(Part 2) Top products from r/Herblore

There are so many and with many different focal points. I also think a list with some identification as to the focal points for each book would be useful. And I'm always happy to find new good ones, so I am glad for this post.

Rodales is one that I've seen mentioned a ton elsewhere, and I have found it useful too. There is some lore and some preparation and growing information along with medicinal info..

If you are looking for experience logs concerning herb usage, Susun Weed's forum is a nice place to search. The accounts are not made by medical professionals and perhaps are not studies based, but they are from people who test and use herbs on themselves. A very female bent; however, I've not seen a male treated anything but nicely there.

Cunningham's is a good magical go-to based in some lore, but can be problematic sometimes as dangers are not always noted. And the lore can be difficult to track down; though I was surprised that some of it had uses that I was already familiar with from childhood. Many websites about magical correspondences are word-for-word taken from it. It's Llewellyn, but don't let that scare you. I doubt there is an apothecary in existence that doesn't have a copy somewhere.

Miller's Magical and Ritual Use of Herbs was one I acquired years ago when starting the magic/psychoactive hunt. It includes some methods for preparation though the herbs included are limited. I think going to a forum or sub here that is dedicated to psychoactives would probably be more useful for preparation guides, but they may lack the ritual component.

For identification and growing and a tiny bit of lore too, I found Angier's Field Guide to Medicinal Wild Plants to be very easy to use when I first started. It's not comprehensive and it is dependent on region, but I thought it was a charming read.

I think if you can find a field guide to wild plants that pertains to your geographical area, it would be better. That way you can get out and examine the plants yourself and see how they grow and interact with other plants and their environments. Much of what I have read about the magical properties of plants makes sense when I consider observations of the plants behaviors. Some of it is counter-intuitive too, but what makes a plant magical is sometimes going to be based in a lore you create on your own.

The Encyclopedia of Psychoactive Plants was a pricey thick one, but one I have found very useful for its purpose. I think it could be more inclusive, but I think the same thing could be said of every plant book published! If you can find one used, you may get it at a bargain. I bought mine for under 50$US but I have never seen it that cheap before or since. But this is not one that will be in every public library, so if you can afford it and spot it cheap, it may be worth the jump of you are into this kind of information. And of course the ever-loving Erowid is a great resource too.

These are just a few for beginning that I have used, but I have not used them in isolation. And there are several I have on a wish list too (this one has been rec'd to me, and omagah these have a savings account building over here). Websites have been excellent free resources especially to start. U.S. Wildflowers has a huge photo library and links to others if the geographical areas pertain to you. It's helped me get some basic identification of local plants many times.

For medicinal use and contra-indications that might feel safer, there are many hospitals that host pages of advice about herbal medicine and many of those link to studies. Since nothing here should be taken as medical advice, going to those resources may be very helpful. I have used too many to list.

And the same goes for growing guides. Websites are going to be quicker than books, but books may offer things like seasonal planting patterns and landscaping that a simple growing guide might not contain. There are too many of those to list as well.

Sorry for the length and I hope you get many more suggestions!

This isn't a book, but I'll share with you the best way I've found to learn herbs. Pick a few that seem interesting. Then get the seeds. Grow some from seed. You get to see how they develop, what the seedlings look like, how it grows, when it flowers, what it smells like. You get familiar with it by taking care of it and spending time with it. Then you use it. Try making a salve. Make tea, or candies. Taste it. Then you'll recognize it anywhere. Next season, do the same with new herbs (but keep the old around as well). Do this even if the herb grows wild in your area. Then you'll be able to spot it easier from a distance just by its overall shape.

Now, on the subject of books: The Complete Book of Herbs is quite nice. But I've found the most useful information in snippets here and there. A Druid's Herbal has good preparation tips, and some good info on the medicinal uses, but goes a lot into magic and other nonsense (still a good read). I have a few pages from various Mother Earth News magazines from the 80's that have great preparation tips. Also, the Internet is great if you know what you're looking for.

• The Essential Guide to Herbs by Lesley Bremness
  Has over 100 different plants and the basics about them, a bit about how/where to grow each plant, what they can be used for and how to prepare them.
  
• The Complete Illustrated Guide to Herbs by Non Shaw
  Has less then the first book but provides a bit more in-depth info about them. Also includes a good how-to on tinctures, salves, etc.
  
• Herbal Recipes for Vibrant Health by Rosemary Gladstar
  Mostly a collection of recipes for different teas, medicinal candies, etc but also has a bit of information on a bunch of basic herbs.
  
  These are the first three books I bought when I got into medicinal herbs. They're an excellent way to begin, I think. Lots of different information, and I still go back to them for reference.
  
  Edit: Added links

I've got two books that may be of interest to you. They are both books we are using in my herbal apprenticeship and very well written.

Michael's Moore's Medicinal Plants of the Pacific West

Matthew Wood's The Practice of Traditional Western Herbalism

For North America, accept no substitute!

Also

Edible and Mecidinal plants of the West http://www.amazon.com/Edible-Medicinal-Plants-Gregory-Tilford/dp/0878423591