Product Description

Complete instructions for successfully growing 101 medicinal plants using totally organic techniques. Hartung, a certified organic grower and board member of United Plant Savers, shares all the secrets of propagation, soil preparation, natural pest management, harvesting techniques, and even garden design for both beauty and highest yield. Also includes herb-by-herb profiles and a guide to making medicines and delicious healing foods.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #214755 in Books
• Published on: 2000-01-18
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 256 pages

From Amazon.com
An excellent guide for novices and experts alike, Growing 101 Herbs That Heal combines gardening, cooking, crafts, and natural healthcare into one sturdy manual. The author's care and concern for healthy plants and people are evident on every page, and there's an astonishing amount of detail in every section. Simple plant listings cover multiple pages, outlining everything from drainage preferences to the size and color of blooms. The different garden styles presented range from formal knot gardens to carefree wild gardens, with lots of choices for raised beds and containers. Organic methods for fertilizing and pest control are emphasized--time to get familiar with beneficial nematodes!

If you've already got an herbal garden in place and are now wondering what to do with your harvest, look no further. Delicious recipes for breads, soups, and salads are here, along with medicinal tinctures, creams, and bath soaks, which are great for gifts or home use. There are also straightforward tips for starting an herb-based home business from your own creations. The last section is a fascinating materia medica that devotes a separate page to each herb, going into beneficial companion plants, harvesting time, market value, and home pharmacy uses. From common peppermint to the unusual yerba de la negrita, you'll enjoy the lovely pictures at least as much as the helpful information. --Jill Lightner

From Booklist
Gardening with medicinal plants is growing in popularity, and the market for botanical medicines continues to increase. Hartung offers instructions on planning and designing a garden, and she includes a chart giving basic information on 101 herbs: height, spacing, color, water requirements, and soil preferences. A chart listing plant habitat preferences accompanies a chart to help readers plan a theme garden. The author gives instructions on how to maintain healthy soil and propagate a variety of herbs. There is a chapter on garden maintenance, one on pest and disease control, and one on harvesting and drying roots, rhizomes, bulbs, flowers, buds, seeds, and fruit. Hartung explains the art of making such herbal preparations as salves, tinctures, oils, and creams. A chapter on cooking with medicinal herbs contains 16 recipes. There also is a 66-page list of herbs, giving their personality and blooming traits, heights, and sun and soil requirements, along with care, propagation, and harvesting instructions, and their medicinal benefits and home pharmacy uses also are included. George Cohen

PW, January 10, 2000
"In addition to explaining the essentials of herb growing, Hartung teaches how to create elixir blends, ointments and therapeutic dishes, including dandelion fritters (for the liver) and gingered pumpkin soup (for the circulatory and digestive support). The specifics for growing herbs such as Echinacea (for boosting immunity), evening primrose (for healthy skin and nails) and basil (for digestive support) are laid out in this handy reference guide." k

Customer Reviews

Highly Recommend
This book is fascinating, full of information, recipes, and all the information you could need to grow these herbs, anywhere in the country.

An Amazingly Useful Handbook on Herbs
This is a beautiful and very readable comprehensive guide to herbs, packed with information and techniques for making the most of herbs and transforming our awareness of plants and gardening. Readers will be encouraged to "cultivate plant relationships" which can become profound acts of self-help, ecological preservation, and cultural renewal.

Herbs for Everyone
I have had the pleasure of knowing the author of this book since we were both young children. I have watched her develop her knowledge and skills in this area for 20 years, yet I was amazed at the amount of information she provided in her book! Her style in presenting the information allows even the most novice of gardeners ample opportunity to learn and develop their skills. Yet she provides considerable information to those readers who are more advanced in their gardening skills.

Easy to read, easy to understand, it leaves you wanting more. I sincerely hope that Tammi undertakes another book (as her extremely busy schedule allows!) in the not so distant future.