Rosemary Gladstar's Medicinal Herbs: A Beginner's Guide: 33 Healing Herbs to Know, Grow, and Use [Paperback]

Rosemary Gladstar (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 10, 2012

With Rosemary Gladstar's expert advice, anyone can make their own herbal remedies for common ailments, such as aloe lotion for poison ivy, dandelion-burdock tincture for sluggish digestion, and lavender-lemon balm tea for stress relief. Gladstar profiles 33 of the most common and versatile healing plants and then shows you exactly how to grow, harvest, prepare, and use them. Stock your home medicine chest with safe, all-natural, low-cost herbal preparations, and enjoy better health! 

Editorial Reviews

Review

“Rosemary Gladstar has been herbal wise woman to several generations, training future herbalists for 25 years at herSage Mountain Retreat Centeron 500 acres in Vermont. For those new to using herbs medicinally, her "Rosemary Gladstar's Medicinal Herbs: A Beginner's Guide"(Storey Publishing, 2012) is the perfect entry, with easy recipes, preparation basics and growing know-how.”

(Denver Post)

“One of the most-trusted and well-respected herbalists of our time, Rosemary Gladstar, teaches readers how to grow, harvest, prepare, and use 33 of her favorite herbs in this new title. ... this book is a must-read for every budding herbalist."

(Taste For Life Magazine)

"This expert herbalist always offers exert advice ... Anyone can prepare her tried and true, yet always effective, recipes."

(American Herb Association Quarterly)

“A compilation of the insights and wisdom gained from a lifetime of practice using medicinal herbs … highly useful for anyone wishing to bring herbs into their life”

(HerbalGram: The Journal of the American Botanical Council)

“The goal of this beginner's guide is to teach readers how to identify and cultivate medicinal herbs and then use them to create healing oils, salves, tonics and more. ... Whether your passions lie in gardening, crafting or natural health, you'll find this a wonderful addition to your home library."

(Urban Farm)

“This book is a brand new, sparkling gem, full of treats and surprises and everything important. … not just for the beginner, even though that’s what the title says. It will definitely be inspiring and helpful to someone just starting out, but also to anyone who’s been working with herbs for a while and might be looking for some fresh inspiration.”

(The Essential Herbal)

Review

"This delightful book is full of wonderful information, recipes, and pictures to inspire new and old herbal students alike."

(Dr. Mary Bove, Naturopathic Physician)

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 224 pages
• Publisher: Storey Publishing, LLC (April 10, 2012)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1612120059
• ISBN-13: 978-1612120058
• Product Dimensions: 7 x 0.6 x 9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (92 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #986 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #1 in Books > Health, Fitness & Dieting > Alternative Medicine > Herbal Remedies
  • #2 in Books > Crafts, Hobbies & Home > Gardening & Landscape Design > Herbs
  • #9 in Books > Health, Fitness & Dieting > Alternative Medicine > Healing

More About the Author

Rosemary Gladstar has taught herbology extensively throughout the United States and has led herbal travel adventures worldwide. Her experience includes 20 years in the herbal community as a healer, teacher, visionary, and organizer of herbal events. Currently, she runs Sage Mountain in East Barre, Vermont, where she teaches and sponsors workshops and sells herbal preparations. Rosemary lives in East Barre, VT.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

130 of 133 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Wise Woman in Your Kitchen May 1, 2012

By Story Circle Book Reviews

Format:Paperback

I have to say something right up front. I am not a beginning herbalist. I have been studying and using herbs for years. And I am a teacher, helping others to learn how to incorporate herbs into their lives for health and well-being. Rosemary Gladstar's Medicinal Herbs: A Beginner's Guide satisfies both the herbalist and the teacher in me. It is an excellent guide for learning about herbs, a treasure trove of practical recipes and ideas as well as a priceless gift of wisdom and insight from one of the leaders of the herbal movement in America.

