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

Home-Grown Medicine

Effective, safe, and inexpensive, medicinal herbs are simple to grow, and they can be used to naturally fortify your body against common upsets and ailments. Rosemary Gladstar, the godmother of modern herbalism, offers a fresh introduction to growing and using 33 of her favorite herbs, complete with tips on introducing an herb patch to your backyard garden and easy-to-follow recipes for brewing restorative teas, blending soothing salves, and making tinctures, oils, syrups, and pills.

124 of Rosemary Gladstar's favorite medicinal recipes include:

Creaky Bones Cayenne Rub, page 63
Warming Cinnamon Bath Salts, page 68
Ginger Lemonaide, page 80
Brain Tonic Tincture, page 85
Good Gargle for a Bad Throat, page 88
Rosemary's Famous Face Cream, page 116
Nutritive Heart Tonic Tincture, page 136
Lemon Balm Bath, page 160
Peppermint Tooth Powder, page 187

 

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! 

Highly respected as one of the mothers of the contemporary herbal movement, Gladstar is the founder and president of United Plant Savers, co-founder and director of Sage Mountain Herbal Retreat Center and Native Plant Preserve, director of the International Herb Symposium, co-director of the New England Women's Herbal Conference, and founder and former director of The California School of Herbal Studies. She has taught at many colleges, universities, medical centers, and conferences and is the author of Herbs for Natural Beauty, Herbal Remedies for Children's Health, and Rosemary Gladstar's Herbal Recipes for Vibrant Health. Gladstar lives in Vermont.

 

Chapter 1: Welcome to the Wonderful World of Medicinal Herbs
What 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