The Practice of HerbalismOptions on The Plant Healer's Pathby Jesse Wolf Hardinwith Kenneth Proefrock, Kiva Rose Hardin, Jim McDonald, Guido Masé, Paul Bergner, Phyllis Light, Matthew Wood, Dara Saville, Dave Meesters, Kat MacKinnon, Juliette Abigail Carr, Laurie Quesinberry, Valerie Camacho, Jade Alicandro Mace, Sarah Josey, & Nick WalkerPresenting The Practice of Herbalism, the second of two foundational books on the most important topics that herbalists and others need to consider when either starting or further evolving a life of purposeful healing today. The topics addressed here, are those you might hear talked about online, in forums, in the hallways of herbal schools, and among small groups of attendees at herbal conferences, as well as being some of the primary ideas, ethics, parameters, and possibilities discussed by students, herbal entrepreneurs and practitioners, in endless private emails. Herein are many of the options and criteria that you likely need when choosing who and how to be, growing your gifts, and deciding how best to give... creating, re-forming, deepening, expanding, or otherwise improving your plant-hearted practice, such as: - The history and resurgence of herbalism- Finding/creating our niche and roles- The principles of home herbalism- The radical possibilities of kitchen herbalism- The authentic healer- The desire for recognition vs joyful recognizing- Where the pre-rational and scientific meet- A natural health education- Herbal terms and language- Botanical plant names vs common names- Becoming or improving as a teacher of herbalismQuestioning our teachers- The art of the plant walkApplying what you learn- Plant conservation and habitat restoration as activism- From poacher to steward- Sources for herbs and herbal medicines- Enchanted medicine making - Herbal provings- Stocking the herbal apothecaryStarting an apothecary or herbal nurseryIntegrating herbalism into hospital settings- Binary disease and healthy debateNeurodiversity and labelingThe fight against regulation- An insurgent, unsupervised herbalism- The importance of curiosity- Creating and sustaining herbal community The concentrating of financial wealth in the hands of an ever smaller percentage of humanity, and the unaffordability of established healthcare and health insurance, means that folk herbalists are not only the keepers of ancient traditions and ageless wisdom, but also purveyors of justice and vectors of change. There are none more needed, more laudable, and more called, than family and community providers, youthful activists and free-clinic volunteers, plant researchers and students, plant writers and botanical artists, healthy food providers and down-home kitchen witches, mycological visionaries and Cannabis researchers, wildcrafters and urban gardeners, conservationists and rewilders, cage rattlers and medicine makers.For you, and for every student of natural healing, The Practice of Herbalism promises to awaken you to the many options for evolving and progressing on your healing path.
