I thought I should post these books while I still can. 2 years ago it was easy to find accurate herbal medicine information on the internet, a search would result in a 50/50 split of good information and garbage. A year ago 75% of the sites listed after a search were garbage but it was the same misleading garbage that would pop up 2 years ago and easy to spot.
This week I searched 10 common medicinal plants that I know well. Not one single site giving accurate information came up in the results, not one… Even worse there is now a whole new class of deceptively misleading sites peddling garbage. For the average person who doesn’t own a good herb book as a starting place the net is now lost to them. Me smells a rat.
Here are 11 wonderful herbal medicine books. I’ve had a few of these books several years and still learn something every time I pick one up. Of the 8 authors I'm privileged to know 5 personally. They are all connected… All of them learned some medicine one way or another from the late, great Tommie Bass. They are also connected personally, have studied and taught together.
Mrs. Phyllis is a 4th generation healer. Her roots are Cherokee and Creek. She and Darryl were both students of Tommie’s for many years. I have been lucky enough to have learned from both of them since they live in my home state. I had dinner one night at Mrs. Phyllis’s house and met David Winston.
David is Cherokee and was taught their medicine from childhood. Later he studied western herbal medicine and Chinese medicine. He told me he once spent time with Juliette de Levy who is revered in many herbal circles.
Through Darryl I met Thomas Easley, a great young herbalist who now has a school in NC. I met Sam Coffman at Thomas’s school in NC. Sam was a special forces medic. He was also trained to, and has set up field hospitals in many 3rd world nations. After the military he studied western herbalism.
Sam’s medicine is unique because of his military background. Any one who is ex-military would recognize the way he presents information. He has a school near San Antonio TX.
Matthew Wood is the most prolific writer of this generation. His understanding of western herbal medicine goes back to ancient Rome and Greece. His understanding of native medicine goes back untold millennia. His ability to write it all down is unparalleled.
Stephen Buhner, a Kentucky boy. His father and grandfather both served as Surgeon General for the state of Kentucky. All of his work is invaluable as reference. Especially the work he has done with Lyme disease and Rocky Mountain Spotted fever. He has helped thousands.
Patricia Kyritsi Howell, another Tommie Bass protégé who knows the medicine plants of the southern Appalachia like the back of her hand. The last time I spoke with her she was working on a revised edition of her book.
Juliette de Bairacli Levy, a renowned herbalist who wrote extensively… At a time after ww2 when medicine was is short supply for people veterinarian medicine was almost nonexistent. She took a couple years to pen an amazing book for treating livestock and farm animals in general. Many of the plants she uses only grow in europe but are easily cross referenced to plants in north america. It’s the most complete farm handbook I’ve ever seen.
All of these folks are great herbalists, all have unique styles and understanding. All are great teachers. Their books… more information than I could digest in a life time. Sort of funny… As years pass and I read these books over and over again I’ve discovered there are volumes of information written between the lines.
These 11 books contain everything from making simple medicines to complex ones, how to set up a field hospital and secure it, how to make all the equipment needed for herbal medicine. They list 100’s of illnesses and what to use to treat them as well as how to treat them.
The “The Herbal Repertory, The Definitive Practitioner’s Guide” and Thomas’s “The Modern Herbal Dispensatory” are invaluable desk references covering 1000’s of plants and illnesses.
“Tommie Bass” by Darryl Patton
The Earthwise Herbal “Complete Guide to Old World Medicinal Plants” by M. Wood
The Earthwise Herbal “Complete Guide to New World Medicinal Plants” by M. Wood
Why both? Many old-world plants are now naturalized here in North America. It was Matt’s way of splitting a huge book into two manageable ones.
“The Book of Herbal Wisdom, How to use Plants as Medicine” by M. Wood a true masterpiece…
“Southern Folk Medicine” by Phyllis Light, an understanding of true southern folk medicine like no other.
Medicinal Plants of the Southern Appalachians by P. Howell, one of the first such books I bought. I still use it almost weekly.
“Herbal Antibiotics, Natural Alternatives to treating drug resistant Bacteria” by Stephen Buhner
“Herbal Antivirals, Natural Remedies for Emerging & Resistant Viral Infections” by Stephen Buhner
“Treating Lyme” second edition by Stephen Buhner, if you spend time in tick country it’s a must own.
“Adaptogens” by David Winston, it’s little understood even by many herbalists how important this class of plants are to maintaining strength and health or regaining it after major injury or illness.
“The Herbal Medic” by Sam Coffman, Practical, Clinical Herbalism & for home, remote and post-disaster environments. Sam uses a lot of Texas, plains and rocky mountain plants.
“The Complete Herbal Handbook for Farm & Stable” by Juliette Levy as useful now as the day it was published in 1954, still in print.
“The Modern Herbal Dispensatory & medicine making guide” by Thomas Easley
“The Herbal Repertory, A Definitive Practitioners Guide” by M. Wood
I wouldn’t be caught without the last two! Actually, I wouldn’t be caught without any of them…
I hope someone finds this knowledge useful.
