Rosemary Gladstar's Medicinal Herbs: A Beginner's Guide: 33 Healing Herbs to Know, Grow, and Use
224
Rosemary Gladstar's Medicinal Herbs: A Beginner's Guide: 33 Healing Herbs to Know, Grow, and Use
224eBook
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Overview
Product Details
| ISBN-13: | 9781603428293 |
|---|---|
| Publisher: | Storey Publishing, LLC |
| Publication date: | 04/30/2012 |
| Sold by: | Hachette Digital, Inc. |
| Format: | eBook |
| Pages: | 224 |
| Sales rank: | 52,654 |
| File size: | 29 MB |
| Note: | This product may take a few minutes to download. |
About the Author
Rosemary Gladstar is the best-selling author of nine books including Rosemary Gladstar’s Medicinal Herbs: A Beginner’s Guide, Herbs for Children’s Health, and Rosemary Gladstar’s Herbal Recipes for Vibrant Health, which draw on her 40-plus years of experiences studying and teaching about the healing properties of herbs. She is a world-renowned educator, activist, and entrepreneur and the founding director of Sage Mountain Herbal Retreat Center, the International Herb Symposium, and the New England Women’s Herbal Conference. Gladstar is founding president of United Plant Savers, a nonprofit organization dedicated to the conservation and preservation of native American herbs. She was the original formulator for Traditional Medicinal herbal teas and has led herbal educational adventures around the world. She is the recipient of an honorary doctorate from the National University of Natural Medicine in Portland, Oregon, and serves on the board of the Association for the Advancement of Restorative Medicine and The National Health Freedom Coalition. She lives in Vermont.
Read an Excerpt
CHAPTER 1
Welcome to the Wonderful World of Medicinal Herbs
RECOGNIZED AS THE OLDEST SYSTEM OF HEALING on the planet, herbal medicine traces its roots back to the earliest civilizations. Today, herbalism continues to flourish as a people's healing art. Even with the amazing technological advances of conventional (allopathic) medicine, herbalism — the art and science of healing with plants — is still widely popular. And its popularity is gaining, not waning. According to the World Health Organization, 80 percent of the world's population used some form of traditional medicine in 2008, and its rate of affordability, availability, and accessibility is surging.
So it's no wonder you're drawn to these healing plants and curious to learn more about them. But perhaps you're nervous about trying herbal home remedies: What are these herbs? Are they safe? Do they work? Can you grow them at home? Can you make your own remedies? When and how do you use them? How easy is it to get started? These are some of questions we'll address in this book.
My Story
I was one of the lucky ones. When I was a child, my grandmother took me into the fields and showed me the wild plants she knew. Quietly, with a gentle but stern voice, she taught me their healing powers. When she weeded her garden, I was often kneeling beside her, watching her carefully sort the plants she pulled. I learned early which herbs went into the edibles basket and which went into the compost, and, as importantly, I learned why.
We were a farm family growing up in the wake of World War II. Resilient, hardy, and handy, we were taught to use what was available, useful, and inexpensive. Herbal remedies were one of those things. My grandmother had up her sleeve an armory of useful herbal remedies that she had learned over a long and difficult lifetime. She was a survivor of the Armenian genocide of World War I, and she told us grandkids that it had been her knowledge of plants and her faith in God that saved her life.
As kids, we suffered few illnesses or accidents that our grandmother and parents weren't able to treat effectively at home with herbal remedies. In fact, I recall only two incidents that required a doctor's care: when my younger sister swallowed rat poison (she survived, by the way) and when my older sister fell off the family horse and broke her hip. Not a bad record for a family with five active farm children ... and good testament to the effectiveness of herbal home remedies.
What Is a Medicinal Herb?
If you use herbs in cooking, then you've already taken the first step in using herbal medicine. All of our common culinary herbs and spices are among our most important and esteemed herbal medicines. And if you garden, tucking herbs here and there in your vegetable and flower beds for their added scent and beauty, then you also have been "practicing" herbal medicine.
Garden herbs such as lavender, thyme, sage, basil, rosemary, mint, yarrow, and peppermint are some of our most trusted herbal medicines and have long histories of use as teas, salves, poultices, and tinctures for healing purposes. Open your refrigerator and you may find more common herbal remedies, including horseradish (one of the best remedies for sinus infections) and cabbage (a singularly effective poultice for shingles and hives).
