Synopses & Reviews
The first book to demonstrate how plants originally considered harmful to the environment actually restore Earthandrsquo;s ecosystems and possess powerful healing properties andlt;BRandgt; andlt;BRandgt;andbull; Explains how invasive plants enhance biodiversity, purify ecosystems, and revitalize the land andlt;BRandgt; andlt;BRandgt;andbull; Provides a detailed look at the healing properties of 25 of the most common invasive plants andlt;BRandgt; andlt;BRandgt;Most of the invasive plant species under attack for disruption of local ecosystems in the United States are from Asia, where they play an important role in traditional healing. In opposition to the loud chorus of those clamoring for the eradication of all these plants that, to the casual observer, appear to be a threat to native flora, Timothy Scott shows how these opportunistic plants are restoring health to Earthandrsquo;s ecosystems. Far less a threat to the environment than the cocktails of toxic pesticides used to control them, these invasive plants perform an essential ecological function that serves to heal both the land on which they grow and the human beings who live upon it. These plants remove toxic residues in the soil, providing detoxification properties that can help heal individuals. andlt;BRandgt; andlt;BRandgt;andlt;Iandgt;Invasive Plant Medicineandlt;/Iandgt; demonstrates how these andldquo;invasivesandrdquo; restore natural balance and biodiversity to the environment and examines the powerful healing properties offered by 25 of the most common invasive plants growing in North America and Europe. Each plant examined includes a detailed description of its physiological actions and uses in traditional healing practices; tips on harvesting, preparation, and dosage; contraindications; and any possible side effects. This is the first book to explore invasive plants not only for their profound medical benefits but also with a deep ecological perspective that reveals how plant intelligence allows them to flourish wherever they grow.
Review
andldquo;I love this book. Brilliant and unique, Tim Scottandrsquo;s new book is about to rock the world of plant enthusiasts. Written for the medical professional, lay person, gardener, botanist, and biologist, itandrsquo;s for everyone who loves and worships at the roots of the green world. andlt;Iandgt;Invasive Plant Medicineandlt;/Iandgt; provides a refreshing new theology of andlsquo;invasives,andrsquo; or andlsquo;messengerandrsquo; plants as they are so aptly termed by the author. Tim Scott goes deep beneath the surface, where thought, practicality, and poetry combine to create a dynamic new exploration of common plant medicine. Poetic, wise, visionary, and practical, this is my new favorite book about plants.andrdquo;
Review
andldquo;Timothy Lee Scott shows how wrongheaded it is to single out other species as harmful. In nearly every case, the blame for damage done by so-called invasive species lies with us, when we have created an imbalance that opens opportunities for new species to move in. Tim goes beyond simply removing blame from our fellow species. He shows how erstwhile invaders can teach us how to heal damaged ecosystems and ourselves.andrdquo;
Review
andldquo;This is an important, insightful book that should be read by all involved in herbal medicine or plant conservation, and more importantly, for all of us who should be questioning authority. In these times of rapid change it is refreshing to find such competent questioning of andlsquo;established truths.andrsquo; Thanks, Tim!andrdquo;
Review
andldquo;So, be warned, this is a dangerous book. Tim Scott will change how you see andlsquo;invasives,andrsquo; will make you question what you have been taught about them, force you to reexamine what you have read in newspapers, and demand you look more closely at what andlsquo;expertsandrsquo; have said.andrdquo;
Review
"Invasive Plant Medicine is not only a keeper, but a healer."
