The beloved best-selling classic for the modern herbalist—a definitive guide to 250 safe and effective herbal medicines, preparations, and single-herb remedies to make at home.
This comprehensive, full-color guide offers detailed and easy-to-follow instructions for making and using approximately 250 all-natural DIY herbal medicines. With practical tips, in-depth preparation techniques, and an inside look at some of the authors’ own favorite formulas, The Modern Herbal Dispensatory walks beginners and advanced herbalists alike through:
• The 12 major categories of herbs, from aromatic to sweet
• Herbal preparations: the many ways to prepare and use herbs, from capsules and tinctures to standardized extracts and essential oils
• Choosing the best dosage form for each category of herb
• How to harvest, dry, and use fresh herbs
• Extractions: terms, equipment, solvents, and calculations, plus how to extract herbs in water, alcohol, glycerin, and vinegar
• Advanced techniques: like percolation extracts, fluid extracts, and soxhlet extracts
• Preparations like oil-based extractions, topical applications, concentrates, lozenges, traditional Chinese methods, and more
• Formulas and dosages: how to design herbal formulas and use herbs safely and effectively
• Herbal insights and need-to-know wisdom, like why different preparations of the same herb affect the body differently; which herbs are medicinal when dry, but could be toxic when fresh; and why beginners typically see more potent results with formulations versus single-herb preparations
The text includes multiple appendices, recommendations for further reading, in-depth full-color photo guides, and a helpful index. With advice on herbal preparations for 100+ illnesses and conditions and a comprehensive materia medica, The Modern Herbal Dispensatory is an enduring classic and beloved plant-medicine reference manual for herbalists, natural medicine practitioners, and anyone seeking safe, holistic, at-home care and inexpensive all-natural remedies.
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The Modern Herbal Dispensatory relies on the solid foundation that comes from direct interaction with living, breathing botanicals. To this it adds a specificity gleaned from twenty-first century science: clear guidelines rooted in chemistry and physiology provide definitive answers to questions of extraction method, solvent, timing, and formulation. If you’ve ever wondered which extraction method to use for a given plant, or felt reluctant to try advanced techniques like percolation, this clear and concise reference guide will become a trusted companion. A must-have for herbal educators, clinicians, and manufacturers alike!
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Guido Masé, cofounder and codirector, Vermont Center for Integrative Herbalism