HERBAL LORE BELONGS TO US ALL, A GREAT AND LASTING LEGACY. Throughout history and across cultures, plants have been used for food, shelter, clothes, and medicine. Plants contain the proteins and other nutrients that all animals need to thrive, so we depend on them for our survival. The soil itself is nourished by living plants, and even when they die, they decompose to form soil from which new plants can grow. Plants sustain all life; everything we need can be obtained from plants.
Today, however, the central role plants play in human lives has been almost forgotten in the Western world. After several generations of urbanized living, those in modern industrialized countries are far removed from nature, creating a damaging imbalance and further misuse of our greatest resource. Even most of us living in rural areas no longer regularly cultivate, gather, and use the helpful plants that grow all around us.
ALCHEMISTS OF THE NATURAL WORLD
Herbs are the wondrous “alchemists” of the natural world. They take carbon dioxide from the atmosphere for their energy production, and give back the oxygen that we need to breathe; they take nitrogen from the air and use it to make amino acids, the building blocks of proteins. Plants build all kinds of chemicals, and they do so in constant relationship to the circumstances in which they find themselves, and in communication with each other. They make medicines—for themselves, for other plants, for the soil and environment around them, and for us.
NATURAL MEDICINE
Herbal medicine has been the mainstay and root of medicine from earliest times. In some ancient tombs, archaeologists have discovered the remains of plants still known to herbalists for their power to treat conditions, such as arthritis, which modern science has detected in the bodies they accompany. Every culture and every land has a rich history of herbal medicine. Even up to the present day, many drugs used in modern medicine come from plant-based sources.
My own interest in herbal medicine grew in the 1980s, when both my parents experienced health problems. At the time, using anything other than conventional medicine was almost unheard of, and any mention of alternative medicine was met with a doubtful, “Does it actually work?” My parents were concerned, however, about the implications of medicines our regular doctor was suggesting and decided to approach an herbalist for advice. They began taking herbal remedies routinely and the results were incredible—my father was even able to avoid surgery. I was impressed and so drawn to the subject that I went on to study herbal medicine at the School of Phytotherapy in Kent, UK, and joined The National Institute of Medical Herbalists.
A NEW PERSPECTIVE
I began to learn about herbalism’s rich heritage and its success in curing all kinds of problems. During the great cholera epidemic of the nineteenth century, for example, many herbalists in industrial towns became famous for rarely losing a patient; and following the disastrous explosion at Chernobyl, the Soviet nuclear plant, in 1986, it was found that growing comfrey lowered levels of radiation poisoning in the surrounding soil. This knowledge fascinated me and I continue to be enlightened.
The more I experience and learn about the power of plants, the more baffled I am that herbalism is sometimes still regarded as being paradoxically “ineffective” on the one hand and “dangerous” on the other. I wanted to write a book that would help dispel these myths and encourage readers to start their own lifelong journey of discovery into herbalism.
HARMONY & HAPPINESS
“Wood warms you three times—first when you gather it, second when you chop it, and third when you burn it.”
Similarly, making your own plant-based recipes for home and health provides three sources of happiness and relaxation:
First, being outside in nature gathering plants or tending pot herbs on your windowsill, drying and preparing those you have grown, even enjoying measuring out dried herbs and oils bought in for potion making; all connect us to nature which brings harmony and balance into our lives. In fact, feeling your inherent connection to the natural world will bring inestimable happiness.
Second, pottering around in your kitchen laboratory is great fun. You will embark on an empowering journey of exploration as you discover herbs and concoct unique recipes for your home, health, and happiness.
Third, when you use the magical elixir you have made, or share it with a friend, you will feel a tremendous sense of satisfaction.
In short, plants contribute to our happiness and well-being in so many different ways; their inherent usefulness isn’t the only joy they bring.
CONNECTING WITH THE NATURAL WORLD
This is a book for anyone with an interest in using plants in the home: for herbalists and kitchen herbalists, for conservationists, for anyone with even a passing interest in herbs. It’s a book for those looking to live a more natural life, to welcome the spirit and usefulness of the plant world into their lives, and to connect with the natural world—whether you live in a semi-rural location (as I do) or a city apartment.
The 501 recipes in this book have been gathered by myself over years as an herbalist, and include contributions from experts across the United States, Canada, the UK, and elsewhere in Europe. They range from teas to meads, from toothpastes to face masks, from laundry detergent to air freshener. Some are simple, requiring almost no equipment; others are complex, such as cream blending, soap making, or distilling aromatic waters. My hope is that as your confidence grows, you will begin to experiment and create your own variations. The next few pages of this book are dedicated to showing you all that you need to start your plant-based preparations at home. They include equipment that you will need, information on sourcing and storing herbs, and some key techniques for preserving herbs.
Plants are truly life-enhancing, thus herbalism, and the love and appreciation of nature that it fosters, is for everyone. I hope this book helps to lead you on a rich journey of discovery.