Mountain States Medicinal Plants: Identify, Harvest, and Use 100 Wild Herbs for Health and Wellness

by Briana Wiles

Overview

“A practical guide to using medicinal herbs as well as a powerful reminder of our reciprocal relationship with the natural world.” —Rosalee de la Forêt, author of Alchemy of Herbs

In Mountain States Medicinal Plants, Briana Wiles is your trusted guide to finding, identifying, harvesting, and using 120 of the region’s most powerful wild plants. You’ll learn how to safely and ethically forage and how to use wild plants in herbal medicines including teas, tinctures, and salves. Plant profiles include clear, color photographs, identification tips, medicinal uses and herbal preparations, and harvesting suggestions. Lists of what to forage for each season makes the guide useful year-round. Thorough, comprehensive, and safe, this is a must-have for foragers, naturalists, and herbalists in Idaho, Montana, Wyoming, Utah, Colorado, eastern Oregon, eastern Washington, and northern Nevada.  
 

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781604696547
Publisher:	Timber Press, Incorporated
Publication date:	03/07/2018
Series:	Medicinal Plants Series
Pages:	296
Sales rank:	192,108
Product dimensions:	6.50(w) x 8.90(h) x 0.50(d)

About the Author

Briana Wiles is a herbalist and wild plants expert. She teaches classes on foraging and medicinal plants. Wiles also runs Rooted Apothecary, which offers bulk herbs, herbal remedies, and her own line of body-care products made with foraged botanicals. Visit her online at rooted-apothecary.com.

Read an Excerpt

Introduction
Something brought this book into your hands, that innate need for learning, a passion for plants, or a desire to understand how to make simple, pure medicines. With this book, you will be able to identify and recognize plants you may have walked past before or even thought of as weeds. Just getting outside into nature to meet any of these plants is therapeutic and mind-altering. You will start to hear and participate in the communication that takes place between humans and plants. Gathering information and inspiration on which plants grow near you, or which ones you want to search for, will connect you to the earth in a powerful way. Likewise, there is much empowerment in taking charge of your health and what enters your body.

Mountain ranges of the Rockies span through each of the states and provinces covered in this book. The mountain west starts to the south in Colorado, Utah, and Nevada; moves north through Wyoming, Montana, and Idaho; slides west into the eastern sides of Oregon and Washington; and reaches further north into southern Alberta and Saskatchewan. In this territory all the plants in this book can be discovered; however, each herb does not grow in every part of this territory. The mountain west holds a great variety of elevations and ecosystems. Some plants grow only in the southern states, others only in the north; many plants are found either below a certain elevation or above it. An hour’s drive can bring you thousands of feet lower or higher and to a whole new land of plants. This is an added benefit to living at altitude—you can chase the seasons. Spring starts low and ends high, meaning just as one season ends at 5000 feet, it is just beginning again at 7000 feet.

Guidance for the Wild Harvest
Let this book give you guidance, not only on where to find medicinal plants but also on how to approach your search. Let it also provide you with inspiration to prepare herbs for medicine-making, eventually leading you to concoct your own unique remedies. This book is full of rules and recipes to follow, but they were made to be tweaked. When you don’t find the plants you’re looking for, research the ones you do have near you. Be aware of variations in climate and in the plants themselves. Always harvest with these variations in mind—if it’s a meager-looking plant, let it be and find one that has more vitality, which also means more medicine. I always say, the altering of recipes often begins with the plants themselves. 

Wildcraft safely
Be careful. Always use multiple references when learning to identify a new plant. Bring your books and notes with you into the field. Learn which plants not to harvest, because they are poisonous, or threatened, or because taking them away would damage the surrounding ecosystem. When reading about a plant, always check the potential cautions for harvesting and ingestion. Harvest wisely. Make sure the plant you are gathering is the one you are after. Be mindful of any other plants that make it into your basket. Some may be unintended or downright undesirable. Take the time to garble your plants, separating out the parts you are going to use, and process them with care.

Table of Contents

Preface 9

Introduction: Wildcrafting Your Medicine 11

Timing Your Harvest: A Guide to Seasonal Wildcrafting 29

Wild Medicinal Plants of the Mountain States 39

Alder 40

Alfalfa 42

Alumroot 44

Amaranth 46

Angelica 48

Apple 52

Arnica 54

Aspen 57

Balsamroot 60

Beebalm 62

Bistort 64

Black Walnut 66

Bluebells 68

Blueberry 70

Burdock 72

Catnip 74

Chaparral 76

Chickweed 78

Chicory 80

Cleavers 82

Cota 84

Cottonwood 86

Crabapple 89

Cranesbill 91

Dandelion 93

Dock 95

Douglas fir 97

Elderberry 99

Estafiate 102

Fir 104

Fireweed 106

Glacier Lily 108

Globemallow 110

Goldenrod 112

Grindelia 114

Hawthorn 117

Horehound 120

Horsetail 122

Hyssop 125

Juniper 127

Linden 129

Mallow 131

Mormon tea 134

Motherwort 136

Mountain ash 138

Mullein 140

Northern Bedstraw 143

Oak 145

Oregon Grape 147

Osha 150

Peach 154

Pearly everlasting 156

Pedicularis 158

Pine 161

Pineapple weed 165

Piñon 167

Plantain 170

Prickly pear 174

Purslane 177

Raspberry 179

Red Clover 182

Redroot 184

Rose 186

Sagebrush 190

Saint John's Work 193

Shepherd's purse 195

Siberian elm 197

Skullcap 199

Skunkbush 201

Snakeweed 203

Solomon's plume 206

Spikenard 209

Spruce 211

Starry Solomon's seal 214

Stinging nettle 217

Sumac 220

Sweet clover 222

Sweet grass 225

Sweet root 227

Teasel 230

Usnea 232

Uva-ursi 234

Valerian 236

Veronica 239

Vervain 241

Violet 243

Wild asparagus 245

Wild caraway 247

Wild cherry 250

Wild hops 253

Wild lettuce 256

Wild licorice 258

Wild mint 260

Wild strawberry 262

Willow 264

Willowherb 266

Wormwood 268

Yarrow 271

Yerba mansa 275

Yucca 278

Metric Conversions 281

Useful Resources 282

Acknowledgements 284

Photo Credits 287

Index 289

Editorial Reviews

A practical guide to using medicinal herbs as well as a powerful reminder of our reciprocal relationship with the natural world. Briana Wiles inspires us to strengthen and treasure our ties to the healing medicine found in our local plants.” —Rosalee de la Forêt, author of Alchemy of Herbs: Transform Everyday Ingredients into Foods and Remedies that Heal

“A bioregional delight—the best guide to identifying, harvesting, and using medicinal herbs of the western mountains since Michael Moore’s legendary works!” —Lisa Ganora, Director, Colorado School of Clinical Herbalism

“At last! Wiles presents an attractive and entertaining guide for utilizing native plants . . . The book is beautifully designed with copious color photographs to aid in plant identification and preparation.” —Choice

“A well-thought-out guidebook that covers how to identify, harvest, and use wild herbs in the Rocky Mountain Region. It’s extremely easy to use . . . covers all the basic rules without being overbearing.” —Outside Bozeman

“One of the best ways to learn how to use medicinal herbs.” —The Mountain Weekly News

From the Publisher