Herbal Medicine for Beginners: Your Guide to Healing Common Ailments with 35 Medicinal Herbs

376 Pages·2018·11.23 MB·English

by  Katja Swift

“The best herbalism books for beginners present not only the
information we want to know but also information we need to know if
we are to establish a strong foundation in herbal medicine. Katja Swift
and Ryn Midura offer us just this, infusing their deep understanding of
herbalism and wellness into this practical guide to herbs and their
virtues.”
—jim mcdonald, Herbalist and founder of HerbCraft.org
“Katja Swift and Ryn Midura have written an inviting book on herbalism
for beginners. I love that their herbal profiles include plants’ energetic
qualities (like warming, drying, or cooling) and the many ways plants
affect our health (like the way angelica can “ground” us). Katja and Ryn
offer remedies for everything, from making a fever to breaking one. If
you’re new to herbs, then this book is for you.”
—Henriette Kress, Herbalist, author of Practical Herbs, and founder
of one of the Internet’s oldest herbal websites, Henriettes-Herb.com

Copyright © 2018 by Katja Swift and Ryn Midura
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Photography © Lucia Lioso, 2018
ISBN: Print 978-1-93975-493-6 | eBook 978-1-93975-494-3

To Amber & Elsie

Contents
Introduction
Part 1
Herbal Medicine in Four Steps
STEP ONE: Learn What You Need
STEP TWO: Source Your Medicinal Herbs
STEP THREE: Make Your Herbal Medicine
Tools, Equipment, and Ingredients · Safety Precautions and Best
Practices · Infusions · Decoctions · Steams · Baths and Soaks ·
Poultices and Compresses · Tinctures · Herb-Infused Vinegars · Herb-
Infused Honeys · Syrups · Oxymels and Elixirs · Herb-Infused Oils ·
Liniments · Salves · Lotions · Capsules · Honey Powder Pastes · Nut
Butter Morsels · Additional Herbal Preparations
STEP FOUR: Work Safely with Herbal Medicine
Dosages and Protocols · Tracking the Remedy’s Effects · Helping the
Herbs Go Down · Storing Herbal Medicines Well
Part 2
Herb Profiles
Angelica · Ashwagandha · Betony · Calendula · Catnip · Chamomile ·
Cinnamon · Dandelion · Elder · Elecampane · Fennel · Garlic · Ginger
· Goldenrod · Kelp · Licorice · Linden · Marshmallow · Meadowsweet
· Milk Thistle · Mullein · Nettle · Peppermint · Pine · Plantain · Rose ·
Sage · Self-Heal · Solomon’s Seal · St. John’s Wort · Thyme · Tulsi, or
Holy Basil · Uva-Ursi · Wild Lettuce · Yarrow