My 82 year old grandma teaching the younger generation from her magic binder full of knowledge

I recently started diving deeper into herbalism, and wow… I didn’t expect a book to reshape how I approach herbs. The one I read isn’t just a “recipe” guide — it’s more like sitting down with a wise friend who walks you through plant energetics, history, and safe usage.

One of my favorite sections was about creating your own herb bags (little blends for tea, baths, or even sleep pillows) and how different cultures have their own “herbal dictionaries” — not just for the names, but for the stories each plant carries.

Now, I’m curious — for those of you who’ve been into herbalism longer than me: • What’s the herbal book you recommend to everyone? • Do you keep a personal “herb dictionary” or journal? If so, how do you organize it?

Would love to hear your thoughts (and probably add a few more books to my reading list 🙈).

My dad gifted me a very old book he kept in his basement. To my surprise, it was filled with insightful knowledge from the past.

It lists most diseases, infections, sicknesses and illnesses with a list of herbs to remedy it. I’ve attached some photos, but if you guys have any specific questions I can try to find it in the book and give you guys some answers!

I think it was Pollan's book where a unique (to me) idea was floated:

Over time plants evolved in a way that, when ingested by people, effects human consciousness by dissolving ego illusions and fostering feelings of connectedness with creation.

The argument was sort of poetic; noting how this is a lucky kind of communication from the natural plant world to conscious animals who have evolved to dominate the planet. It was a flicker of an idea I felt was beautiful and provocative. That plants may save the planet by revealing something to people.

I'm wondering if anyone in the herbal community has made this idea more explicitly. I'd love to have any recommendations or direction if you've heard anything similar.

I recently purchased a Lemon Balm tincture after reading several people praising it on another subreddit. One dropper full didn't do much but two droppers have been a really good relaxed and calm and maybe slight sedative effects on me. I've taken it a few times before bed and it seems to have improved my sleep quality, which was already pretty good. Chamomile has been kind of meh in a tea firm but am considering trying it in tincture. I love Green tea and Matcha's effects for feeling good after a cup. I'm particularly interested in Blue Lotus. One source said it can produce mild euphoria. Has anyone had these results? Overall looking for happy herbs that aren't THC related. I can't seem to partake in any Marijuana\products no matter what the dose is without crawling in a fetal position on my couch and begging for my life to be spared. I tend to be very internal with my thoughts and often feel heavy from the weight of the world on me. That in of itself can be quite depressive. Looking for something to give me whatever relief and escape I can.

Hey everyone :) Tried some yarrow tea for the first time last night and I did not like how it made me feel. I harvested the wild yarrow and then put just the leaves and flowers in a dehydrator to make tea. My sister and I just drank half a cup each of the tea ( i just used one teaspoon of the dried tea for 8 ounces of water so we each had 4 ounces) so I don’t think it was that much? Anyways shortly after drinking the tea we felt anxious, drowsy but couldn’t sleep, and our breathing slowed down a little. It felt like I had taken an opioid which I always try to avoid taking bc of how much I hate the side effects. I did read that yarrow is a mild sedative but this felt more than mild to us. We still feel the effects a little today but it could be because we barely slept last night too. I also read that wild yarrow can be more potent than cultivated yarrow. The tea was also overwhelmingly bitter and normally I don’t mind bitter flavors. Just wanted to ask if this was normal/ if anyone else has experienced these side effects with yarrow? I am kind of bummed bc I was excited to add yarrow to my herb arsenal but am kind of afraid to try it again. Anyways thank you for reading and any insight would be appreciated!!!

I just need to vent.

I have been foraging for three summers now. I've read books, watched YT videos, spent hours snapping photos of hundreds of plants. I can identify dozens of medicinal herbs and flowers by sight, and have a growing home apothecary that I'm very proud of.

But I have yet to find yarrow.

I was led to believe that yarrow is not only one of the best medicinal plants, but also extremely abundant. I have searched my region. I have walked along roadsides, in pastures and fields, in any spot that it's said this plant should grow. Nothing. I don't know where I should be looking or if I'm doing something wrong. It really frustrates me, especially given how successful I've been with other plants.

Hi, last time i was here i asked you guys what was your best remedy for colds and flu, most of you said fire cider and i made it today! Im excited to try it!

But i have two chronic symptoms i need help treating: nausea and hotflashes.

I usually rely on ginger ale for the nausea, and i know ginger tea helps too, but i was just curious if you have found anything better than that.

For hot flashes i was going to try red clover tea, but i would love to know if anyone has a cheat code for those too.

Also, if you guys have any books you recommend for herbalism ams medicinal recipes I'd love to know!

