A Clinical Herbalist’s Favorite Herbalism Books
You would have been able to pick me out of a group of kids by looking for the introverted girl with the book in her hand when I was younger. I was always carrying at least one around (still do) and I wear glasses today because I would regularly read Nancy Drew stories in bed with only the light of the Jack-and-Jill bathroom between my room and my brothers’ room to light the pages when I was supposed to be sleeping.
A bookish child turned bookish adult, I now say that books are my love language and those who are closest to me know that a good book is always a good choice if they want to choose a gift guaranteed to sprinkle a bit of joy into my day.
Self-proclaimed bibliophile that I am, I love recommending books to people who are interested in reading or learning about something new, so I thought it would be fun to share some of my favorite books about herbs with you today. (I have linked to each book through my Bookshop.org and Amazon affiliate links for your convenience.)
The Beginner-Friendly Books
These are the books I would happily and readily give to a friend who expresses that they are starting to become interested in working with herbs and wants to know where to start.
Alchemy of Herbs – Rosalee de la Forêt (Bookshop.org / Amazon)
Herbal Medicine for Beginners – Katja Swift and Ryn Midura (Bookshop.org / Amazon)
Rosemary Gladstar’s Herbal Recipes for Vibrant Health (Bookshop.org / Amazon)
Rosemary Gladstar’s Medicinal Herbs, a Beginner’s Guide (Bookshop.org / Amazon)
Herbal Healing for Women – Rosemary Gladstar (Bookshop.org / Amazon)
Herbal Healing for Men – Rosemary Gladstar (Bookshop.org / Amazon)
The Male Herbal – James Green (Bookshop.org / Amazon)
A Modern Herbal – Mrs. M. Grieve (Bookshop.org / Amazon)
The Herbal Medicine-Maker’s Handbook – James Green (Bookshop.org / Amazon)
The Big Book of Homemade Products for Your Skin, Health and Home - Jan Berry (Bookshop.org / Amazon)
Rosemary Gladstar offers, perhaps, the friendliest introduction to herbs. She is a treasured herbalist in the herbal community and her books have introduced thousands of people to the art and practice of herbalism. She invites you in, introduces you to the plants, inspires confidence in your own ability to work with herbs and is a gentle and inspiring guide as you begin your learning. I have listed a few of her books above but can wholeheartedly recommend all of her works.
There are also other authors whose works I find especially beginner-friendly. James Green’s books, for example, are excellent for learning how to make different kinds of herbal remedies efficiently and his book about herbs for males is appreciated in the community.
Rosalee’s book is a beautiful, grounded book that is packed with wonderful information presented in a way that makes it easy for beginners to understand. I love her work and often give her book to friends when they start to dive into herbalism.
Katja and Ryn’s book is another one I find useful for beginners, as the title suggests. It’s filled with great recipes that help take the guesswork out of formulating.
The Well-Researched Books
These books are the ones I recommend for people who are ready to dive a bit deeper and want to know more about the science behind our precious herbs. They are particularly useful for people who like to research or for people who plan to practice herbalism professionally
Clinical Botanical Medicine, Eric Yarnell, ND, RH (AHG); Kathy Abascal, JD, RH (AHG); Robert Rountree, MD (Amazon)
The Business of Botanicals – Ann Armbrecht (Bookshop.org / Amazon)
American Herbal Products Association’s Botanical Safety Handbook, Second Edition (Amazon)
Principles and Practice of Phytotherapy - Bone and Mills (Bookshop.org / Amazon)
Botanical Medicine for Women’s Health – Aviva Romm (Bookshop.org / Amazon)
A Clinical Guide to Blending Liquid Herbs - Bone (Amazon)
The Botanical Safety Handbook is the best volume of which I am aware for checking for safety considerations and contraindications of individual herbs and Dr. Aviva’s book is an information-packed textbook.
Ann’s book offers an illuminating behind-the-scenes look into the herbal industry and demonstrates how where we choose to spend our money affects the herbal community, the quality of our remedies and the health of the planet.
The Books by Experienced Practitioners
Some herbal books that you will come across on store shelves are written by researchers or freelance writers who have not really worked with herbs much. They write based on their research but not necessarily from experience. Their books can be interesting but can also sometimes contain inaccurate information or inadequately represent a full picture of what it looks like to work with an herb.
When learning how to work with herbs yourself, I highly recommend reading books written by herbalists who have been practicing professionally for a number of years. These are a few of my favorites – one by one of my own clinical instructors, David Winston, and the others by other beloved herbalists from our community.
Jill Stansbury’s Herbal Formularies Series (Bookshop.org / Amazon)
The Earthwise Herbal Repertory – Matthew Wood (Bookshop.org / Amazon)
The Earthwise Herbal – Matthew Wood (Bookshop.org / Amazon)
Adaptogens – David Winston (Bookshop.org / Amazon)
Self-Sufficient Herbalism – Lucy Jones (Bookshop.org / Amazon)
Body Into Balance – Maria Noël Groves (Bookshop.org / Amazon)
The Books that Get You into the Garden
Something really special happens in your personal herbal practice when you begin to grow some of the herbs you work with yourself. It is both an empowering exercise and one that will deepen your understanding of the herbs as you get to know the plants themselves. For many reasons, I focus heavily on teaching my own students how to grow herbs in our certification program here at Floranella, and I highly recommend that you give it a try too, if you are able!
The first is one of my favorites. I love everything that Richo writes (he owns Strictly Medicinal Seeds, which is also one of my favorite sources for organic herb seeds). All of Maria’s books are outstanding, and I recommend Jessica’s book for those of you who are just starting your journey into gardening. It will help you get going on the right track with a thorough understanding of how to help your garden thrive. The last two recommendations are resources that I often refer to when I am dealing with a pest or disease in my own garden.
Growing Plant Medicine – Richo Cech with Sena Cech (Bookshop.org / Amazon)
Grow Your Own Herbal Remedies – Maria Noel Groves (Bookshop.org / Amazon)
The First-Time Gardener: Growing Vegetables - Jessica Sowards (Bookshop.org / Amazon)
What’s Wrong With My Plant? (And How Do I Fix It?) - Deardorff and Wadsworth (Bookshop.org / Amazon)
The Organic Gardener’s Handbook of Natural Pest and Disease Control - Bradley, Ellis and Martin (Bookshop.org / Amazon)
The Amusing Ones
These are two of the books that I find particularly entertaining. Hildegard’s book is filled with her recommendations for a wide variety of ills – some of which might have merit and others of which seem completely superstitious or strange (perhaps even dangerous, at times). Whilst I wouldn’t follow all her advice (or recommend that you do), I do find her writing about herbs amusing.
Maurice’s book is one of the most fascinating books about herbs that I have ever read. I’m not going to say much more about it because I don’t want to give too much away, but I suspect that if you read it, you too will find it amusing.
· Hildegard von Bingen’s Physica (Bookshop.org / Amazon)
· Of People and Plants – Maurice Messegue (Bookshop.org / Amazon)