Showing posts with label gardening. Show all posts
Showing posts with label gardening. Show all posts

Sunday, September 18, 2022

Herbalism for Beginners by Indie Leaf Press


Herbalism for Beginners
A Practical Guide on How to Improve Your Health Using Inexpensive, Accessible Herbs
Indie Leaf Press
Publication Date: September 7, 2022
Pages: 350

BLURB:

How to use medicinal herbs to boost your health — let you and your loved ones stay healthy by being connected to nature

While conventional medicine is essential in treating many health problems, it’s reassuring to know that you can also find relief through natural alternatives such as medicinal herbs.

Are you interested in using medicinal plants, so you won’t have to depend on pharmaceuticals to remedy every minor ailment? 

Do you want to restore your vitality and improve your health in a natural way?

According to Healthline, at the beginning of the 21st century, 11% of the 252 most essential drugs were exclusively of flowering plant origin.

And the World Health Organization reports that 80% of the world's population is using herbs to address their basic healthcare needs

Aside from being inexpensive, herbs have also been used since the dawn of mankind.

Those herbs that add flavor to your food are actually potent in boosting your health and helping you combat different ailments… only if you know how to use them.

But how will you know which herbs help with your health concerns? You might be wondering how you can prepare, store, and consume them to maximize their health benefits.

You may even be thinking about how you can easily source them and choose only those of the highest quality.

Look no further because this book will show you the way. Inside, you will discover:

  • What herbs to use for some of the most common ailments — and how to use them for the best results and in a safe manner
  • Straight forward herbal formulations — with step-by-step instructions on how to prepare them for the best results
  • 46 herb profiles with suggested plant pairings, safety precautions, and the health issues they address
  • Why some herbal products on the market are ineffective — and how to choose high-quality herbs, as well as the best ways to handle and store them to maintain their medicinal properties
  • How to best extract the herbs' powerful constituents to make your formulations more potent
  • What factors to consider when evaluating the quality of a medicinal herb
  • How to safely source quality herbs if you don’t want to buy them from the health stores
  • 15 phytochemicals found in medicinal herbs that give them potency — and what specific health benefits they offer
  • What not to do when storing herbs if you want to prolong their freshness and flavor

And much more.

You don’t need any sophisticated equipment to create these remedies. You most likely have the necessary things at home already, such as a blender, a jar, and a wooden spoon – it can truly be this simple.

Nature already offers what you need to stay healthy – you just need to know how to harness its relieving power.

MY THOUGHTS:

I was really impressed with Herbalism for Beginners. I wasn't expecting such a comprehensive book at such a good price. This book rivals the Herbalism course I took from a well known online school and I won't even mention how much I paid for that course! 

The book starts out with the basics and explains in depth all that one would need to know about starting using herbs, what tools are needed, definitions of all the terms one needs to know, information and photos of the herbs themselves, medical interactions, growing, preparing and even dosages! Seeing the dosages really pleased me, as that is something that is not normally found in most herbal books!

There are so many details in Herbalism for Beginners and even after all the courses I've taken and books on herbs and their usages that I've read in the past, I learned a lot from this book. I cannot sing praises for this book enough. It is well thought out, well researched, and truly made for the beginner to sit down and learn using it! 

I love that Herbalism for Beginners focuses on herbs that easily obtained. I've taken some past courses where I had to buy all the specialty herb that ended up costing a minute fortune and I still haven't used them all, except for those "special" preparations. This book focuses on things you may have on hand, grew in your garden or can buy at a reasonable price and be able to use them. Finally, someone who cares about the average herbalist!

I will say that one should always cross reference plants and herbs with other books by well-known and trusted herbalists. There is always a chance for an error as well as a possibility of not including everything you might need to know about a specific herb or plant. That's just a safety precaution that should be followed when learning about any new herb. I sit with many books around when studying a new herb that I will be using. There are times when there could be side effects with prescribed medications or medical conditions, so please take the time to know this before using something new. 

