The Healing Garden: Cultivating and Handcrafting Herbal Remedies

by Juliet Blankespoor

Overview

A comprehensive and lushly photographed guide to growing and using healing plants, including recipes, from the founder of the Chestnut School of Herbal Medicine

This is the ultimate reference for anyone looking to bring the beauty and therapeutic properties of plants into their garden, kitchen, and home apothecary. Both informative and accessible, it covers how to plan your garden (including container gardening for small spaces); essential information on seed propagation, soil quality, and holistic gardening practices; 30 detailed profiles of must-know plants (including growing information, medicinal properties, and how to use them); foundational principles of herbalism; step-by-step photographic tutorials for preparing botanical medicine and healing foods; and 70 recipes for teas, tinctures, oils, salves, syrups, and more. Packed with sumptuous photography, this book will appeal to home gardeners who want to branch out to culinary and medicinal herbs, home cooks and those interested in natural wellness, and novice and skillful herbalists alike.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780358313380
Publisher:	HarperCollins Publishers
Publication date:	04/05/2022
Pages:	448
Sales rank:	40,394
Product dimensions:	8.10(w) x 9.20(h) x 1.20(d)

About the Author

JULIET BLANKESPOOR is the founder of the Chestnut School of Herbal Medicine. She has a degree in botany and over 25 years of experience teaching and writing about herbal medicine, botany, plant propagation, and organic herb cultivation.

Table of Contents

Introduction 1

Part 1 Cultivating Medicine

Chapter 1 Planning Your Dream Herbal Landscape 12

Chapter 2 The Nitty-Gritty on Soil 44

Chapter 3 Holistic Solutions for Plant Diseases & Problematic Insects 64

Chapter 4 Growing Medicinal Herbs in Containers 76

Chapter 5 Plant Propagation 84

Part 2 Making Medicine

Chapter 6 Harvesting & Drying Herbs 118

Chapter 7 Preparing Botanical Medicine & Healing Food 128

Part 3 Botanical Medicine

Chapter 8 Foundations in Herbalism: Herbal Action Terms, Energetics & Safety 192

Chapter 9 Herbal Profiles & Recipes 202

Anise hyssop (Agastache foeniculum) 209

Ashwagandha (Withania somnifera) 213

Basil (Ocimum basilicum) 217

Bee balm (Monarda spp.) 223

Black cohosh (Actaea racemosa) 229

Calendula (Calendula officinalis) 235

Chickweed (Stellaria media) 247

Dandelion (Taraxacum officinale) 257

Echinacea (Echinacea purpurea) 267

Elderberry (Sambucus canadensis) 271

Elecampane (Inula helenium) 277

Goldenrod (Solidago spp.) 281

Goldenseal (Hydrastis canadensis) 287

Gotu kola (Centella asiatica) 293

Hibiscus (Hibiscus sabdariffa) 299

Lavender (Lavandula angustifolia) 311

Lemon balm (Melissa officinalis) 319

Meadowsweet (Filipendula ulmaria) 323

Milky oats (Avena sativa) 329

Mint (Mentha spp.) 335

Motherwort (Leonurus cardiaca) 341

Passionflower (Passiflora incarnata) 345

Prickly pear (Opuntia spp.) 351

Rose (Rosa spp.) 359

Skullcap (Scutellaria lateriflora) 367

Spilanthes (Acmella oleracea) 371

Stinging nettles (Urtica dioica) 377

Tulsi (Ocimum tenuiflorum) 387

Valerian (Valeriana officinalis) 393

Vervain (Verbena spp.) 397

Violet (Viola sororia and select species) 401

Yarrow (Achillea millefolium) 413

Acknowledgments 418

References 422

Herbal Resources 426

Common to Scientific Name Index 428

Index 432

Editorial Reviews

04/18/2022

Blankespoor, founder of Chestnut School of Herbal Medicine, brings her 30 years of experience “as a plant–human” to the page in this information-packed debut. As she writes, “gardening is medicine for our spirit, mind, and body,” and she makes a case that growing remedies at home is a way to “tread more lightly on the earth.” She starts with soil basics (nettles, chickweed, and horsetail make good fertilizers) and moves through solutions for disease and pests (homemade garlic-pepper spray, for instance, takes care of aphids). Then she digs into making medicine, which includes harvesting (for roots of perennial herbs, this is best done in fall or early spring) and drying plants, either by using a dehydrator or by bundling and hanging them. There are recipes for teas, tinctures, syrups, and oil infusions: elderberry syrup can be “taken throughout the winter months to boost immunity and increase circulation,” a “Weedy & Wonderful Soothing Salve” works to “soothe and heal dry, chafed hands and feet and chapped lips,” and herbal finishing salts are a “nice alternative for preserving fresh culinary herbs.” Lush photographs accompany Blankespoor’s practical advice. This compendium is worth a look for gardeners who’d rather turn to the outdoors than the drugstore. Agent: Coleen O’Shea, The O’Shea Agency. (Apr.)

