Books I recommend

There is a lot of misinformation on the internet about natural remedies and herbalists in general. Yet many people want to learn how to use plant medicines safely. As a herbalist, I am often asked where I studied and where people can learn more.  So, I created this page of the herbal books I recommend so that I can refer people interested in this topic to this list.

If you are formally studying herbal medicine, or phytotherapy, for instance, you will probably be given a suggested reading list. If you are trying to learn about medicinal herbs for fun or self-improvement, these are the books that I think help to teach the basics.

Some of my favourite herbals, in no particular order:

The Encyclopaedia of Medical Plants by Andrew Chevallier

Healing Spices, by Bharat Aggarwal

The Constituents of Medicinal Plants, by Andrew Pengelly

Herbal Treatment of Children – Western and Ayurvedic Perspectives, by Anne McIntyre

The Herbal Medicine-Maker’s Handbook – A Home Manual,  by James Green

Practical Herbs (1 and 2), by Henriette Kress

Women, Hormones and the Menstrual cycle, by Ruth Trickey

Botanical Medicine for Women’s Health by Aviva Romm

The Essential Guide to Herb Safety, by Simon Mills and Kerry Bone

Clinical Examination Routines, Common Signs and Symptoms, Lecture Notes by P Farrell

An illustrated book on flora – Flora Botanica

The Principles and Practice of Phytotherapy by Simon Mills and Kerry Bone

The Alchemy of Herbs  – Transform Everyday Ingredients into Foods and Remedies that Heal by Rosalee de la Foret

Adaptogens by David Winston

Stephen Buhners books –  Herbal Antivirals  and Herbal Antibiotics

Functional Herbal Therapy – A Modern Paradigm for Clinicians by Kerry Bone

The Herbal Formularies for Health Professionals (series of volumes), by Jill Stansbury
Volume 1 – Digestion and Elimination
Volume 2 – Circulation and Respiration
Volume 3 – Endocrinology
Volume 4 – Neurology, Psychiatry and Pain Management

If you’re interested in growing your own herbs you might like:

The Kew Gardener’s Guide to Growing Herbs by Holly Farrell

Drugs in Pots by Anne McIntyre

Grow your own Drugs by James Wong or Kindle version 

Disclosure – this page includes affiliate links which means that if you click a link and buy an item I might receive a small amount of commission. However, this does not affect the cost of any item that you pay for.  But it does help me to continue to provide this website. Thank you…