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Disclaimer: The nutritional information, recipes, and instructions contained within this book are in no way intended as a substitute for medical counseling. Please do not attempt self-treatment of a medical problem without consulting a qualified health practitioner. The author and publisher expressly disclaim any and all liability for any claims, damages, losses, judgments, expenses, costs, or injuries resulting from any products offered in this book by participating companies and their employees or agents. Nor does the inclusion of any resource group or company listed within this book constitute an endorsement or guarantee of quality by the author or publisher.

Text copyright © 2000 by James Green

Interior author photo copyright © 2002 by Carolyn Staub

All rights reserved. Published in the United States by Crossing Press, an imprint of the Crown Publishing Group, a division of Random House, Inc., New York.

www.crownpublishing.com

www.tenspeed.com

Crossing Press and the Crossing Press colophon are registered trademarks of Random House, Inc.

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Green, James, 1940-

The herbal medicine-maker’s handbook: a home manual / by James Green.

p. cm.

1. Materia medica, Vegetable—Handbooks, manuals, etc. 2. Traditional medicine—Handbooks, manuals, etc. 3. Herbals—Handbooks, manuals, etc. I. Title.

RS164.G674 2000

615’.321–dc21 00-030708

eISBN: 978-0-307-77946-5

Illustrations by Ajana Green

v3.1

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

I want to express my deepest gratitude to Ajana, graphic artist and illustrator, for gracing this book with your wonderfully creative imagination and extraordinary talent. Your aesthetic spirit, wit, and creative excellence generously conveyed by the illustrations lying within these pages openly reflect a uniquely brilliant consciousness I find intrinsic to your generation.… Speaking of which, I sincerely thank you too, James Snow, for your regard and friendship. Your clever mind and discerning herbalist’s eye have enhanced this herbal and spared me litters of technical chagrin. I also wish to extend my gratitude to Dave Broach for your good-natured willingness to manifest the cover photo with your patience, your Hasselblad, and the singular touch of your light, and shutter skills. And while I’m on this roll, thank you Elaine Gill and skilled staff members of The Crossing Press. Your support, your fluid spirit of co-creating, and your confidence in my work as an herbalist and writer leave little wonder in my mind why your catalogs repertoire of publications is bursting with the works of so many excellent authors. This is not to say that we didn’t have to get down and dirty while tussling with a few differences of opinion, the aftermath of which found a number of Ajana’s most splendid illustrations adorning the cutting room floor, alas never to be seen by the reader’s eyes; and that is the tragic component of this story. However, the ending is of course a happy one, for all who enjoy entering aesthetic realms of exquisite fantasy can visit Ajana’s captivating Web site at and experience the beautiful sanctums of her talent and creative vision. Please note, dear reader, this is not one of those commonplace commercial plugs; this is a dad’s fervent praise of his daughter’s superb talent and fascinating mind … big difference, big, big difference. Go check it out … you’ll come back delighted.

For

Bre and Ajana,

my gifted daughters

and artful companions

We dance our madness;

we dance our joy.

Oh precious ones, the fun has just begun.

Wild music is in the air;

there’s beauty flowing everywhere.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Cover

Title Page

Copyright

Acknowledgments

Dedication

PROLOGUE: A Word Before the Medicine Show

1 A Field Trip

2 A Few Herbs Are All You Need

3 Gardening and Harvesting, Drying, Garbling, and Storing

4 Kitchen Pharmacy Equipment

5 The Extraction Process

6 Solvents

7 Forms of Herbal Medicine

8 Infusion

9 Decoction

10 Distillation of Hydrosols

11 Flower Essences

12 Tincturing by