Publishers Weekly

A stunning book in every way! Visually beautiful, exquisitely written, wise, and informative, The Healing Garden is a rich and delicious feast for the senses. A wealth of information overflows generously from every page. One finds everything one needs to know about herb gardening, medicine making, herbal cooking, plant medicine, and more. Just for the recipes alone, this book is worth owning.” — Rosemary Gladstar, herbalist and author

“The Healing Garden is hands down the most beautiful and informative book on medicinal herb gardening. Juliet is an experienced and inspirational guide, exactly who you want to turn to when learning how to create your own flourishing herbal garden. You’ll instantly love this book for its beauty-filled pages, and the informative tables, charts, and downright jaw-dropping recipes will have you reaching for it again and again.” — Rosalee de la Forêt, author of Alchemy of Herbs and co-author of Wild Remedies

“This is the book every garden-maker, plant person, and environmentalist has been waiting for in their bodies, minds, and souls. This is the book I’ve been waiting for. This is the book our planet needs us to hold, read, and practice. This is the book that will bring us back to ourselves, to our hearts, and bring us home. It is a message of healing in so many ways and, simultaneously, a visual feast.” — Aviva Room, MD, herbalist, midwife, former President of the American Herbalists Guild, and New York Times bestselling author of Botanical Medicine for Women’s Health and Hormone Intelligence

“A priceless seed bank of natural knowledge and plant wisdom, this book will become an old-growth elder in the world of herbal learning. Blessed with not only a green thumb but a big heart and witty tongue, Juliet Blankespoor has gifted us all with a literal lifetime of learning at the feet (and roots) of the living world. A magnificent, must-have book for any home herbalist, gardener, and lover of the earth.” — Asia Suler, founder of One Willow Apothecaries and author of Mirrors in the Earth: Reflections on Self-Healing from the Living World

“Juliet’s approach to teaching herb cultivation as a gateway to crafting medicine embodies the importance of reciprocity with the plant world. The Healing Garden is a step-by-step guide on nourishing a personal relationship with medicinal plants that can be applied at any scale — from windowsill to farmstead. Juliet’s tenderness and personal stories highlight how growing our own herbs and making our own medicine can heal ourselves, our communities, and the planet.” — Susan Leopold, PhD, Executive Director of United Plant Savers

“The Healing Garden is one of the most imminently useful herbal books I know. It combines so many of the author’s skills. It is beneficial for almost anyone interested in plants, with its detailed sections on cultivation, preparation, and processing herbs both as food and medicine. The photos are both beautiful and useful, treating the reader’s eye and adding depth to the written information. This book is also superbly organized, making it easy to find and gain the information you seek. This is an elegant, practical book written by an insightful and thoughtful author.” — 7Song, director and main instructor at the Northeast School of Botanical Medicine and clinical herbalist and Director of Holistic Medicine at the Ithaca Free Clinic

From the Publisher

A stunning book in every way! Visually beautiful, exquisitely written, wise, and informative, The Healing Garden is a rich and delicious feast for the senses. A wealth of information overflows generously from every page. One finds everything one needs to know about herb gardening, medicine making, herbal cooking, plant medicine, and more. Just for the recipes alone, this book is worth owning.

Rosemary Gladstar

A priceless seed bank of natural knowledge and plant wisdom, this book will become an old-growth elder in the world of herbal learning. Blessed with not only a green thumb but a big heart and witty tongue, Juliet Blankespoor has gifted us all with a literal lifetime of learning at the feet (and roots) of the living world. A magnificent, must-have book for any home herbalist, gardener, and lover of the earth.

Asia Suler

The Healing Garden is hands down the most beautiful and informative book on medicinal herb gardening. Juliet is an experienced and inspirational guide, exactly who you want to turn to when learning how to create your own flourishing herbal garden. You’ll instantly love this book for its beauty-filled pages, and the informative tables, charts, and downright jaw-dropping recipes will have you reaching for it again and again.

Rosalee de la Forêt

Juliet’s approach to teaching herb cultivation as a gateway to crafting medicine embodies the importance of reciprocity with the plant world. The Healing Garden is a step-by-step guide on nourishing a personal relationship with medicinal plants that can be applied at any scale — from windowsill to farmstead. Juliet’s tenderness and personal stories highlight how growing our own herbs and making our own medicine can heal ourselves, our communities, and the planet.

Susan Leopold

The Healing Garden is one of the most imminently useful herbal books I know. It combines so many of the author’s skills. It is beneficial for almost anyone interested in plants, with its detailed sections on cultivation, preparation, and processing herbs both as food and medicine. The photos are both beautiful and useful, treating the reader’s eye and adding depth to the written information. This book is also superbly organized, making it easy to find and gain the information you seek. This is an elegant, practical book written by an insightful and thoughtful author.

director and main instructor at the Northeast Scho 7Song

This is the book every garden-maker, plant person, and environmentalist has been waiting for in their bodies, minds, and souls. This is the book I’ve been waiting for. This is the book our planet needs us to hold, read, and practice. This is the book that will bring us back to ourselves, to our hearts, and bring us home. It is a message of healing in so many ways and, simultaneously, a visual feast.

Aviva Room