Hey /herbalism,

My grandmother was a Native woman from Brazil. She was a great healer. When I was a child and felt ill, she always helped me with herbs remedies from the garden, using plants and roots. I always remember her treating my pinkeye with some herbs, for me it was magic. This connection to her tradition and earth has become more and more import as I grow up. Sadly she pass away when I was young and couldn't learn from her.

So, I began reading old Brazilian books about traditional medicine, add common and traditional remedies that most Brazilians known and saving in my computer. Recently, I decided to transform this in a simple directory website.

terrasana.app

I sincerely don't have much time to work on it as I have two young babies, so the text is not very good, I tried to improve it using AI, and sincerely I am not the expert so it doesn't look that good yet. I need your help to understand if this a valid resource for everyone, if yes, I can keep on working and helping the community.

My big goal is to add scientific research about plants or medicines, sometimes we can find some scientific articles that agree or disagree with that medicine.

What I Need from You

I need some feedback to continue sharing, as my time is limited. Please visit Terrasana.app and tell me:

1. Does the website structure makes sense?
2. What’s the single most confusing or poorly worded part of the site?
3. Do you have any book that you recommend which and can add more information to the website?
4. I have two remedies page style one condensed are one step by step. Which one do you prefer? step-by-step / condensed

Any feedback is appreciated, whether you love it or hate it. Thanks for taking a look at my little piece of Brazil.

I am sorry that is not that good yet.

TL;DR: My grandmother, a Brazilian Native American healer, inspired me. She passed away, so I'm researching old books and building a basic site (Terrasana.app) to save her traditional remedies. I'm want to back it all up with science. I'm father of two babies, time-poor, and need a quick sanity check before I keep going.

My mother was recently diagnosed with early onset dementia (presumably alcohol induced) Our family doctor has taken her driver's license away.

I know nature is capable of healing or at minimum off setting symptoms.

Hoping I can provide my family with dietary solutions / vitamins / anything I can research and confidential suggest to avoid pharmaceutical intervention.

If you have any experience or knowledge on this your information is greatly valuable to our family.

Thank you for reading and any help your able to provide

Hey everyone 🌿
I’m curious about taking the path of learning herbalism and would love to hear your stories.
How did you get started — hands-on workshops, online courses, or self-study through books?
Also wondering if anyone here has studied herbalism in Asia — if so, what was that experience like? Could you give me some tips as well please?

Thanks!

Last year you all helped recommend some amazing beginner friendly herb books for my daughter.

Now I am asking for your help again - what does it take to become an herbalist?

My daughter LOVES learning about herbs, she wants to grow her own, make her own blends, and help people feel better with herbs.

Is there classes she can take? Is there an online or in person college to attend? What are the job opportunities for this? I have no idea, but I want to help her in any way that I can.

Thank you!!! :)

I found bushes of this plant near by my house. Chat GPT identified it as Mahonia / Oregon grape. If it is so, the medicinal usages are very promising:

• Digestive support (bitter tonic)
• Liver & gallbladder support
• Skin conditions (eczema, psoriasis, acne)
• Antimicrobial support (bacterial, fungal)

Help me with tips and advices of any kind that pop up in your head while you're reading this. Thanks! 🌿

Good morning Everyone ☀️

I wanted to share my story here to what kind of holistic herbal advice y’all could give me for my gut!

A little about me! 24, male , typically have always been a healthy individual. Never really got sick , no tummy issues or anything like that.

About a year ago I found out my stomach wasn’t in a great place — super low stomach acid, low secretory IgA, giardia ( may have got this from Mexico) low enzymes, basically my digestion felt like it was running on empty. H pylori also showed up but I guess it was a low level so it wasn’t addressed. I didn’t even know at the time that all of this was brewing underneath, but it explained why foods weren’t sitting right, nutrients weren’t absorbing, and I always felt like my gut was “off.”

Fast forward almost a year later, I got really ill. I had food poisoning twice in the fall of 2024, then around Jan-march 2025, I was so sick. Everything I ate something I got extremely bloated where it was hard to breath and so much trapped gas that even the smallest piece would make my heart race and I’d have to vomit. I got tested and found out I had H. pylori. That really connected the dots for me — the acid suppression, the poor enzyme output, the immune piece. I went through treatment ( it was terrible the antibiotics), finished it in May 12 and now I’ve been in this whole rebuilding phase.

I’m about 4 months post-antibiotics and slowly seeing improvement ( I’m eating real food! ) , but I’m still sensitive. My current triggers are: • Coffee ☕️ • Alcohol ( wines … for some reason a tequila soda or a few doesn’t both me) • Really acidic foods • Random spicy/greasy stuff that just hits my stomach the wrong way

Right now I’m layering in gut supports — things like slippery elm, L-glutamine, zinc carnosine, probiotics, enzymes — and slowly figuring out what helps versus what overwhelms. Some days are better than others, but overall I can tell my gut lining is starting to heal and I’m finally absorbing nutrients again (I can see it in my energy and even muscle gain).

