Your Guide to Herbalist Books
One of the activities that delights me most as a plant person is pouring over the gardening, wellness, or plant sections of a bookstore to see if there are any new herbalism books. Over the years I have amassed a wide range of herbalist books, and I would love to share with you some of my all-time favorites.
Some of these books focus specifically on gardening herbs. Some give you directions for making remedies. And some outline the medicinal properties of herbs. Many do all of this and more.
Herbal books offer us the opportunity to deepen our knowledge of beloved plant allies.
So let’s dive into these incredible herbal books…
Rosemary Gladstar’s Medicinal Herbs: A Beginner’s Guide by Rosemary Gladstar
In Rosemary Gladstar’s Medicinal Herbs, Rosemary shares recipes for so many fantastic, easy-to-make herbal remedies like lavender lemon balm tea and aloe lotion. She also includes profiles on 33 common herbs so that you can easily get started with making your own home apothecary.
Iwígara: The Kinship of Plants and People by Enrique Salmón
In Iwígara, ethnobotanist Enrique Salmón highlights 80 plants that are important to North America’s Indigenous peoples. Through story and research, Enrique shares how to work with these plants and deepen your sense of kinship with the world.
Alchemy of Herbs by Rosalee de la Forêt
Rosalee’s Alchemy of Herbs shows you how to transform common ingredients into food and remedies that heal. This book offers a simple approach to incorporating herbs into your everyday life. Some of the recipes in Alchemy of Herbs include garlic hummus, ginger lemon tea, spiced cold brew coffee, and more.
African American Herbalism by Lucretia VanDyke
Lucretia’s African American Herbalism outlines the origins of herbal practices rooted in African American tradition and includes the stories of herbal healers whose important legacies have shaped contemporary American herbalism. Lucretia also includes essential information on commonly used herbs like sage and sassafras and wonderful recipes.
There are so many different topics in the herbal world you can learn about through books.
Making Plant Medicine by Richo Cech
Richo’s Making Plant Medicine is a straightforward approach to making tinctures, glycerites, syrups, and more. This is my favorite reference that I draw on most often when making remedies that I want to have very precise measurements for — and it’s very popular amongst avid medicine makers. Making Plant Medicine is a fantastic read for both new herb nerds and more seasoned herbalists.
Aphrodisiac by Kimberly Gallagher
Kimberly’s Aphrodisiac is an invitation to dive into 13 different medicinal plants — plus tons of sensuous recipes — to cultivate the flow of erotic source energy to fuel your vitality, ignite your creativity, and heighten your sexual fulfillment.
Wild Remedies by Emily Han & Rosalee de la Forêt
What if you could make remedies with the wild plants that grow around you? Wild Remedies is your guide to foraging healing foods and crafting your own herbal medicine. Emily and Rosalee help you get to know 24 of the most commonly found wild plants and how to harvest them. Plus they include 75 delicious recipes like Chickweed Pesto and Dandelion Maple Syrup Cake.
The Healing Garden by Juliet Blankespoor
Ready to start your own herb garden? The Healing Garden is the perfect companion for new and seasoned herb gardeners alike. Juliet covers how to plan your garden, how to make remedies with your harvest, and detailed profiles on 30 easy-to-grow herbs. The Healing Garden takes the guesswork out of herb gardening, so you can fully experience the joy and sweetness of growing herbs.
Sit back and relax with an herbal book.
The Essential Guide to Western Botanical Medicine by Christa Sinadinos
Christa’s Essential Guide to Western Botanical Medicine offers a detailed materia medica with more than 550 pages of in-depth monographs on medicinal herbs and focuses on medicinal and clinical uses of herbs. This is the perfect companion book for the clinical herbalist or the home herbalist who’s looking to learn more. There are also medicine making instructions and over 100 herbal formula recipes included.
Herb Fairies by Kimberly Gallagher
Kimberly’s Herb Fairies is more than just a children’s book series: it’s an herbal learning system that empowers kids to learn about herbs and connect with the natural world. Parents read the books to their kids and help with the fun and simple herbal preparations that Kimberly includes in the learning system. Herb Fairies is a doorway to the magic of learning about herbs.
Medicinal Mushrooms: The Essential Guide by Christopher Hobbs
If you’re wanting to learn more about mushrooms, Christopher Hobbs is a fantastic teacher to follow. Christopher is an experienced mycologist and herbalist who brings years of experience and research into his work. Medicinal Mushrooms includes how to select, store, and prepare a variety of medicinal mushrooms.
The Plant Medicine Protocol by William Siff
This comprehensive book offers key insight on how to support the body’s overall vitality with medicinal plants. William draws on his years of clinical experience to dive into the nervous system, digestive system, endocrine system, and more. He also includes delicious, easy-to-follow recipes like Sparkling Rosemary Limemade, Peanut Butter Maca Goji Berry Smoothies, and more.
PS… And before I go I couldn’t help but answer a few frequently asked questions about herb books…
Reading herbal books is a fun activity to do outside amidst the plants.
What is the best herbalist book?
There is no “one best book” for learning about herbs — there are so many wonderful books out there, and the list I’ve included above is a great place to get started.
Can you be a self-taught herbalist?
Absolutely! Before I went to herb school I totally called myself an herbalist and did a bunch of my learning through reading and getting to know the plants. If you’re interested in becoming an herbalist but don’t know where to start, check out my guide on How to Become an Herbalist. And in the meantime, you can check out HerbMentor, LearningHerbs’ self-paced online education platform that can help you get started or deepen your herbal practice. You can get started with HerbMentor for just $1.
The Herbal Remedy Vault has all of our printable recipe cards...
