favorite book friday

today's favorite book friday is in response to some comments on my post about herbs. i am a lay-herbalist, if you will. i have had no formal training, but i look forward to one day being able to become a master herbalist. until then, here are some of my favorite herb books:

this is a great guide to growing your own medicinal herbs- something that i'm slowly beginning to do. there are directions on how to make tinctures, salves, and poultices. she also gives a comprehensive guide in the back to 101 herbs with picture guides, growing info, and companion planting guide. great book!

this book was written by a medical doctor and herbalist. it's not my first herb book to pick up, but it is still full of really great information. the reason i highly recommend this book though is because it tells you when to stop messing around and get your kid to the doctor without being hysterical. there is a guide in the beginning about herbs that are safe for children, along with pictures of the plant. there is a section on antibiotics too. then the book gets into the specifics. it is divided into chapters based on ailments (like allergies, flu, pink eye, etc). each chapter is very detailed. this is probably why i don't grab this book first- it's not a quick reference guide. however, it is highly recommended as it gives a good balance of medicine and herbs. this is a great first book to start with!

i love this book! it is usually the first book i pick up for information (however it has been stolen by a friend- you know who you are). it is divided by ailments as well- all alphabetical. the info over each ailment is only about a page long. she gives information on herbs and what form it is best to administer. really good!

and of course, what list could be complete without the BIG mama! if you do not have this in your home library, you need it. if nothing else, you need this book! it is full of nutritional information, supplemental information and herbal information- all in a handy graph form that lists in the order of essential to important. however, information for children is lacking.

i hope this is a helpful guide. there are some herbs that i mix myself (by buying single herbal tinctures and mixing them), but i also use pre-mixed formulas. i love the herbal tinctures by wish garden herbs. they carry a great line for pregnant, lactating women and children.