Wildcraft


Book Description

Wildcraft is a beautifully illustrated, comprehensive and practical guide to using wild plants as food and medicine. It covers everything from the energetic/spirit qualities of the plants, to botanical identification, nutritional profiles, chemical constituents, folk medicine, how the plants are used, cautions and contraindication, and some of the most extensive research on the topic of wild plants as food and medicine to date. Wildcraft gives you the ability to confidently identify wild, edible and medicinal plants out in the field. For the home gardener this opens up a whole new world of wonder and appreciation for the weeds in your garden, as well as wonderful new ways to use them as food and medicine. This book provides practitioners of herbal medicine with a strong evidence base to justify the use of these plants in their practice as well as providing students and researchers with an evidenced based foundation on which to conduct further studies in this area.







The Herbalist's Way


Book 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




The Sacred Herbs of Spring


Book Description

A practical guide to the celebration of Beltaine and the sacred herbs of spring • Explores the identification, harvest, and safe practical and ritual use of more than 90 plants and trees • Details rituals for honoring the traditional Gods and Goddesses of spring, such as the Goddess Chloris, the Goddess Flora, and the Daghda • Reveals which herbs to use for luck, magic, protection, purification, abundance, fertility, and love as well as the herbs of the Faeries and Elves and herbs for journeying to the Otherworld and for contacting the High Gods and Goddesses The festival of Beltaine, May Day, is a celebration of the return of spring and the promise of summer, a time for love magic and spells for increasing the fertility of the land and the plants that grow upon it. Like Samhain in autumn, Beltaine is also a time when the veil between the physical and spiritual world is at its most transparent and the ancestors and denizens of the Otherworld easily interact with the world of humans. Presenting a practical guide to the celebration of Beltaine, Ellen Evert Hopman examines the plants, customs, foods, drinks, and rituals of May Day across many cultures. Discussing the gods and goddesses of spring, Hopman details the rituals for honoring them as well as traditional poems, prayers, incantations, folk rhymes, and sayings related to this time of year. She explores well dressing, the custom of honoring the source of sacred water by decorating a well. She also looks at Beltaine’s association with Walpurgisnacht and Hexennacht, which fall the preceding evening. In the extensive section on the sacred plants of Beltaine, the author explores more than 90 herbs and trees, offering spells, rituals, and recipes alongside their medicinal healing uses. She reveals sacred woods suitable for the Beltaine fires and Beltaine flowers for rituals and spells. She explores herbs for luck, magic, purification, abundance, and love; herbs for protection, such as bindweed, elder, and St. John’s wort; herbs of the Faeries and Elves, such as burdock and dandelion; and herbs for journeying to the Otherworld and contacting the high gods and goddesses. She also details the identification, harvest, and preparation of seasonal edible herbs, greens, mushrooms, and flowers. Woven throughout with mystical tales of folk, Faery, and sacred herbs, this guide offers each of us practical and magical ways to connect with Nature, the plant kingdom, and the Spirits that surround us in the season of spring.




Handmade Gatherings


Book Description

Food made for sharing—recipes for 16 potluck parties that celebrate the seasons, friends, and delicious food. Frosty winter fetes, lush springtime soirees, sultry summer get-togethers, and crisp autumn affairs—no matter what the season, it’s always a good idea to gather a group of friends to share a celebratory meal or some festive nibbles. This cookbook is the perfect guide for throwing potluck get-togethers where the food truly shines. Create a winter wonderland that serves up comforting foods like Wild Rice–Stuffed Mushrooms, Roasted Salted Figs, and Hot Buttered Rum. Spring to life with early-season dishes like Pistachio-Crusted Asparagus with Feta Vinaigrette, Rhubarb Buttermilk Bread, and Chicken Potpie. Revel in the dog days of summer with an ice cream social, complete with a sundae bar and homemade Blackberry Mint Ice Cream. Celebrate the harvest with an apples to apples party featuring Apple Sage Mac and Cheese, Apple Butter Brie en Croute, and Candied Apples. With creative ideas for making each party special, Handmade Gatherings offers a fresh take on dining with friends.




