This book is amazing. Gladstar writes about herbs accessibly, but without oversimplifying, making this a perfect go-to book for the beginning and intermediate herbalist. She relies primarily on easily-grown or easy-to-find classics of Western herbalism: Calendula, yarrow, lemon balm, and peppermint all get their day in the sun. Not a purist, Gladstar also includes some not-to-be-missed herbs from afar, like damiana and ginseng. But the genius of Herbal Recipes for Vibrant Health hides right under your nose: It’s the recipes! Recipes for radiant beauty, like Queen of Hungary’s water or Make-it-Yourself Herbal Shampoo; recipes for kids, like Bottoms-Up Salve or Ear Infection Tincture; recipes for sensuality, like Good-Life Wine or Energy Balls; recipes, recipes, recipes! Even the most experienced herbalist can find inspiration in her simple and fun style. If you want to get your hands dirty in the kitchen, start here! You’ll find that you can concoct remedies for menstrual cramps, cold sores, and headaches right in your own kitchen. A note to the savvy: This book was formerly published as Rosemary Gladstar’s Family Herbal, and the contents are the same. If you find it used, snag it!

The astute reader will start to notice that there’s a theme here, and it belies my motivation as an herbalist: Call it self-care, personal empowerment, sustainability, using what grows near you, d.i.y.... all of those are right on. (Well, I prefer “do-it-ourselves” over “do-it-yourself” as an ethic, but that’s as slightly different topic.) Anyway, whatever words you want to put to it, Backyard Medicine is a great example of it. Bruton-Seal, with the help of her writer husband, makes a compelling case for using weeds and other abundant plants as medicine. Even though the authors are British, an astounding number of weedy friends grow on both sides of the Atlantic, and Oregonians will find that most of the plants covered are familiar. Mallow? We got it. Chickweed? Check. Nettles? You betcha. Dandelion? Oh, boy. Backyard Medicine covers medicinal uses for each of the covered plants, notes when and what you should harvest, and gives many intriguing recipes for you to play with. Three ways to use horse chestnut for varicose veins! Delicious preparations for heart-healthy hawthorn! Make your own oak twig toothbrush! You get the idea. It’s rad. In, I assume, an effort to keep the book affordable, the typeface of Backyard Medicine is minute at best. If you’re in denial about the fact that you need reading glasses, you may want to avoid this book. But, then again, you may just want to get those glasses, since you’re clearly avoiding romantically-lit restaurants and any dictionary that’s worth a damn, too.

If only there were a book like this for every single bioregion on the planet! I don’t really consider MPPW a beginner’s book per se, but it’s impossible to talk about herbalism – especially wildcrafting – in the Pacific Northwest without including this text. It focuses on wild plants, both native and naturalized, with unusual attention to obscure medicinals and an in-depth discussion of harvesting and preparation. Michael was one of my teachers, and he was a true pioneer of using local plants in a sustainable fashion. His passion for the plants and his astute observations about people come shining through in his vivid, chatty writing style. What other herbal gives a loving description of “sleazy” fats and the people that crave them? MPPW is a must-have for the bookshelf of every intermediate and advanced Oregon herbalist; beginning students may also fall in love with it, especially if they’re cultivating an intimacy with their ecosystem.