There are a lot of herbals available, many of them written by Gladstar herself. Medicinal Herbs: A Beginner's Guide outshines any number of them on a number of levels. The book is beautifully done, a true feather in Storey Publishing's cap. The pictures are rich and vibrant and the material is presented in a clear and helpful way. There are four main sections. The first is a simple introduction to herbs and herbal medicine in which Gladstar's enthusiasm is immediately apparent. The second section, an introduction to making your own herbal remedies, provides step-by-step instructions for making the most basic and practical of herbal preparations, including teas, tinctures, and salves, among other things. In the third section Gladstar discusses nine herbs that most of us are familiar with, revealing uses for them that may not be so familiar at all. The fourth section presents twenty-four herbs that are safe and beneficial for most people to use regularly, but which readers may not find familiar.

As I read through the book, I was pleased to see many new recipes and ideas mixed in with some of Gladstar's tried and true recipes, such as her Fire Cider and Gypsy Cold Care Remedy. I had been afraid that perhaps the book would rest on the laurels of its predecessors. It does not. Gladstar's text is fresh and warm, making you feel as though you have a wise friend in the kitchen with you, urging you to try something new and take charge of your health in any way you are able. This warmth and wisdom is indeed a trademark of Gladstar's. She shows us the way back to the Wise Woman inside of all of us and encourages us to rediscover our ancestor's connection to the plants, honoring our own inner wisdom and ability to be healthy.

Years ago, I met Rosemary Gladstar at the Women's Herbal Conference that she founded, and which takes place every summer. After delivering her opening address, she stepped off the platform and waded through the people straight to where I stood, feeling like an alien in my Islamic hijab, in the midst of gauze skirts and tube tops. She embraced me, and welcomed me like an old friend. This book does the same thing. It envelops the reader in warmth and welcome, teaching her the way of herbs with wisdom, experience, and confidence.

by Khadijah Lacina
for Story Circle Book Reviews
reviewing books by, for, and about women

41 of 41 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Great book for Kindle April 30, 2012

By dogmansgirl

Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase

Rosemary Gladstar's latest work is a great kindle book. It has a table of contents that is complete enough to help you get started, but it also has an index. Finding the exact herbal recipe you want is easy, and there are plenty to choose from. The book covers all the basics for a beginner. It has just about everything a home herbal medicine chest would need. The plants used are easy to obtain, common plants, not rare things from Asia or South America. Ms. Gladstar covers all the basic ways of applying herbs in health care such as tea, syrup, oil, salve, tincture, pills, baths, poultices, and compresses.

I have been using herbs to treat my family for 20 years, and wanted a reference to have on my kindle that would allow me to easily find things. This book fits that need nicely.

37 of 38 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Fabulous and Beautiful July 12, 2012

By Valerie B. Lull

Format:Paperback

The minute I saw this book I had to pick it up. It was on one of my favorite subjects, herbalism. The book is about home-grown medicine and more specifically about herbal medicine. The book is beautifully illustrated with color pictures of each of the 33 herbs discussed, tips on how to grow the herb and it's medicinal uses.

She starts the book with a introduction to medicinal herbs, their benefits, starting a medicine garden and general introduction to the world of herbs. In chapter 2 she talks about how to make your own remedies. Herbs can be used in the forms of teas, syrups, oils, salves, tinctures, herbal pills, baths, poultices, and compresses. There is also information on the dosage and duration of herbal treatments.

She talks about herbal gardening in the ground and in pots, and makes a distinction between herbal tea for pleasure and herbal tea for medicine. Generally the medicinal herbs are steeped longer and have a stronger taste. Each of the 33 herbs has it's own beautifully illustrated section and recipes for that herb. For example, in the secation on Thyme there is Thyme Syrup, and Thyme Honey.

This book is very comprehensive and a superb begnners guide as well as a good source for more advanced students of herbalism. I plan to buy a copy of this book for my library. -- Valerie Lull, Author, Ten Healthy Teas