Review
“I love this book. Brilliant and unique, Tim Scott’s new book is about to rock the world of plant enthusiasts. Written for the medical professional, lay person, gardener, botanist, and biologist, it’s for everyone who loves and worships at the roots of the green world. Invasive Plant Medicine provides a refreshing new theology of ‘invasives,’ or ‘messenger’ plants as they are so aptly termed by the author. Tim Scott goes deep beneath the surface, where thought, practicality, and poetry combine to create a dynamic new exploration of common plant medicine. Poetic, wise, visionary, and practical, this is my new favorite book about plants.” < b=""> Rosemary Gladstar <> , herbalist and founder of United Plant Savers
Review
“Timothy Lee Scott shows how wrongheaded it is to single out other species as harmful. In nearly every case, the blame for damage done by so-called invasive species lies with us, when we have created an imbalance that opens opportunities for new species to move in. Tim goes beyond simply removing blame from our fellow species. He shows how erstwhile invaders can teach us how to heal damaged ecosystems and ourselves.” < b=""> Toby Hemenway <> , author of < i=""> Gaia & rsquo;s Garden: A Guide to Home-Scale Permaculture <>
Review
“This is an important, insightful book that should be read by all involved in herbal medicine or plant conservation, and more importantly, for all of us who should be questioning authority. In these times of rapid change it is refreshing to find such competent questioning of ‘established truths.’ Thanks, Tim!” < b=""> David Hoffman, BSc, FNIMH <> , medical herbalist and author of < i=""> Medical Herbalism <> and < i=""> Herbal Prescriptions after 50 <>
Review
“So, be warned, this is a dangerous book. Tim Scott will change how you see ‘invasives,’ will make you question what you have been taught about them, force you to reexamine what you have read in newspapers, and demand you look more closely at what ‘experts’ have said.” < b=""> Stephen Harrod Buhner <> , author of < i=""> The Secret Teachings of Plants & nbsp; <>
Review
"Invasive Plant Medicine is not only a keeper, but a healer." < b=""> Irene Watson <> , < i=""> Reader Views <> , September 2010
Review
"andlt;Iandgt;Invasive Plant Medicineandlt;/Iandgt; is not only a keeper, but a healer."
Synopsis
Timothy Scott shows how invasive plants--mostly originating in Asia where they are used in traditional healing--perform an essential ecological function and are far less a threat to the environment than the cocktails of toxic pesticides used to control them.
About the Author
Timothy Lee Scott is an acupuncturist and herbalist with a master’s degree in traditional Chinese medicine. He runs a private practice in Vermont and gives workshops on Chinese herbalism, native medicinal plant cultivation, and the benefits of invasive plants.
Stephen Harrod Buhner is an Earth poet and the award-winning author of ten books on nature, indigenous cultures, the environment, and herbal medicine. He comes from a long line of healers including Leroy Burney, Surgeon General of the United States under Eisenhower and Kennedy, and Elizabeth Lusterheide, a midwife and herbalist who worked in rural Indiana in the early nineteenth century. The greatest influence on his work, however, has been his great-grandfather C.G. Harrod who primarily used botanical medicines, also in rural Indiana, when he began his work as a physician in 1911.
Stephen's work has appeared or been profiled in publications throughout North America and Europe including Common Boundary, Apotheosis, Shaman's Drum, The New York Times, CNN, and Good Morning America.
