The Best Herbal Medicine Books For Your Home Library

For those exploring the world of medicinal herbs, quality, foundational herbal medicine books are a must-have. Through books, you can have the best information for your herbal journey right on your homestead bookshelf! I’ve put together a collection of the best herbal medicine books for beginners.

What is Herbal Medicine?

Herbal medicine is the practice of using herbs and plants to treat illness, prevent disease, and improve health. From seeds to roots to flowers to berries to bark, nearly all aspects of plants can be used in different types of herbal medicine. The practice of using herbs to heal has been around for many years. In fact, people were using herbs to heal long before the rise of conventional medicine.

As you study herbal medicine, please keep in mind that it’s important to do your own research for each remedy that you use.

How to Choose the Best Herbalism Books 

If you’re getting started on your library, it can be overwhelming to decide which herbal medicine books are the best for your collection. There are so many wonderful books on the market! Which do you choose?

As I’ve put together my own collection, I’ve sought out books by highly recommended authors, suggestions from trusted herbalist friends, and publications that are well-rounded sources of information. The following list is composed of my favorite books on medicinal herbalism. I hope they can help you as you use herbs to heal, too.

Why Build an Herbal Medicine Book Home Library?

Researching your next herbal remedy on the internet can be a big help, but there’s just nothing like a tangible book. Certainly, there’s a place for the internet! However, with a book, you can scribble down all of your own notes. You can earmark the pages for the remedies that you use the most. You can have your go-to information beautifully organized on the shelf, ready for you to grab when the need for a remedy arises.

With herbal medicine, the images provided in a physical book are especially helpful. The nature of using herbs for medicine requires you to use precisely the correct herbs. When reading on a Kindle or on the internet, this can sometimes prove difficult. Conversely, physical herbal medicine books tend to have wonderful pictures that are a great help in identifying and using your herbs. In addition to this benefit, the books are also beautiful to have around your house!

Where to Get Herbal Medicine Books

Here are a few of my favorite places to collect herbal medicine books (as well as other books!).

• Indiebound
• Thriftbooks
• Buy Nothing Groups Buy nothing groups are a wonderful way to connect with your community by giving and receiving!
• Bookshop.org

The Best Herbal Medicine Books for Beginners

These are some of my favorites when it comes to herbal medicine books for beginners. However, you can benefit from these books at any level of your herbal journey!

Medicinal Herbs by Rosemary Gladstar

This book is full of expert advice for common ailments. It covers a variety of forms of herbal remedies, from lotions to tinctures to poultices to teas. I love the easy recipes and bright pictures that make Gladstar’s book a joy to read.

The Homesteader’s Herbal Companion by Amy Fewell

This book is perfect for the homesteader. Fewell focuses not only on how to use herbs and oils in your home but also explores other uses around the homestead, including holistic livestock health.

Healing Herbal Infusions by Colleen Codekas

From gathering your herbs to safe storage and dosages, this book is perfect for anyone wanting to heal at home. It’s easy to comprehend and helpful whether you’re just starting out or looking to continue your education in herbalism.

Wild Remedies by Rosalee de la Forêt and Emily Han 

The authors of Wild Remedies keep herbal medicine focused on nature, where it all starts! While this book focuses on the remedies that are growing wildly all around you, many of these herbs can also be grown in your own backyard garden.

The Healing Garden: Cultivating and Handcrafting Herbal Remedies by Juliet Blankespoor

This book is a wonderful all-around reference guide to herbal medicine. In fact, Blankespoor touches on nearly everything in the realm of herbalism, from planning your garden to seed propagation to gardening practices to using herbs medicinally.

The Intimate Herbal: A Beginner’s Guide to Herbal Medicine for Sexual Health, Pleasure, and Hormonal Balance by Marie White

In The Intimate Herbal, White offers herbal remedies for a host of sexual and reproductive concerns. She addresses why herbalism works as well as how to practice it.

The Modern Herbal Dispensatory by Thomas Easley and Steven Horne

Last but not least, this full-color guide is packed full of approximately 250 herbal remedies that you can make at home. For those tired of the cost of purchasing your herbal remedies commercially, this book will give you the confidence you need to make your own.

Have you read any of these publications? Whether beginner or advanced, what is your favorite book about herbal medicine?