Have you ever went to the bookstore and felt lost or overwhelmed by the vast selection of herbal books available? Or maybe your bookstore doesn’t have a section for herb books, so you go online and there are hundreds to choose from? That can be really overwhelming for beginner herbalists. When I was just starting to get into herbalism I couldn’t find a list for the best herb books for beginners.
I’m going to share the herb books that have helped me along my herbal journey and that I feel will be really helpful for those that are new to herbalism and don’t know where to start. I have narrowed down a list of some really awesome books, Whether you’re brand new to herbalism or you have many years of experience, these books are some of the best I’ve found.
What’s really wonderful about these books is they offer a wealth of knowledge; almost equal to what you could find in an herb school, give you the skills to craft your own herbal medicine and some even provide you with visuals to help you learn!
#1 The Herbal Medicine Maker’s Handbook – A Home Manual By James Green
The Herbal Medicine Makers Handbook is a must have herb book for beginners. James Green is an experienced herbalist and provides an entertaining read, he makes you feel like you’re sitting down together and having a chat.
James Green provides detailed instructions on how to make herbal tinctures, salves, glycerites, decotions, lotions and even herbal jellos! A real A-Z book that lays out the foundation of herbalism in an easy to read format. Even if you’ve been incorporating herbs into your everyday life for a while now, I’m sure you’ll find something of value in this book.
#2 Rosemary Gladstar’s Herbal Recipes for Vibrant Health: 175 Teas, Tonics, Oils, Salves, Tinctures, and other Natural Remedies for the Entire Family
You can see by the title alone this is essential to have on your bookshelf. Rosemary Gladstar is considered the Godmother of herbalism, and for good reason. She has been an herbalist for over 40 years, she has founded The California School of Herbal Studies, is the founder and President of United Plant Savers, she founded Sage Mountain Herbal Retreat Center and Native Plant Preserve, and co-founded Traditional Medicinals the tea company. Among many other amazing things she has founded over the years she remains humble and does it all for the people and plants.
Herbal Recipes for Vibrant Health will help you on your way to making some really great remedies; whether you choose to use these remedies and recipes as a stepping stone or adding these to your personal medicine cabinet, it is an invaluable resource to have. Really any of Rosemary Gladstar’s books are a must own.
#3 A Modern Herbal By Mrs M. Grieve
A very large tome of herbal knowledge, and the only one of its kind (that I know of). A Modern Herbal may serve as a starter Materia Medica before you make your own. In this book you will find an extensive amount of herbal information on each herb from its many common names, the medicinal actions, the habitat in which it grows, a visual description of the herb itself so you can identify it, the constituents of each herb and even some folklore.
#4 Botany In A Day: The Patterns Method of Plant Identification By Thomas J. Elpel
This is a great resource for learning about botany in a vert beginner friendly format. Botany In A Day helps you learn Botany the easy way and when coupled with A Modern Herbals description of each herb this book can really help you to identify the right herb.
This book has really beautiful pictures for each characteristic of plants. Botany In a Day teaches you the difference between monocot and dicot, regular and irregular flower patterns and shows you the different parts of the flowers and what they do. This book is separated into plant families which helps you when identifying plants out in the field.
#5 Herbal Remedies By Andrew Chevallier
I really love Andrew Chevalliers book for many reasons, and one of those reasons is because its small enough to take with you when you’re identifying plants, it also has just enough information to help you decide if you want to start working with any particular plant.
The book Herbal Remedies is jam packed with beautiful visuals to help you fully identify the plant you are looking at. It also has a small amount of details about the part you use, the safety and the actions of each plant. You will even find some folklore about the plants. It is truly a wonderful book to have for any beginner and one that won’t disappoint you.
# 6 Wise Woman Herbal: Healing Wise By Susun Weed
A wonderful book that really takes you into the heart of traditional herbalism. I recommend Wise Woman Herbal: Healing Wise to anyone who wants to know what herbalism is about. Most books you’ll come across treat herbs like a drug, also known as Heroic Herbalism, the ” take this herb to treat that disease” mentality. But Susun Weed shares with you the old ways, or she calls it the Wise Woman Way.
I recommend any and all of Susun Weed’s books. She writes about breast health in her book Breast Cancer? Breast Health! The Wise Woman Way, and she teaches about menopause in New Menopausal Years: The Wise Woman Way, as well as sharing all about that oh so important place many people shy away from in Down There: Sexual and Reproductive Health The Wise Woman Way. Don’t forget about pregnancy! She has a book for that too called Wise Woman Herbal for the Childbearing Year.
#7 The Earthwise Herbal Volume 1 and Volume 2 By Matthew Wood
Okay, well technically not one book, it is a brilliant collection to have in your herbal library. Matthew Wood is one of my favorite herbalists and he writes from experience. He also enjoys the folklore and the Native American uses of herbs.
The Earthwise Herbal volume 1 and volume 2 has a wealth of knowledge, from tissue states, taste, preparation and dosage, specific indications, and cautions. These two volumes will serve you well on your herbal journey for many years to come.
There are so many herb books to choose from and I’m sure I could list so much more, but in the spirit of herbalism, find what works best for you and go with it. Try and look for books that are written by practicing herbalists that have many years of experience. Or try creating your own herbal book! Throughout your journey in herbalism you could try keeping a notebook that has all your experiments, including what works and what doesn’t. Who knows maybe one day someone will be reading your book! Let me know what herb books for beginners would you add to the list or what some of your favorite herbal books are in the comments below.
Check out the apothecary!
