The Earthwise Herbal: A Complete Guide to Old World Medicinal Plants

The Earthwise Herbal is one of very few books derived from direct experience in the actual use of medicinal herbs, in tens of thousands of cases, over a twenty-five year career. The description of herbs and their uses therefore grows organically out of experience, extensive study of literature and plants in the wild, and conversations with knowledge peers and teachers. The book is holistic, unlike an approach restricted to scientific research alone. Focusing on Old World medicinal plants of Western herbalism, author and registered herbalist Matthew Wood seeks to explain the use of the whole plant-not just ‘active ingredients’ - in the treatment of the whole person.Organized as a material medica (names and descriptions of herbs/plants are listed alphabetically), the book describes characteristic symptoms and conditions in which the plant has proved useful in the clinic, often illustrated with interesting case histories. In addition, it is historical, Wood being one of very few writers who has systematically and extensively studied ancient and traditional herbal literature, rather than the occasional text. The context and writing style of this book is intended to appeal to the imagination and intuition, and to help both the student and practitioner gain insight into the ‘logic’ of a plant: how it works, in what areas of the body it works, how it has been used in the past, what its pharmacological constituents indicate about its use, and how all these different factors hang together to produce a portrait of the plant as a whole entity.