What is the best book on medicinal herbs?

[Rantaak]

Anything written by Terence McKenna is great!

[Seikou-Kishi]

Posted by jorr lundstrom (here)
We ( Maria and I) eat a lot of Nettles, they are delicious. We also

fertilize the other plants with nettles soaked in water for a week.

We have this year started growing a lot of Jiaogulan (Gynostemma

pentaphyllum) A chinese plant with a lot of different saponins. Good

for tea, sallad or just eating raw. Herbs is a fascinating world. LOL


All is well


Jorr

Nettles are full of vitamins and minerals. They're amazing plants. Most people think it's the acid in the sting that causes the pain, but the pain is mostly caused by the serotonin the plants produce. It was also one of the plants of the Anglo-Saxon Nine Herbs Charm. Its high iron content is coupled with a high vitamin c content — the latter being necessary for the body to absorb the former, making it a good food for those with anaemia. In fact, when nettles are macerated or decocted in alcohol, the alcohol turns red at first.

[Arrowwind]

Posted by Dennis Leahy (here)
I ]Yes, I have no delusions that I could become an "herbalist" or "herbal healer" or understand "herbal medicine" simply by reading books. Nor do I plan on becoming a "certified herbalist" or healer - I just want to increase my knowledge. There is an herbalist in my area, and I do plan to attend an "herbal retreat." (My wife spent a day collecting wild herbs and lichens and pine needles with this woman, and making a batch of a wonderful salve.)

Dennis

I dont see any reason why you could not if you put your intention there. The most knowledge that we have about herbs has been passed down from person to person over the ages. Books have been written only more recently. You think Culpepper figured out all that stuff on his own? I think not.
Most herbalists find 20 to 30 herbs and get to know them really well. Generally herbs local to their area or that they can manage to grow. Learn from your predicessors, take a few seminars and just start doing it. It is also worth while in my estimation to develop a foundational education in the nature of disease, its presenting symptoms, etc. Although these days we do have the help of diagnostics from conventional docs, I assure you they are only right a percentage of the time.

These things can be learned and when you look at some of the leading herbalists out there these days they are largely self taught. Learn what you can. Remember, much of what an herb can do was learned though the doctirine of signatures.... looking into the herbs nature through its presenting features in shape, taste, smell, color, texture and then the old herbalist would also dream on it.... it is almost shamanistic in its approach and has been more right than wrong and clearly has been a basis for the selection and application of homeopathy, which was eventually trialed out though provings... the provings often only reinforced the doctrine of signatures assessment of the plant.

these days the community herbalist also has the added assistance of research now being done on herbs in large institutions like MD Anderson and other universities.. and you know what? Largely that research only confirms what the astute herbalist already knows. there is much research to be read on herbs and if you can read German much of it is in that language.

Remember, when working with herbs you are working with a living force that is capable of communication, both receiving and giving. You are stepping into the realms of magic... hence, herbalists were often accused of witchcraft... for you connect with the unseen world where the plant spirit dwells.

[Arrowwind]

Posted by Seikou-Kishi (here)
[
Nettles are full of vitamins and minerals. They're amazing plants. Most people think it's the acid in the sting that causes the pain, but the pain is mostly caused by the serotonin the plants produce. It was also one of the plants of the Anglo-Saxon Nine Herbs Charm. Its high iron content is coupled with a high vitamin c content — the latter being necessary for the body to absorb the former, making it a good food for those with anaemia. In fact, when nettles are macerated or decocted in alcohol, the alcohol turns red at first.

So here is an indication that Nettles may not be so good for men to take routinely. Men should avoid high iron foods as well as post menapausal women... unless you donate blood. Donating blood can be very good for anyones health if their blood counts are up to par. But for men it prevents the excess build up of iron.

I dont know just how much iron would come out of the plant in a simple tea extraction, does anyone?

[Arrowwind]

I just went to my herbalpedia on nettles and there are many types encompassing 4 different families, so I would have to assume and after looking they do hold different healing potentials. The photos of nettle provided here are of the Urticacea family, yet I have two varities within that family listed. Have to be careful about common names for herbs, especially when talking with folks across the pond. You must be sure you are talking about the same thing.
Urtica Urens is the most commonly used medicinally... but not the only one used.

Oh, and by the way, Herbalpedia, an herbal encylopedia on disk I have, far surpases any book I've ever seen on herbs. I have not seen anything so complete

[wavydome]

I'm pretty sure our nettle is Urtica Dioica, (wife has gone sleep, she's the plant expert here, life long expert, buys all plants). We got ours in 1972 from a biodynamic farm in NY State. I only eat the tops. Winter dried top leaves used sparingly. Seasonal, spring-tonic is great as a thing in itself. I slow, low-temp cook it, with other things. Wife doesn't like my one pot for all at once style of cooking. I just want strong nutrients, less expense, less environmental impact.

