Disappearing art of herbalism

[RICHFL]

I agree with bug out. I was raised on a farm in Wisconsin and now live in Florida. Different plants and I still cannot id most of them.

[grumpygremlin]

before we had modern medicine all we had were herbal medicine and a wise woman in every village who knew how to make remedies from nature, now most of that has been lost due to big drugs companies.
there is also this attitude among the general public that anything herbal is "hocus pocus" and is untested.
once TSHTF and the pharmacies have been looted we will have to fall back on ancient knowledge.

[myakka]

That's great Lady B! Nice to see you active!

[lady_banjo]

Thanks for the book recommendations Myakka. I've ordered them both. I've learned a great deal on identification of edibles and herbals but need to learn more about their applications and preparation.

[Applejack]

This is a lost art just like canning. though canning is starting to come back and I am seeing more and more back yard gardens this year. I hope that herb garden for medicine will also start to find it's way back as well. I saved both of those sights and am going to check into them as my daughter and myself are now trying to learn all we can about it.

[myakka]

That website is one of the more highly recommended correspondence schools. As is naimh.com and http://www.herballegacy.com/.

I am in a local program now, but I am really thinking about doing the distance program for at least 2 of the above also. The local school has a clinic where I can do practicals.

I guess I was just whining about how few people there seems to be left who really go into the woods to gather plants and use them, but maybe I am just making this opinion based on my local interactions, and in other areas it is still thriving.

My grandmother had home remedies too Dale. We are Appalachian mountain folks from way back. I think that is part of what is motivating me to pursue this, to reconnect with family roots.

***Buggy, anything by Rosemary Gladstar should be good for beginners. I know some experts who critiqued her early program, but they say it is pretty good now, and perfect for folks who are just getting started.

I might recommend: "Herbal Recipes for Vibrant Health" or "Medicinal Herbs, A Beginner's Guide"

[dalewick]

I would also like to recommend that if you can find it (found mine on line a couple years ago) get yourself a copy of : Fenner's Complete Formulary. Compiled by B. Fenner in 1888. It was the working pharmacy formulas of most official and unofficial pharmacy manufacturers of that time. Gives very specific formulas and what plants and parts of plants to use and how to manufacture the drugs. Great reference book.

Dale

PS, Make sure to get all 6 parts. The Southwest School of Botanical Medicine http://www.swsbm.com.

[dalewick]

My grandmother (fathers side) still knew and used a lot of practical herbalism that she had learned from her parents. I wish I had taken the time when she was here to have learned more. I think it is something used a lot here in the mountains by the older folks. I know many of the herbs and plants and what parts to use from her and from digging root for sale when I was younger. I realized when I read this thread, I may have forgotten part of what I knew. I think that when I can, I'm going to spend time in the woods and see if I can refresh my mind to what is useful and what is not.

Most of what I remember does not take complicated preparation's. Usually, just turning the right parts into salves, teas, poultices, etc. was all I remember her doing before use. I wonder if at least part of these skill's aren't regional. From my education, I know plants from all over the country but away from these hills, I don't know many of the medicinal plants.

Does anyone know of any good native American herbalist books?


Dale

[Buggyout]

I'll tell you and the others here again...

My weakness is in herbalism in general. I need to get with someone like you Bro or take a class to learn. It's my #1 weakness, I believe.

Perhaps you can advise on books or such?

-Buggy

[myakka]

I have mentioned my thoughts that herbal/ natural medicine is (to me) the most overlooked skill for prepping.
Doctors can diagnose, but then how will they treat?

So I have been touting herbalism heavily. Now that I am studying it, I learned something disappointing. It seems that the majority of herbalists are "apothecary herbalist", that is, they purchase dried herbs and prepared oils, and use these to make their home remedies. But there are very few people left who can identify a plant, pick the correct part, prepare it, and then when the need for it arises, make the tea or tincture that they need.

This is still commonly done in other countries. I am going to go as far as I can here, but I may have to travel to ever get the level of ability I would like to possess. My instructor goes to other countries for this reason, so I may have to see if I can tag along at some point.