Product Description

This updated edition of The Village Herbalist provides a complete guide to the art and practice of herbalism, as well as an introduction to the herbalist’s role in family and community life. Inspirational profiles of practicing herbalists from across the country add a human touch to the authors’ wealth of practical herbal knowledge.

The Herbalist’s Way includes time-honored healing wisdom from many cultures, as well as information on: • Roles and responsibilities of herbalists in their communities
• Herbal workshops, conferences, and education centers
• Growing, drying, and preparing medicinal herbs
• Learning to listen to clients and recommend holistic treatments for healing and continued wellness
• Licensing, marketing, and other legal and business issues facing modern herbalists
• Comprehensive resources and suggestions for building your herbal library

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #174672 in Books
• Published on: 2005-08-19
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 352 pages

About the Author
Nancy and Michael Phillips run Heartsong Farm Healing Herbs in New Hampshire, where they grow and sell healing herbs and herbal products. Nancy leads workshops on herbal medicine, and Michael writes for Mother Earth News and The Natural Farmer. Michael is also the author of The Apple Grower.

Customer Reviews

Beautiful, informative and invaluable!
The Herbalist's Way is the very best book of its kind. Packed with practical tips, heartwarming humor and a very real understanding of the powerful healing plants herbalists daily work with, Nancy and Michael have created an invaluable guidebook for both aspiring and veteran herbalists. This book is not meant to be an herbal, aspiring instead to speak to the practical, spiritual and philosophical aspects of beginning and maintaining the practice of working with herbs, as herbalist, wildcrafter, farmer and/or supplier.

I really couldn't recommend this book any higher, the writing style is accessible and down to earth, and the design, including profiles of those most involved in the herbal field, lovely black & white photography and gorgeous pencil illustrations, is outstanding. I only wish Chelsea Green had released a hardcover version!

Nancy and Michael own Heartsong Farm Healing Herbs and create/sell some of the best tinctures and syrups I've ever had the pleasure of using. Nancy is a former apprentice and student of Rosemary Gladstar, and speaks with the same conviction regarding both ecological conservation and the spiritual aspects of healing and herbalism. The Phillips have given all of us deeply involved in the plant world a great gift in this inspiring and informative text. Enjoy!

~Kiva Rose, Herbalist
Bear Medicine Herbals

Inspiring and AWESOME!!
I cannot give enough praise to this work. The Phillips writing style is a delight and the information, invaluable. I disagree with the below review that disliked the "magazine" format...I loved it! It added so much interest and human element to the book. I thought the bio's of some of the more prominent (and not so prominent) herbalists were incredibly inspiring.
The authors treat their subject matter with tender loving care. When one reads this volume you feel as though you are having a chat with a good friend. Michael and Nancy are humble but authoritative in their presentation of community herbalism.
No aspiring herbalist should be without this book! It is a must have for anyone who wants to serve their community (or family)in any capacity as an herbalist.
This book presents so much information that is relevant to not only the herbalist, but anyone who is interested in herbs in general.
The only thing I regret about this book is that I didn't read it 10 years sooner!!!

Good overall, but read discerningly
The Herbalist's Way is not the sort of book one sits down and reads in one or even a few sittings; nor is it primarily a reference work to take down from the shelf when looking for a specific approach to mitigating a specific condition ("Depressed? Try St. John's Wort"). It is in some ways deeply philosophical and decidedly scholarly (quotations/assertions are well-documented where appropriate), while at the same time very practical. It's open and realistic about where a budding herbalist may fit into this country's existing health-care structure, and some possible traps of trying to make an herbalism practice into a lucrative business.

More than anything, The Herbalist's Way is about how a person interested in helping themselves and others live healthier lives can use their talent and interests to realize that worthy goal. It challenges the current thought that tends to look at an herb as an alternative to a pharmaceutical, analyzing it for active compounds, standardizing the levels of those compounds, and administering it as if it were a prescription-less drug.

Yes, there is information on the practical use of a few herbs, but it's much heavier on compassionate, responsible dealing with plants and people. It does contain some methodic information on medicine-making, but in the end, it serves better as a complement to reference works that contain primarily that kind of information.

Some might be concerned by its references to schools of thought decidedly more mystical-spiritual and pagan, such as diagnosing the health of any of six different organs by examining specific areas of their tongue, or establishing a spiritual connection with a personified Mother Earth. Still, it contains a lot of good information, so tread carefully and you and those you care for will benefit.

David Wandelt
Principal, Forward Glance Botanicals