Herbalism for Beginners comes highly recommended and will definitely be useful to both the beginner as well as the seasoned herbalist. It really is worth its weight in gold!!

I received a copy of this book through BookSirens. I was not required to post a positive review - but one of my honest opinion. 

Wednesday, September 7, 2022

Review: Secrets of Mound Gardening by Darryl Scott Whitham


Secrets of Mound Gardening:
Harnessing Nature for Healthier Fruits, Veggies, and Environment 

Author: Darryl Scott Whitham
Publisher: Moonscape Publishing
Pages: 154
Genre: How To, Gardening, Guides, Nature, Non-fiction


BLURB:

 

Discover the ancient magic of mound gardening and watch it work wonders in your garden!


Your garden is only as good as your technique. If water shortages, excess rainfall, lack of space, or a limited green thumb prevents you from growing the garden you want, a plant and planet-friendly solution could be the key to unlocking a landscape worth envying.
No matter your gardening goals or challenges, you can master this groundbreaking gardening secret learned from history and our best teacher: nature!
Secrets of Mound Gardening is your step-by-step training manual to a proven framework that will benefit your health and contribute to our environment. Have limited time? No green knowledge? No problem. Whether you're a novice or experienced gardener, devoted gardening instructor Darryl Whitham will teach you how to tune into the cycles of nature, reduce waste, and maximize your landscaping space through ancient mound gardening philosophy.
In this guide, you'll discover
  • Easy, practical mound gardening techniques so you can start working with nature, rather than against it.
  • A simple way to produce healthy fruits and vegetables without the hours of labor often needed by conventional gardening.
  • How to enjoy less weeding, soil feeding, and overall work by as much as 80 percent.
  • Lessons passed down from around the globe, including traditional Native American methods, Hugelkultur basics, and raised bed styles from Africa and the Americas.
  • How to grow and harvest your own natural foods, organic produce, and herbs.
  • Design your garden into a beautiful and functional work of permaculture art. Get Secrets of Mound Gardening to improve your garden and the world with wisdom from the ages.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Darryl Scott Whitham has been harvesting his gardening techniques for years. A successful IT systems administrator, author, trained horticulturist, and gardening instructor, Darryl provides simple and instructive methods on how the everyday gardener can become a microfarmer through the ancient art of mound gardening.
Making his home in the rolling hills of northern Virginia, where he also attended college, he combines his gardening with valuable perspectives on wide-ranging subjects—everything from protecting the genetic diversity of crops and conserving native habitats to preserving the environment and endangered species. His cutting-edge approach to permanent agriculture, permaculture, creates a beautiful and sustainable palette for gardening and our environment. An enthusiast for hiking and survival knowledge, Darryl hopes to reconnect people with their natural surroundings and the clever ways nature responds and adapts, starting in our own backyards!
MY THOUGHTS:  

Secrets of Mound Gardening is a book that I think every gardener should read. Beginner through experienced gardeners will find the book full of information and will learn something new. There are so many different techniques discussed with making mounds, how to construct, space and why to pick the mound you need for your situation and area.

I like how thoroughly the mounds are discussed and love the history that is behind the different types. The book also has hyperlinks so that you can research further. I spent a lot of time with these links and learned so much! 

Each chapter starts with a quote and I find this a wonderful addition to the book! Although Mr. Whitham focuses on mound gardening, he doesn't forget why one makes a mound and also discusses plantings, companion planting, growing and harvesting - basically using the mound. I've found this also helpful for any gardener.

If you are looking to start gardening, but don't have much growing area or you have a yard but don't have any way to till it, or maybe you are looking to improve upon what you are currently doing, then this book is for you. It holds so much information in the amount of pages that it has plus the hyperlinks and references will keep you busy long after you are finished reading. This book will be a useful and well used reference in your gardening library that I'm sure you will return to again and again.


I received a copy of this book through BookSirens. I was not required to post a positive review - but one of my honest opinion.