But wait, you might say, aren't some of these plants vegetables and not herbs? Botanically speaking, an herb is an herbaceous plant with a non-woody stem. However, when herbalists speak of medicinal herbs, they are basically including any plant that can be used in healing. Remember, herbalism is an art that evolved over centuries around people and people's needs. It only makes sense that people would use what they had available, in the kitchen or in the backyard. Many of the most common plants are still our best and most popular remedies for common ailments.
So even without knowing it, you may already be a practitioner of herbal home medicine.
How Is Herbal Medicine Used?
While conventional or allopathic medicine is particularly effective in life-threatening situations and unrivaled in its ability to save lives, herbal medicine is the medicine of the home. It is used most effectively for the myriad non-emergency health problems that arise in everyday life: simple first-aid situations, the bumps and bruises of life, headaches, colds and fevers and flu, coughs and aches and pains, and chronic illness.
But more important than "curing" illnesses, plants play a great role in preventing them. Rich in nutrients, herbs are the supreme preventive medicine, bolstering our body's ability to fight off pathogens that cause illness. How do they do this?
In addition to having superconcentrations of the important nutrients essential to the health of the human body, medicinal plants tend to be concentrated in specific chemicals that aid and abet the human immune system. When we eat medicinal plants, our own body becomes more resilient, hardy, and persistent, like the tenacious weedy plant that seems able to survive anything, from endless mowing to barrages of nasty "weed killers."
One of the major differences between conventional (allopathic) medicine and herbal or natural medicine lies in their relationship to constitutional or foundational wellness. Conventional medicine, as we all know, is great for treating acute illness and can often temporarily alleviate its symptoms. Such treatment can be extremely comforting to someone in the midst of an "attack": an asthma attack, for instance, or an oncoming migraine. However, symptom suppression, while necessary, hardly means the cause or root of the illness has been addressed.
Herbs and natural therapies are the medicine of choice for fostering constitutional wellness and addressing the root of chronic health problems. Chronic issues — meaning they are long term and/or recurring — usually have their root in lifestyle choices, environmental conditions, and/or genetics. They are most often corrected by lifestyle changes that include dietary changes, herbal remedies, and exercise programs. Treat the root or core of the problem, and the whole gets healthier.
Thankfully, we don't have to make the choice between conventional medicine and herbal medicine. Both are amazing, effective systems of healing, yet they are distinctly different systems, designed to be used in different situations. Each is complementary to the other.
The Benefits of Herbal Medicine
One of the greatest benefits of herbal medicine is that it gives us the ability to become more self-reliant. Feeling that we have choices in how we care for ourselves and our families, and that we ourselves can play a central role in treatment and preventive medicine, can help us build a positive attitude of empowerment. With very little effort, time, or money, we can grow our own herbs, make our own medicines, and care for our families and ourselves, much as people have been doing for millennia. Herbalism is truly an accessible, inexpensive, natural, gentle, and, most importantly, effective system of healing.
Herbs are among the safest medicines available. This does not mean that there are no herbs with harmful side effects. There are, but they are an isolated group, and most of them are unavailable commercially. Occasionally an herb will stimulate an idiosyncratic, or individual, reaction in a person. This doesn't mean the herb is toxic; it's just a poor choice for that particular individual. Strawberries, a perfectly delicious fruit, are a sweet treat for some and a noxious poison for others.
Herbs are also an inexpensive way to boost your health. Herbal supplements for sale in a natural foods store are, capsule by capsule, much less expensive than pharmaceuticals. And herbal medicine becomes really cost effective and inexpensive when you plant some herbs, don an apron, and brew up your own remedies. You'll be surprised to discover how easy, inexpensive, and fun it is to make your own salves, tinctures, syrups, capsules, and teas, especially if you're making them from herbs you've grown yourself! Begin by making simple medicines for coughs, colds, cuts, infections, and sprains, and you'll find they not only work wonderfully but can also cut the cost of family health care, in the same way that growing your own vegetables helps reduce your grocery bills.
Starting a Home Medicine Garden
Whether you're growing vegetables, herbs, or flowers, one of the greatest joys of gardening is the connection you make with nature. As you tend your garden, you observe the rhythms and cycles of nature, watching a tiny seed grow to maturity, flower, and, perhaps, seed again. This understanding of natural rhythms and cycles is integral to most traditional systems of healing. Perhaps it's one of the big disconnects we feel with modern medicine: we have little connection to where drugs come from, how they are made, and who makes them. By starting a little herb garden, you set up a direct connection with the earth and the healing plants it nurtures. You are also assured of quality herbs that are grown "nature's way."