This week I searched 10 common medicinal plants that I know well. Not one single site giving accurate information came up in the results, not one… Even worse there is now a whole new class of deceptively misleading sites peddling garbage. For the average person who doesn’t own a good herb book as a starting place the net is now lost to them. Me smells a rat.
Here are 11 wonderful herbal medicine books. I’ve had a few of these books several years and still learn something every time I pick one up. Of the 8 authors I'm privileged to know 5 personally. They are all connected… All of them learned some medicine one way or another from the late, great Tommie Bass. They are also connected personally, have studied and taught together.
Mrs. Phyllis is a 4th generation healer. Her roots are Cherokee and Creek. She and Darryl were both students of Tommie’s for many years. I have been lucky enough to have learned from both of them since they live in my home state. I had dinner one night at Mrs. Phyllis’s house and met David Winston.
David is Cherokee and was taught their medicine from childhood. Later he studied western herbal medicine and Chinese medicine. He told me he once spent time with Juliette de Levy who is revered in many herbal circles.
Through Darryl I met Thomas Easley, a great young herbalist who now has a school in NC. I met Sam Coffman at Thomas’s school in NC. Sam was a special forces medic. He was also trained to, and has set up field hospitals in many 3rd world nations. After the military he studied western herbalism.
Sam’s medicine is unique because of his military background. Any one who is ex-military would recognize the way he presents information. He has a school near San Antonio TX.
Matthew Wood is the most prolific writer of this generation. His understanding of western herbal medicine goes back to ancient Rome and Greece. His understanding of native medicine goes back untold millennia. His ability to write it all down is unparalleled.
Stephen Buhner, a Kentucky boy. His father and grandfather both served as Surgeon General for the state of Kentucky. All of his work is invaluable as reference. Especially the work he has done with Lyme disease and Rocky Mountain Spotted fever. He has helped thousands.
Patricia Kyritsi Howell, another Tommie Bass protégé who knows the medicine plants of the southern Appalachia like the back of her hand. The last time I spoke with her she was working on a revised edition of her book.
Juliette de Bairacli Levy, a renowned herbalist who wrote extensively… At a time after ww2 when medicine was is short supply for people veterinarian medicine was almost nonexistent. She took a couple years to pen an amazing book for treating livestock and farm animals in general. Many of the plants she uses only grow in europe but are easily cross referenced to plants in north america. It’s the most complete farm handbook I’ve ever seen.
All of these folks are great herbalists, all have unique styles and understanding. All are great teachers. Their books… more information than I could digest in a life time. Sort of funny… As years pass and I read these books over and over again I’ve discovered there are volumes of information written between the lines.
These 11 books contain everything from making simple medicines to complex ones, how to set up a field hospital and secure it, how to make all the equipment needed for herbal medicine. They list 100’s of illnesses and what to use to treat them as well as how to treat them.
The “The Herbal Repertory, The Definitive Practitioner’s Guide” and Thomas’s “The Modern Herbal Dispensatory” are invaluable desk references covering 1000’s of plants and illnesses.
“Tommie Bass” by Darryl Patton
The Earthwise Herbal “Complete Guide to Old World Medicinal Plants” by M. Wood
The Earthwise Herbal “Complete Guide to New World Medicinal Plants” by M. Wood
Why both? Many old-world plants are now naturalized here in North America. It was Matt’s way of splitting a huge book into two manageable ones.
“The Book of Herbal Wisdom, How to use Plants as Medicine” by M. Wood a true masterpiece…
“Southern Folk Medicine” by Phyllis Light, an understanding of true southern folk medicine like no other.
Medicinal Plants of the Southern Appalachians by P. Howell, one of the first such books I bought. I still use it almost weekly.
“Herbal Antibiotics, Natural Alternatives to treating drug resistant Bacteria” by Stephen Buhner
“Herbal Antivirals, Natural Remedies for Emerging & Resistant Viral Infections” by Stephen Buhner
“Treating Lyme” second edition by Stephen Buhner, if you spend time in tick country it’s a must own.
“Adaptogens” by David Winston, it’s little understood even by many herbalists how important this class of plants are to maintaining strength and health or regaining it after major injury or illness.
“The Herbal Medic” by Sam Coffman, Practical, Clinical Herbalism & for home, remote and post-disaster environments. Sam uses a lot of Texas, plains and rocky mountain plants.
“The Complete Herbal Handbook for Farm & Stable” by Juliette Levy as useful now as the day it was published in 1954, still in print.
“The Modern Herbal Dispensatory & medicine making guide” by Thomas Easley
“The Herbal Repertory, A Definitive Practitioners Guide” by M. Wood
I wouldn’t be caught without the last two! Actually, I wouldn’t be caught without any of them…
I hope someone finds this knowledge useful.
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