Plant Magic


Book Description

A fun, modern, and irreverent introduction to healing herbs, this field guide to feeling good includes more than 20 plant profiles. Here is an invitation to the wild world of healing plants growing right outside your door. Highlighting herbs from catnip and plantain to nettles and rosemary, this book provides the information you need to assemble an herbal arsenal for combatting any ailment—everything from brewing up a slick lube tea for sexual health to fashioning a simple summer band-aid from backyard “weeds” to crafting an herbal smoking blend to quiet a busy mind. This accessible guide covers questions like: What is plant medicine? What can I put in my mouth and where do I find it? Can I still go to my doctor? We’ve got you covered.




Psilocybin Therapy


Book Description

Discover a new path to self-discovery and healing with this timely exploration of the therapeutic benefits of psilocybin mushrooms. In Psilocybin Therapy, Dr. JJ Pursell explores the next frontier in mental health: the therapeutic use of psilocybin mushrooms and related psychedelics. Readers will learn about the chemical makeup of mushrooms and what makes them powerful, the history of the fungi, the thought leaders in the movement, and the impact of psilocybin on the brain. Additional chapters explore how to use psilocybin with a facilitator, how psychedelics can help users work through deep psychological issues, what microdosing means, and how to assess potential risks. Pursell weaves her personal experience with psilocybin as both a user and a facilitator throughout the text. The result is a relatable, accessible, and helpful guide for those seeking a new form of self-discovery and healing.




The Sacred Herbs of Samhain


Book Description

A practical guide to using the sacred herbs of Samhain for healing, divination, purification, protection, magic, and as tools for contacting the Spirits • Explores the identification, harvest, and safe practical and ritual use of more than 70 plants and trees sacred to the Celtic festival of Samhain, the origin of Halloween • Details the most effective plants for protection from the mischief of Fairies, herbs for releasing the Dead, and visionary plants for divination and shamanic work • Provides instructions and suggestions for a traditional Dumb Supper, offerings to the Land Spirits, Samhain rites, and recipes for the sacred foods of Samhain The ancient Celts separated the year into two halves, the light half and the dark half, summer and winter. The festival of Samhain, from which the modern holiday of Halloween originates, marks the transition from summer to winter, the end of the Celtic year, a time when the barriers between the physical and spiritual world are at their most transparent. The herbs most characteristic of this time have specific magical and healing properties that echo the darker aspect of the year and offer potent opportunities for divination, contact with ancestors and Land Spirits, and journeys in the Otherworld. Presenting a practical guide to the sacred herbs and trees of Samhain, Ellen Evert Hopman details the identification, harvest, and use of more than 70 plants and trees in healing, divination, purification, magic, and as tools for contacting the Spirits wandering the landscape at this liminal time of year. She explores the most effective plants for protection from the mischief of the “Good Neighbors,” the Sidhe or Fairies, as well as herbs for releasing the Dead when they are trapped on this plane. Identifying visionary plants used to induce ecstatic trance, Hopman explores how herbs have been used for millennia to aid in psychic travel and shamanic work and shows how one might safely use plants to take a voyage to the Otherworld. Drawing on her knowledge as a master herbalist, she also includes cautions to prevent harm and misidentification, along with advice on basic etiquette and common sense approaches to herb magic. Detailing the history, rites, and traditions of Samhain, Hopman explains how to make an offering to the Land Spirits and provides instructions for the traditional Samhain ritual of the Dumb Supper, complete with recipes for the sacred foods of Samhain, such as Soul Cakes, Colcannon, Boxty bread, and dandelion wine. Woven throughout with mystical tales of folk, Fairy, and sacred herbs, this guide offers each of us practical and magical ways to connect with Nature, the plant kingdom, the Spirits that surround us, and the turning of the year.




Pagan Portals - Hekate


Book Description

The Goddess of Witches, Queen of Shades and Shadows, and the ever-eternal Dark Muse – Hekate, Fair Queen of the Shadow-Lands, haunts the pages of this poetic devotional, enchanting those who love Her with the charm only this Dark Goddess can bring. Join in the journey as we meet Hekate, Queen of Sorcery, in the realms of Dream and Enchantment, weaving magic through the Worlds – Seen and Unseen. We take flight to the Lands Eternal in this part devotional, part grimoire and learn how to venerate this Great Goddess of antiquity and connect with the Spirits of the Shadow-Lands…




Field and Stream


Book Description