If you've never attempted growing herbs, not to worry. It's really quite easy. Most medicinal plants are "weedy" in nature; they define hardiness and have a knack for growing even in adverse conditions. Given the right soil, light, and water, herbs generally thrive.
As recently as a 100 years ago, almost every American household had a kitchen garden with an "apothecary" section designated for healing plants. It's fun to re-create these traditional gardens. Dig up a small plot by the back door, plant your favorite medicinal herbs (and edible herbs as well), and step back in time.
Medicinal herbs can also easily be woven into the tapestry of an already-established garden. For instance, echinacea, yarrow, and valerian are lovely additions to flower gardens, providing color, scent, and beauty. Calendula, chamomile, and thyme are often planted in vegetable gardens as "companion" plants, said to enhance the growth and vitality of their vegetable partners. Still other medicinal herbs, such as basil, parsley, and dill, are common culinary herbs, often found in their own patch known as the herb garden. And, of course, there's the lawn that surrounds most homes. Reclaiming a section of lawn for a small plot of medicinal herbs is a revolutionary act that may get your neighbors talking.
Soil Health
Soil health is the key to good gardening. Good soil is like gold to the gardener. If you see a lot of earthworms in your soil, then it's probably healthy. If not, you may need to do some "soil doctoring" before you plant your garden.
Herbs don't require an overly rich soil or lots of fertilizer or soil amendments; they are not big eaters. But the idea that they will be more potent if grown in nutrient-poor soil and made to struggle is a myth. Medicinal plants, like any other plants, need good, healthy soil in order to develop fully.
To build healthy soil, amend it with organic compost and well-aged manure. If it tends to be clumpy and thick, rather than rich and friable, add sand as well. If you see a healthy garden in your neighborhood, ask your neighbors what they've done to their soil. Or ask for recommendations at a local nursery. But be sure that whatever you add to your soil is organic. Nonorganic soil and soil amendments might grow plants that look healthy, but ultimately chemical additives are no better for the soil and the ecosystem than they are for our health.
As Tammi Hartung writes in her book Homegrown Herbs, "Plants utilize nutrients in the soil to become vibrant and healthy, and producing vital soil is the first important step toward a gorgeous and useful herb garden." Tammi's book contains a wonderful chapter devoted to building great soil, and it's well worth reading.
Garden Designs
Keep designs simple. If you've never gardened before, try a ladder or wagon-wheel design. Lay an old wooden ladder or wagon wheel over well-prepared soil (cleared, forked, amended, and otherwise worked as needed). Add more soil to fill in the spaces between the ladder rungs or wheel spokes, and work the soil in. Plant a single type of herb in each rung. This simple and popular design is lovely, makes weeding easy, and allows the plants to grow fully. It's a fun project for kids as well.
Raised beds are very popular now, especially in urban areas, where soil health may be questionable due to years of lawn fertilizers, chemical residues, and other types of pollution. Most nurseries and many home garden centers sell ready-made raised beds that are simple to assemble. There's no excuse for not being handy here — even I can assemble these beds! And it's amazing how many medicinal plants can be grown in some of the space-saving designs that are available. Try the circular raised beds with multiple tiers. They are lovely filled with medicinal herbs, flowers, and vegetables and enable you to plant an amazingly large garden in a very small space. If you are a true handyperson, then you can build a raised bed with nothing more than 2 ×6s and a few nails. Or you can use bricks, cinder blocks, or even just dirt that's raised and formed into mounds.
The idea is to start simple: good dirt, a few plants, and you're ready to go. Experience success and become garden impassioned!
Some medicinal herbs that are easy to grow and will do well in a simple ladder or wagon-wheel design and/or in raised beds are:
Basil
Calendula
Cayenne
Chamomile
Chickweed
Dandelion
Echinacea
Garlic
Lavender
Lemon balm
Licorice
Oats
Peppermint
Plantain
Red clover
Rosemary
Sage
St. John's wort
Spearmint
Thyme
Yarrow
The following herbs are easy to grow as well, but they get very large and may quickly overtake a small garden design. You might want to plant them at the edge of the garden:
Burdock
Marsh mallow
Mullein
Valerian
Know Your Local Weeds
For really inexpensive herbal medicine, learn your local weeds! Free for the picking, many common "weeds" are excellent medicinal herbs. The earliest European settlers of the North American continent brought with them burdock, dandelion, nettle, plantain, and valerian, which they relied on for food and medicine. Most of these plants settled nicely into the local landscape (or in some cases took it over), and they are among our most popular herbal remedies today.
