Guides to Healing Plants
Many people enjoy learning about how to use wild plants for food, medicine and material for crafting. At The Wandering Bull, LLC you will find several guidebooks that describe plants and herbs that people use for these purposes.
A Handbook of Native American Herbs
This classic guidebook is the compact, portable version of Alma R Hutchens’ Indian Herbalogy of North America. It provides information on 125 medicinal plants that are commonly found in North America. She organizes them alphabetically and includes plants that are not native to this continent but are common (ie. Dandelions, Aloe). For each plant, she provides other names, where it grows, which parts are useful and what conditions it can treat. She includes methods for preparing tinctures, teas and compresses. When possible she includes descriptions of how a plant has been used historically and other uses besides medicines. Many of the entries include a black and white drawing of the plant, but not all of them.
Guide to Indigenous Herbs of North America
Raymond Stark’s updated guide features full color photographs of each of the 52 plants in this slim volume. He prominently marks plants that are poisonous. For each entry, he records how various Native American groups have used the plant. He also identifies whether European colonists have utilized it or if it appears in the United States Pharmacopoeia. Stark includes a brief glossary of selected terms often found in descriptions of medicinal herbs. He does not provide instructions for making your own preparations.
Medicinal Herbs of Eastern Canada: A Pictorial Manual
The most recently published guidebook covers 73 plants. Don’t let the ‘Eastern Canada’ part of the title mislead you! The author, Brenda Jones, describes plants found on Prince Edward Island, but all of these plants grow in other places throughout North America. Jones writes her book as a practical guide to medicinal plant use. It includes a chapter on how to make your own infusions, tinctures, ointments, liniments and syrups. Each entry features a full color painting of the plant along with other common names and the parts of the plant to use. She describes the history and physical features of each one. A list follows, detailing conditions treated with the plant and its preparation methods. She clearly states any contraindications and potential toxicity. This book will be a great help to anyone who wants to make their own natural remedies.
Sacred Sage: How It Heals
Our most popular ‘plant’ book focuses on only one type of plant, Sage. Wendy ‘Silver Wolf Walks Alone’ Whiteman compiled this book to help people learn about how to use sage for a variety of purposes. She starts by explaining ‘smudging,’ a practice where sage is lit and left to smolder. She then describes how to gather, prepare and store sage. The next chapter explores various types of sage and their medicinal uses. Whiteman ends her book with her own experience of discovering the healing properties of sage, which will be inspirational to readers seeking their own path to healing.
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