This bloom i'm eating more than previous years. It's just starting to bloom. I've never had any iron problems. We humans have many health qualities, susceptibilities, compatibilities, variations, etc. One rule book won't work uniformly for all humans, despite what schools indoctrinate. The seasonality of tonics adds variation. This is far different than buying dried stuff at a store, which is very uniform and generic in quality, possibly pulverized, (including stems?)-- Likely containing lower leaves--- Lower leaves reportedly contain crystals of calcium oxalate (source: Herb Society of America).

I'm keen on exercising backup foods in case of a 'collapse' with outages of every shipped comodity. Nettle is a great fill-in as where winter kale crop is finishing fast and spring greens need more time to grow before eating. Another as yet undiscussed use are the (yellowish) roots of our nettle. A little work to clean, but are i heard are advised for low blood circulation issues, as from poor hydration. Great remedy as teas, for me there, as i've not hydrated enough in past. (Guilty).

I don't particularly like harvesting and weeding-- Nettle is sort of easy, very low maintenance, 2 crops per year in Maine, almost no fertilizing needed, but this is 40 years after starting them on this land. (It used to be a junk yard before us). A friend came by today and wants to take some-- Great, he can weed them out of flower paths, less sting this summer ;-) I try to get systems smooth flowing and prefer heavier work, less knee work. Nettle is good for this.

[eileenrose]

I always thought that Native Americans used nettles to flush their systems in the spring. A 2-3 day treatment, tops.

They used it for what we refer to as 'spring allergies'....but is closer to the Chinese recognition of this category of herbs 'wei qi inhibitor' (not exact....just the way I view it...after taking some accupuncture/chinese herbal classes).

Wei Qi (or Defense Qi) is our outer defense system (I assume...the skin, and organs related to skin....). Think immune system (as some might know...or so I read once....we have three different immune systems....T-cell's being one of them).

.... (or 'wind heat' (again, name for allergic reaction to pollen/grasses etc.)...which means it is a cooling herb....right??? any experts out there?).

[eileenrose]

self deleted post

[wavydome]

I would just add that our kind of nettle here in Maine, (Urtica Dioica, just checked with my highly trained wife) is different from other types i have seen locally, (of unknown type). Also, i grew up in Rome, Italy, or rather in the countryside nearby Rome. We had a nettle in the wild there which gave me a big red rash as a child-- Rash would last half a day, at least. Rome,Itally has a climate like southern California. I don't recall mention of people using it there. I avoided it with respectful distances, after getting it's sting at perhaps 8 years of age. My last time in Italy was aged 18 with other places in between.

[Arrowwind]

Posted by wavydome (here)
I would just add that our kind of nettle here in Maine, (Urtica Dioica, just checked with my highly trained wife) is different from other types i have seen locally, (of unknown type). Also, i grew up in Rome, Italy, or rather in the countryside nearby Rome. We had a nettle in the wild there which gave me a big red rash as a child-- Rash would last half a day, at least. Rome,Itally has a climate like southern California. I don't recall mention of people using it there. I avoided it with respectful distances, after getting it's sting at perhaps 8 years of age. My last time in Italy was aged 18 with other places in between.

that must be the Roman Nettle, which is listed in Herbalpedia 2006. Urtica Dioca is the most common nettle used for medicinal purposes and Roman nettle is in the same family as your local nettle...

[wavydome]

The experience, the rash and sting were very different....

As a kid in this world, everything was foreign to me and mom was a bit the hypercondriac (who was the bread winner, too, 'great' job offer in Rome).... Dad was a suppressed veteran who saw way too much of the TPTWs manipulation of facts during the italian Liberation, so called. He saw manipulations as a liaison officer, (US 5th Army). He wanted to be whistleblower journalist, due to his war expereince and he was misdirected into endless, unproductive tasks (God knows what else)... No complaints, life teaches us many things, through unusual life experiences.

I must have developed a stronger system, after all these years. Must be due to self education regarding nutrition and health.

[nomadguy]

One of my favorites -
Herbs Things by JeanneRose

[Dennis Leahy]

Posted by Arrowwind (here)

Posted by wavydome (here)
I would just add that our kind of nettle here in Maine, (Urtica Dioica, just checked with my highly trained wife)...

that must be the Roman Nettle, which is listed in Herbalpedia 2006.

(Arrow, your PM inbox is full.)

Dennis