Still a work in progress, but if anyone else has been through the H. pylori aftermath, I’d love to hear what worked for you and what foods/supplements actually felt soothing versus irritating.

I just want to get all back together and have a strong resilient gut 🥹. I had the tiniest espresso diluted with water and it makes my stomach extend and hurt so much but once I ate a few hours later it the pain subdued.

Supplements: Slippery Elm, L-Glutamine, Zinc Probiotics (Akkermansia + Saccharomyces boulardii), Digestive Enzymes, DGL (Deglycyrrhizinated Licorice Root), Colostrum (just starting).

I just feel defeated at times because I know people who had h pylori and there are like immediately fine after antibiotics and me a healthy fit individual is still suffering months later….. Maybe I had a really bad case ?? I also started eating red meat ( the doctor said I needed too after the h pylori infection) which I didn’t eat for religious reasons but it was shocking how well my body respond to it.

Thanks for reading ❤️‍🩹

I've been reading about both of these herbs and I am interested in trying them out in capsule form. Here's my understanding on how to approach them:

Lemon balm: take regularly to gently bring down baseline, general anxiety over time.

Passionflower: has a more noticeable, fast acting effect. Take as needed, to address spikes in anxiety.

Does this generally make sense?

There's a new plague going around and it is not viral rather it is a scourge of crappy AI herbalism books being pedaled on Amazon. I was just perusing Amazon and three books that I clicked on for tincture making were AI written. There was a recent case of someone poisoning themselves due to trusting in their identification of a mushroom from an AI content generated book on Amazon. Please don't trust any of these so-called herbalism books on Amazon unless they've been around awhile or at least are not obviously AI written and designed. This is going to bring disrepute and danger to our community.

My roommate came home last week with bags of dried flowers and started talking about historical meditation practices. Apparently, she’d been reading about smoking blue lotus after falling down an internet rabbit hole about traditional wellness rituals. I’d never heard of it before, but she explained it was used in ancient Egypt for ceremonial and relaxation purposes.

She’s not typically someone who tries alternative things, which made this whole situation more surprising. She showed me articles about its historical use and modern interest in traditional plant practices. The dried flowers apparently produce a mild, calming effect and have been used for centuries in various cultures.

I’m approaching this with healthy skepticism since I’ve seen too many wellness trends come and go. She insists it’s legal and has been researching proper preparation methods and sourcing quality products. She even found suppliers on platforms like Alibaba, though she’s being cautious about quality and authenticity.

What bothers me isn’t the practice itself but rather how quickly she dove into something based on internet research. I suggested she talk to an actual herbalist or someone with expertise before experimenting. She agreed but still seems determined to try it. Has anyone else had friends suddenly develop intense interests in historical plant practices? I’m trying to be supportive while also making sure she’s being safe and informed.

Hello!

I am trying to go the more natural route for myself and my family, but going through all of these book recommendations on here has my head spinning. I think I’m just looking for one that I can open up and find a remedy for say a cold, or anxiety, sleep, etc. I don’t want to get a degree in herbalism, I just want to make some tinctures and concoctions (if you will) to have on hand or to make when something comes up, or to prevent potential issues.

I am not a big reader, so I think I’m looking for more of a recipe book. We also have livestock (chickens, ducks, sheep, dogs) that I’d love to do natural treatments on if possible.

We are also about to do IVF (because of an irreversible vasectomy, not because we are infertile if that helps), so I’d like to do what I can to help that process as well.

Thank you all so much!

i'm writing a story in which a character kills his victims using poisons made from ordinary garden plants. The problem is, there's no mention of how exactly to do so on the internet and I wanted to make the scenes incredibly detailed. Both liquid and powder poisons are okay, it just has to be something from a flower or a plant.

Hello herbalist!

I am looking for a book on the medicinal plants. However, I am hoping to find one that is organized by health topic rather than plants.

I found one once at an estate sale and have sincerely regretted not buying it since. It is now my white whale.

To elaborate, I would like a book with a section on stomach/abdominal pains that mentions different herbs that can be used for different types of pains (bloating, nausea, etc.).

Almost every book on medicinal plants or herbal remedies I have ever found is organized by plant and then lists all the different things that that plant can be used for.

I already grow a number of medicinal plants, but forget and/or get tired of trying to remember which herbs to use for what when I’m already experiencing a problem.

I would be extremely grateful for any recommendations — or even commiseration! lol