A comprehensive and lushly photographed guide to growing and using healing plants, including recipes, from the founder of the Chestnut School of Herbal Medicine
This is the ultimate reference for anyone looking to bring the beauty and therapeutic properties of plants into their garden, kitchen, and home apothecary. Both informative and accessible, it covers how to plan your garden (including container gardening for small spaces); essential information on seed propagation, soil quality, and holistic gardening practices; 30 detailed profiles of must-know plants (including growing information, medicinal properties, and how to use them); foundational principles of herbalism; step-by-step photographic tutorials for preparing botanical medicine and healing foods; and 70 recipes for teas, tinctures, oils, salves, syrups, and more. Packed with sumptuous photography, this book will appeal to home gardeners who want to branch out to culinary and medicinal herbs, home cooks and those interested in natural wellness, and novice and skillful herbalists alike.
About the Author
Juliet Blankespoor is the founder of the Chestnut School of Herbal Medicine. She has a degree in botany and over 25 years of experience teaching and writing about herbal medicine, botany, plant propagation, and organic herb cultivation. She lives in Asheville, North Carolina.
Industry Reviews
"A stunning book in every way! Visually beautiful, exquisitely written, wise, and informative, The Healing Garden is a rich and delicious feast for the senses. A wealth of information overflows generously from every page. One finds everything one needs to know about herb gardening, medicine making, herbal cooking, plant medicine, and more. Just for the recipes alone, this book is worth owning."
Rosemary Gladstar herbalist and author
"The Healing Garden is hands down the most beautiful and informative book on medicinal herb gardening. Juliet is an experienced and inspirational guide, exactly who you want to turn to when learning how to create your own flourishing herbal garden. You'll instantly love this book for its beauty-filled pages, and the informative tables, charts, and downright jaw-dropping recipes will have you reaching for it again and again."
Rosalee de la Foret author of Alchemy of Herbs and co-author of Wild Remedies
"This is the book every garden-maker, plant person, and environmentalist has been waiting for in their bodies, minds, and souls. This is the book I've been waiting for. This is the book our planet needs us to hold, read, and practice. This is the book that will bring us back to ourselves, to our hearts, and bring us home. It is a message of healing in so many ways and, simultaneously, a visual feast."
Aviva Room MD, herbalist, midwife, former President of the American Herbalists Guild, and New York Times bestselling author of Botanical Medicine for Women's Health and Hormone Intelligence
"A priceless seed bank of natural knowledge and plant wisdom, this book will become an old-growth elder in the world of herbal learning. Blessed with not only a green thumb but a big heart and witty tongue, Juliet Blankespoor has gifted us all with a literal lifetime of learning at the feet (and roots) of the living world. A magnificent, must-have book for any home herbalist, gardener, and lover of the earth."
Asia Suler founder of One Willow Apothecaries and author of Mirrors in the Earth: Reflections on Self-Healing from the Living World
"Juliet's approach to teaching herb cultivation as a gateway to crafting medicine embodies the importance of reciprocity with the plant world. The Healing Garden is a step-by-step guide on nourishing a personal relationship with medicinal plants that can be applied at any scale - from windowsill to farmstead. Juliet's tenderness and personal stories highlight how growing our own herbs and making our own medicine can heal ourselves, our communities, and the planet."
Susan Leopold PhD, Executive Director of United Plant Savers
"The Healing Garden is one of the most imminently useful herbal books I know. It combines so many of the author's skills. It is beneficial for almost anyone interested in plants, with its detailed sections on cultivation, preparation, and processing herbs both as food and medicine. The photos are both beautiful and useful, treating the reader's eye and adding depth to the written information. This book is also superbly organized, making it easy to find and gain the information you seek. This is an elegant, practical book written by an insightful and thoughtful author."
7Song director and main instructor at the Northeast School of Botanical Medicine and clinical herbalist and Director of Holistic Medicine at the Ithaca Free Clinic
