood catapulted me out of said closet and into (herbalist) school.-!!- I had no idea what to expect when I ordered this book. Halfway through I ordered Vitalism, and half way through that I ordered The Book of Herbal Wisdom. Having not read a huge quantity of herbals I cannot rate this book against all the many others, but it lit a bonfire in me to move forward. Lights on. Five Stars.

This book, as most of Mathew Wood's books is par excellence! Written with clarity, ease, brilliance Mr. Woods books are engaging, easy to read for both the budding herbalist or experienced practitioner. The Western Herbalism he espouses is based on his extensive experience as a practicing herbalist and his continued passion to study the great herbal masters of the Western World. His integrity, wit, and skill will leave you clamoring for more written works by this modern healing Master. I highly recommend all of his books not only for Western Herbalists, but for Chinese Herbalists and Homeopaths as well.

Matthew Fox has brought the Old Ways of Herbal Medicine to our modern world. This book speaks in a language I can understand. His descriptions of the underlying imbalances within the tissue that results in symptoms made such an impression on me. He lists signs which we all can identify in our illness. The book gives a description of the plants that can favorably affect these tissue states. Once the underlying cause of an illness is brought back to normal, a balanced state, then the disease goes away. Makes sense to me!!!

Clear and to the point, but also has such a warm, personal touch. Buy this book, you won't be disappointed.

I bought this book looking for a solid intro into the nearly forgotten craft of constitutional western herbalism, particularly the theories and practices of the ecclectics and physiomedicalists. This book delivers. This book will give the budding herbalist a good foundation upon which to build a deep understanding of the nature of chronic and acute illness in the human organism, as well as some basic materia medica to begin experimenting with. But do be aware: Mathew wood chooses his words precisely, and some folk might get a little confused as to the difference between "agitation" and "irritation", for example. But you'll figure it out in the long run. A splendid work, 4.5 stars.

This book is written by an author who is so full of knowledge and love of Herbalism that he can tend to run on and on, but I try to bear with him because eventually he gets to the point you want to hear. He is just so passionate about Herbalism and his work that other books he has written I struggled to stay interested. This one has not been that way. I was pleased to see him stay on track with focus on the information versus his phylosophy. Interesting theroy and one that most all can agree on. You either will relate or it'll be over your head. But the information is good.

great description of tissue states and the herbs included. you can trust Matthew Wood to pull together and synthesize a vast range of information, making it fun, memorable and interesting.
If you have any of his other books, you will want this one for sure.
If you are new to herbalism, it's a fascinating read that may be partially over your head at first, but understandable enough to be instantly useful, and it will grow with you as you learn.
If you are somewhat experienced, it's great, and if you are super duper experienced you'd probably still like it, because M.W. is pretty fantastic.

I just ordered Matthew's new book and can't wait for it to arrive. I was fortunate to study with him at a distance for several years and to be a patient of his at times. He has whole realms of knowledge, has studied with Native American medicine men, and is deeply intuitive.