HERB - Book Report "From Earth to Herbalist"

[Sheron Buchele/Curtis Rowland]

At 05:51 PM 4/28/99 EDT, you wrote:
>Would you please tell me more about your Earth to Herbalist book.  It sounds 
>like something I would like to have.
>Jeanne de La Mer


Sorry, I held off my post meaning to put in author and ISBN before sending.
 I then had a flurry of "get on with it's" and mailed it in with a lot of
others.

Disclaimer: I just read 'em.  I don't sell 'em.  Buy it where ever you want
but I think is would be cool if you think of our lovely independant book
selling people first!

So,
it's called "From Earth to Herbalist - an earth concious guide to medicinal
plants"  by Gregory L. Tilford.  ISBN 0-87842-372-9.  Published 1998 by
Mountain Press Publishing Company P.O. Box 2399 Missoula, Montana 59806
(406) 728-1900.  It was $21.00 and is 249 pages with color picture of a
plant about every other page.

This is one of the finest wildcrafted herbal medicine books that I have
found - and I have a total addiction of herb books so I have looked at and
bought a number of them.   But be very clear about this -- this is not a
book about basil, oregano, and dill.  It is about plants which many people
consider to be weeds and how to find, harvest, and use them for medicine.

The range covered is large - there is a map of the U.S. in the first couple
of pages.  Over 75% of the plants in the book can be found in the upper
half of the US, most of the mountainous West, and all along the Pacific
Coast through to Alaska.  Over 50% can be found in the south eastern U.S.
and the deep south only can find less than 50% of the plants.  I've lived
in Iowa, Olympia, WA, and now Front Range CO and I recognized most
everything in the book.

He discusses wildcrafting in a very thoughtful and ethical manner.  It
really resonated with me.  As a practicing herbalist, I have seen stands of
plants wiped out by wildcrafters, never to return.  I now only wildcraft
off our land and out of friends land who only allow me to gather.  I rarely
gather anything other than outright weeds - plantain, dandelion, chickweed,
shepard's purse.   He proposes a system of recordkeeping so that you can
track how "your" stands are doing. 

Then he goes in depth into each plant.  There is a lovely color picture of
the plant, usually in bloom.    Other names, Parts Used,  and Actions are
given right at the top.  He describes the different cultivars that make up
the useful plant.  The range and habitat are discussed - so you can look
for it if you need to.  Then he has a really good paragraph of the
applications of the plant and often why it works the way it does.  The part
I really like is the Alternatives and Adjuncts paragraph.  He suggests
other plants to use especially if the plant under discussion is endangered.
 Many herbs have multiple uses and he will suggest other herbs to use of
each of the many uses.  He also suggests herbs to add to the herb under
discussion to increase the effectiveness.  Then Progagation and Growth
Characteristics - this is often how to grow this in your garden.  A
practice I heartily endorse!  I have transplanted mullien and plantian into
the edges of my herb garden and they are flourishing.  I am trying to get
chickweed to grow - it's too dry for it to just grow wild.  Then he goes
into Gathering Season and Gathering Guidelines.  I wish I had had this info
as I was learning how to pick plants!  Care after Gathering includes how to
dry the plant and frequently suggestions on how to tincture it.  This is
invaluable.  Tincturing is a science and here is info on how to do it
without trial and error!  Finally, he includes a section called: Tread
Lightly.  This is his suggestion of how to harvest the healing plant
without damaging the ecosystem.  It is very important if sometimes very
difficult to do.  In the back of the book is a Reasource Guide, a Glossary,
Bibliography, and an index.

I have really enjoyed reading it and have learned quite a bit from it.  The
organization makes it really usable.  I would put it at the top of my wild
crafting books and within the top 5 of my herb books collection.

Who's got the next book report?

Yours in gentle service,
Baroness Leonora





Fox Ryde Gardens - Herbal Innovations for Health and Cuisine
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Loveland, CO 80537
970/669-3835
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