There are also many native North American plants that were used by the indigenous peoples in sophisticated systems of healing. But many of these native medicinals, like the people who used them, are at risk and/or endangered. Before harvesting any native medicinal plants from the wild, check with local native-plant societies and your state's department of natural resources. Many offer lists of regional endangered plants online. Consider becoming involved in the work of United Plant Savers, a group dedicated to the conservation and cultivation of native medicinal herbs (see Resources).
There are many excellent books on wild plant identification, but the very best way to learn your "wild neighbors" is to go on a plant-identification walk with a local expert. An afternoon spent "herb walking" is always an enjoyable experience, and one that is often addictive!
Harvesting Medicinal Herbs
The different parts of plants should be harvested at different times. Follow these general guidelines.
BUDS AND FLOWERS are best harvested just as they are opening. Don't wait for them to open fully; by that point, they will have lost much of their medicinal potency. For instance, St. John's wort buds are perfect when they are fully formed but not fully opened.
LEAVES usually are best harvested before a plant is in full bloom. This is only a very general guideline, though; for some plants, like many of the mints, the leaves are often more potent when the plants are in flower. How can you tell? Examine the leaves. Are they in their prime? Do they taste strong? Are they colorful? Is there little insect damage? Use the same discretion you would apply to selecting greens from the produce department. Do they seem alive, vital, and healthy? Then harvest!
ROOTS are best dug in the fall or spring, when the energy of the plant is still stored in the root or bulb. As spring and summer unfold, the plant's energy moves upward to provide nourishment for the leaves, flowers, and seed or fruit, leaving the root less potent.
These are just general guidelines and, as such, are to be taken with a grain of salt. Always assess the quality of each herb you'll be harvesting, and select the best time for each plant based on when it's in its prime. Much like when you're shopping for produce, you just know when the fruit has been picked too early or has been stored too long. Develop this same instinct with medicinal plants. Use your senses to determine quality.
(Continues…)
Excerpted from "Rosemary Gladstar's Medicinal Herbs"
by .
Copyright © 2012 Rosemary Gladstar.
Excerpted by permission of Storey Publishing.
All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
Excerpts are provided by Dial-A-Book Inc. solely for the personal use of visitors to this web site.
Table of Contents
Chapter 1: Welcome to the Wonderful World of Medicinal HerbsWhat Is a Medicinal Herb?
How Is Herbal Medicine Used?
The Benefits of Herbal Medicine
Starting a Home Medicine Garden
Chapter 2: How to Make Your Own Herbal Remedies
Setting Up Your Kitchen Pharmacy
Herbal Teas
Syrups
Oils
Salves
Tinctures
Herbal Pills
Baths, Poultices, and Compresses
The Skinny on Dosage and Duration of Herbal Treatments
Chapter 3: 9 Familiar Herbs & Spices to Grow and Use
Basil
Cayenne
Cinnamon
Garlic
Ginger
Rosemary
Sage
Thyme
Turmeric
Chapter 4: 24 Safe & Effective Herbs to Know, Grow, and Use
Aloe Vera
Burdock
Calendula
Chamomile
Chickweed
Dandelion
Echinacea
Elder
Goldenseal
Hawthorn
Lavender
Lemon Balm
Licorice
Marsh Mallow
Mullein
Nettle
Oats
Peppermint
Plantain
Red Clover
St. John's Wort
Spearmint
Valerian
Yarrow
What People are Saying About This
"Now more then ever we need to learn to care for ourselves while also caring for the Earth and this book is packed with simple, practical advice for using the plants growing right outside your back door! Who better to guide us into this world, whether for the first time or the hundredth, than Rosemary Gladstar. Her deep love and knowledge of the plants and her joyful spirit infuses her words and her remedies."
"This delightful book is full of wonderful information, recipes, and pictures to inspire new and old herbal students alike."
"This delightful book is full of wonderful information, recipes, and pictures to inspire new and old herbal students alike.
"Atrue reflection of its author in its wisdom, knowledge and practicality. It is filled with information, illustrations, anecdotes and simple, clear instructions for creating herbal remedies. This is not only a solid basic primer for the beginning herbalist but also a comprehensive resource book for all."
"Atrue reflection of its author in its wisdom, knowledge and practicality. It is filled with information, illustrations, anecdotes and simple, clear instructions for creating herbal remedies. This is not only a solid basic primer for the beginning herbalist but also a comprehensive resource book for all.
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