Further Reading Suggestions
Note: There will be references to other books, journals, on-line and other resources in every Unit of the course. The following books are not ‘essential’, but it is a good idea to look at a few and choose two or three that catch your eye and suit your personal learning style. They are divided into categories, but there is considerable crossover – some books cover a bit of history, medicinal use and home remedies, for example. Reading online reviews may help you get a feel for the books contents and approach to the subject. The bold title may be of particular interest.
Aeon is a publisher that produce many Herbal Medicine related books.
Their 'Heartwood reading list' can be accessed through this link - https://health.aeonbooks.co.uk/readlist/heartwood/117 Students can access 20% off all books on this list, by entering code 'HEARTWOOD' at checkout.
Home Herbals
- Hoffman, D. (2002). The holistic herbal: a safe and practical guide to making and using herbal remedies. Thorsons Press.
- Hedley, C.and Shaw, N. (2019) The Herbal Book of Making and Taking. Aeon Books. (Available at a discount for Heartwood students.)
- De Bariacli Levy, J. (1912-2009). Anything by Juliet of the herbs, is worth reading, for example, (1991). The complete herbal handbook for the dog and cat. Faber and Faber.
- Bove, M. (2000). An encyclopedia of natural healing for children. Keats Publishing.
- Bruton-Seal, J and Seal, M. (2008). Hedgerow medicine: harvest and make your own herbal remedies. Shropshire: Merlin Unwin Books.
- Kress, H. (2018). Practical Herbs 1 & 2. Aeon Books.
- de la Foret, R. (2017). Alchemy of Herbs: Transform everyday ingredients into foods and remedies that heal. Hay House Inc.
- Laird, A. (2019). Root to stem: a seasonal guide to natural recipes and remedies for everyday life. Penguin Life.
- English, A. (2019) Wild medicine: Summer. Aeon Books. (This is a series, that also has Autumn/Winter and Spring volumes).
- Hartvig, K. (2016). Healing spices: 50 wonderful spices, and how to use them in healthgiving foods and drinks. Watkins Publishing. Also Healing Berries by the same author.
- The Seed Sistas (Fiona Heckels and Karen Lawton). (2019). The Sensory Herbal Handbook. Watkins.
Herbals/Materia Medica
- Grieve, M. (1931) A modern herbal. [online] Available at: http://www.botanical.com/botanical/mgmh/mgmh.html [Accessed 20 August 2018]. You can also purchase a copy from www.abebooks.co.uk.
- Bartram, T. (1988). An encyclopedia of herbal medicine. Grace publishers.
- Felter, H.W. and Lloyd, J.U. (1905) Kings American dispensatory.Vol1, 18th ed. Reprinted in 1983. Eclectic Medical Publications, pp.528-533. [online] Available at: https://archive.org/details/kingsamericandis01kinguoft [Accessed 20 August 2018).
- Felter, H.W. (1922) The eclectic material medica, pharmacology and therapeutics. Reprinted 1983. Eclectic Medical Publications, pp.466-469. [online] Available at: http://www.swsbm.com/FelterMM/Felters_Materia_Medica.pdf [Accessed 20 August 2018].
- Mills, S. (1992). Out of the earth: the essential book of herbal medicine. Viking Adult.
Ethnobotany/History
- Griggs, B. (1997). Green pharmacy: The history and evolution of western herbal medicine. 2nd ed. Vermont: Healing Arts Press.
- Allen, D. and Hatfield, G. (2012). Medicinal plants in folk tradition: an ethnobotany of Britain and Ireland. Oregon: Timber Press.
- Baker, M. (1996). Discovering the folklore of plants. 3rd ed: Shire publications.
- Sinclair Rohde, E. (1922). The old English herbals. London: Minerva Press.
- Wood, M. (1993). The magical staff: essential doctrines of Western vitalist medicine. North Atlantic Books.
Botany/Flora
- Elpel, J.T. (2013). Botany in a day: the patterns method of plant identification. 6th ed. Hops Press.
- Barker, J. (2001). The medicinal flora of Britain and Northwestern Europe. Kent: Winter Press.
- Gray, B. (2011). The Boreal Herbal: wild food and medicinal plants of the north. Aroma Borealis Press.
- Grigson, G. (1958). An Englishman's Flora. Paladin.
- Manetas, Y. (2012). Alice in the World of Plants. Springer.
Phytochemistry
- Pengelly, A. (2004). The Constituents of Medicinal Plants: an introduction to the chemistry and therapeutics of herbal medicines. CABI Publishing.
Note: ‘Botany in a day’ by Thomas Elpel also has a section on the medicinal properties of plants and their chemical constituents.
Anatomy
* Waller, P. (2010). Holistic Anatomy: An integrative guide to the human body. North Atlantic Books.
Ecological
- Buhner, S.H. (2002). The Lost Language of Plants: The ecological importance of plant medicines for life on earth. Chelsea Green Publishing.
Technical books – ideal if considering further training to become a medical herbalist
- Ganora, L. (2009). Herbal constituents: Foundations of Phytochemistry. Lisa Ganora.
- Bone, K. And Mills, S. (2013). The principles and practice of modern Phytotherapy. 2nd ed. Edinburgh: Churchill Livingstone.
- McIntyre, Anne. (2019). The Complete Herbal Tutor: The Definitive Guide to the Principles and Practices of Herbal Medicine. Aeon Books.
- Mills, S. and Bone, K. (2005). The essential guide to herbal safety. Philadelphia: Churchill Livingstone.
- Ralph, A. Tassell, M. 2020. Native Healers: Foundations in Western Herbal Medicine. Aeon Books Ltd.
- Tobyn, G., Denham, A. and Whitelegg, M. (2010). The western herbal tradition. Edinburgh: Churchill Livingstone.