Table of Contents
andlt;Bandgt; andlt;BRandgt;Foreword by Stephen Harrod Buhner andlt;BRandgt; andlt;BRandgt;Acknowledgments andlt;BRandgt; andlt;BRandgt;Introducing the Weed andlt;BRandgt;andlt;/Bandgt; andlt;BRandgt; andlt;BRandgt;andlt;Bandgt;PART 1 andlt;BRandgt;Waging War on Plantsandlt;/Bandgt; andlt;BRandgt; andlt;BRandgt;andlt;Bandgt;1andlt;/Bandgt;andnbsp;andnbsp;andnbsp; The Politics of Prolific Plants andlt;BRandgt;andlt;Bandgt;2andnbsp;andlt;/Bandgt;andnbsp;andnbsp; The Science of Invasions andlt;BRandgt;andlt;Bandgt;3andlt;/Bandgt;andnbsp;andnbsp;andnbsp; Naturally Native: Plants on the Move andlt;BRandgt;andlt;Bandgt;4andlt;/Bandgt;andnbsp;andnbsp;andnbsp; The Nature of Harm, the Harm to Nature andlt;BRandgt;andlt;Bandgt;5andnbsp;andlt;/Bandgt;andnbsp;andnbsp; Invasive Herbicidal Impacts andlt;BRandgt;andlt;Bandgt;6andnbsp;andlt;/Bandgt;andnbsp;andnbsp; The Economics of Weeds andlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;andlt;Bandgt;PART 2 andlt;BRandgt;The Intelligence of Plantsandlt;/Bandgt; andlt;BRandgt; andlt;BRandgt;andlt;Bandgt;7andlt;/Bandgt;andnbsp;andnbsp;andnbsp; The Deep Ecology of Invasives andlt;BRandgt;andlt;Bandgt;8andlt;/Bandgt;andnbsp;andnbsp;andnbsp; The Chemistry of Plant Medicine andlt;BRandgt;andlt;Bandgt;9andlt;/Bandgt;andnbsp;andnbsp;andnbsp; Using Invasive Plants to Treat Invasive Diseases andlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;andlt;Bandgt;PART 3 andlt;BRandgt;Guide to Invasive Plants: Medicine and Ecological Rolesandlt;/Bandgt; andlt;BRandgt; andlt;BRandgt;Artemisia (andlt;Iandgt;Artemisia absinthiumandlt;/Iandgt; var. andlt;Iandgt;annuaandlt;/Iandgt;) andlt;BRandgt;Barberry (andlt;Iandgt;Berberis vulgarisandlt;/Iandgt; var. andlt;Iandgt;thunbergiiandlt;/Iandgt;) andlt;BRandgt;Bindweed (andlt;Iandgt;Convolvulus arvensisandlt;/Iandgt;) andlt;BRandgt;Blackberry (andlt;Iandgt;Rubusandlt;/Iandgt; spp.) andlt;BRandgt;Dandelion (andlt;Iandgt;Taraxacum officinaleandlt;/Iandgt;) andlt;BRandgt;English Ivy (andlt;Iandgt;Hedera helixandlt;/Iandgt;) andlt;BRandgt;Garlic Mustard (andlt;Iandgt;Alliaria petiolataandlt;/Iandgt;) andlt;BRandgt;Japanese Honeysuckle (andlt;Iandgt;Lonicera japonicaandlt;/Iandgt;) andlt;BRandgt;Japanese Knotweed (andlt;Iandgt;Polygonum cuspidatumandlt;/Iandgt;) andlt;BRandgt;Knapweed or Star Thistle (andlt;Iandgt;Centaureaandlt;/Iandgt; spp.) andlt;BRandgt;Kudzu (andlt;Iandgt;Pueraria montanaandlt;/Iandgt; var.andlt;Iandgt; lobataandlt;/Iandgt;) andlt;BRandgt;Oriental Bittersweet (andlt;Iandgt;Celastrus orbiculatusandlt;/Iandgt;) andlt;BRandgt;Plantain (andlt;Iandgt;Plantagoandlt;/Iandgt; spp.) andlt;BRandgt;Purple Loosestrife (andlt;Iandgt;Lythrum salicariaandlt;/Iandgt;) andlt;BRandgt;Reed (andlt;Iandgt;Phragmites australisandlt;/Iandgt;) andlt;BRandgt;Russian/Autumn Olive (andlt;Iandgt;Elaeagnusandlt;/Iandgt; spp.) andlt;BRandgt;Scotch Broom (andlt;Iandgt;Cytisus scopariusandlt;/Iandgt;) andlt;BRandgt;Siberian Elm (andlt;Iandgt;Ulmus pumilaandlt;/Iandgt;) andlt;BRandgt;Tamarisk (andlt;Iandgt;Tamarixandlt;/Iandgt; spp.) andlt;BRandgt;Thistle (andlt;Iandgt;Cirsiumandlt;/Iandgt; spp.) andlt;BRandgt;Tree-of-Heaven (andlt;Iandgt;Ailanthus altissimaandlt;/Iandgt;) andlt;BRandgt;White Mulberry andlt;Iandgt;(Morus albaandlt;/Iandgt;) andlt;BRandgt;Wild Mustard (andlt;Iandgt;Brassica rapaandlt;/Iandgt; var. andlt;Iandgt;nigraandlt;/Iandgt;) andlt;BRandgt;Wild Rose (andlt;Iandgt;Rosaandlt;/Iandgt; spp.) andlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;andlt;Bandgt;Epilogue andlt;BRandgt; andlt;BRandgt;Notes andlt;BRandgt; andlt;BRandgt;Bibliography andlt;BRandgt; andlt;BRandgt;Index andlt;/Bandgt;