An excerpt from Be Your Own Herbalist by Michelle Schoffro Cook, PhD, DNM
Every human being on the planet has a right to health. Herbs can offer the solution. They also offer the hope of relief from the widespread misery caused by unprecedented rates of serious and disabling diseases, from heart disease to diabetes, cancer, and HIV. Even when complete cures may not be possible, herbs can immensely improve a person’s quality of life, as I know from experience. In the years since that spring day that changed my life, I have witnessed many people with debilitating and life-threatening illnesses restored to health, thanks to herbs and natural foods.
Herbs helped me rebuild my body, and while they have not undone all the damage caused by the injury I sustained from pharmaceutical-based medicine, I have lived more than two decades longer than many doctors predicted. I have also enjoyed a much better quality of life than I imagined possible that day on the park bench. Today I live with my husband on our property in the middle of the Coast Mountains in British Columbia, Canada. We grow a significant amount of our own food and herbs and live an increasingly self-sufficient life, independent of many of the corporations that now control the global food supply. We also strive to grow and make the natural medicines we need and use, independent of major drug companies.
I share this story with you not to discourage you from continuing any medical treatment you may be undergoing but to reinforce the healing power of herbal medicine. The choice I made was a personal one that was right for me; only you can decide whether the same choice is right for you.
In this book I want to share with you the exciting and empowering research on thirty-one common and accessible herbs, all of which are easy to grow and use daily as food and medicine. These herbs are among my favorites because they are indigenous to many places, readily available, easy to incorporate into food and body-care products, and powerfully therapeutic.
I am thrilled to share with you Be Your Own Herbalist, which instructs you on cultivating and using the world’s oldest and most effective natural medicines. Throughout human history, we have relied on herbs in medicine. Only recently have we lost touch with these ancient healing agents in favor of drugs. Even though most of these compounds were originally derived from herbs, the process of isolating single compounds and synthesizing them in a laboratory results in harmful and sometimes life-threatening side effects. Most herbs contain dozens and sometimes even hundreds of healing compounds that work best (and cause the fewest side effects) in synergy. In many cases, the herbs are actually more effective than our best drug medicines. Of course, herbs are still medicine: we need to treat them with respect and recognize their potency. This also means learning how drug medicines might interact with herbal medicines and which herbs may not be right for everyone.
Herbal Medicine
I understand from experience that exploring the realms of herbal medicine can be intimidating. After all, we’ve been taught that herbs are dangerous or inferior to pharmaceutical drugs. And that is one of the reasons I created this book: not only to impart the knowledge I have gained over the years but also to help you feel confident in using it to improve your health.
Additionally, over the years I could not find a single book that explained how to grow, cook with, and use herbs as food and medicine at home. Some books explain how to use herbs, others share information on how to grow them, and still others share the exciting research that proves the medicinal effectiveness of herbs. All of these books have their strengths. This one integrates all these kinds of information into a single, accessible, and practical book.
As an author, blogger, doctor, and researcher, I regularly search for information on herbs. I own dozens of herbal books and always grab a stack of them whenever I’m looking for information, because each book has its strength: information on growing herbs, therapeutic insights, or medicinal research. But I wanted a book that combines this information into a single, accessible, and practical book. Be Your Own Herbalist provides all the information you need to become a savvy home herbalist who can grow, use, and heal with these powerful medicines. With this book in hand, you can feel confident that you are using herbs safely and effectively. Growing and using natural medicines allows you to regain control over your own health and the health of your family, preventing and even reversing many serious health conditions. It is a step toward a life of self-sufficiency and independence.
Be Your Own Herbalist is loosely based on a series of articles I wrote for Mother Earth Living magazine from 2013 to the present, revised and expanded. It translates the most cutting-edge research on the therapeutic effectiveness of common herbs into accessible language illustrating just how therapeutic herbs can be while dispelling the myth that they are not as effective as other forms of medicine. It provides clear instructions for growing your own herbs in your garden, backyard, small farm, or even indoors or in pots on a balcony. It explains how to make your own salves, tinctures, herb-flavored honey, infused oils, compresses, and other herbal medicines. You’ll find discussions of thirty-one of the most common and many of the most effective herbs that you can grow and use. Each chapter shares humorous or amusing information about the herb’s historical uses, detailed growing instructions and harvesting guidelines, research that showcases the herb’s effectiveness for various health conditions, and some recipes and suggestions for using the herb safely and effectively.
It is my mission in life to teach and empower people to become self-sufficient in growing their own food and natural medicines, and to use them to promote good health. How you opt to apply your knowledge of herbs is up to you. You may choose to use them for culinary purposes only, to enjoy more delicious and healthier foods. You may choose to use herbs alongside the pharmaceutical medicines you already use, to boost your overall health and strengthen your body. Or you may choose to use herbs as your primary system of medicine. Whatever choice you make, herbs can enrich and improve your health and life. Whether you simply want to dabble in using more fresh herbs for your cooking or whether you want to find greater food and medicine independence, you’ll find the information you need to start or continue to use herbs in food and beverages, body-care products, and medicines. It also makes no difference whether you have a small apartment and can only grow medicines in pots on your windowsill, or whether you have a suburban patch of grass or a large acreage; you can still grow and use your own medicines. And even if you have no interest in growing herbs or making your own remedies, you can still use this book as a guide to help you navigate the waters of Mother Nature’s medicine safely and for the benefit of your health and that of your family.
Before we begin, let me stress that you should always consult a physician if you are experiencing any symptoms of illness. If you are currently using other medications, research any possible herbal treatments carefully to avoid any adverse interactions. And, while this book is intended to give you the tools you need to incorporate herbal medicine into your health and life, it does not replace the expertise of a skilled herbalist, which can be invaluable in healing.
Now, allow me to take you on a miraculous journey that can help you reconnect to yourself and to the earth. If you have lost hope, allow me to light a candle of hope. There is always hope: it lies all around us in the form of herbal medicine.
Michelle Schoffro Cook, PhD, DNM, author of Be Your Own Herbalist is a certified herbalist and board-certified doctor of natural medicine. She holds advanced degrees in health nutrition, orthomolecular nutrition, and acupuncture. She lives, and grows her own food and herbal medicines, near Vancouver, BC, Canada. Her websites are DrMichelleCook.com and HealthySurvivalist.com.
Excerpted from the book Be Your Own Herbalist: Essential Herbs for Health, Beauty, and Cooking. Copyright © 2016 by Michelle Schoffro Cook, PhD, DNM, Printed with permission from New World Library.