This is a GORGEOUS book.
Great addition to the healer's collection even if some of the advice tends to be very beginner.

This contains some good information but something about the structure made it hard for me read. It did have some good take aways though.

I loooove this book ! Filled with good advice and informations ! And so clear and aesthetic too ! Very precious advice !

Fairly in-depth intro to herbal care for self-care enthusiasts, green witches, alternative health fans, or those seeking healthier life.

This is the book I didn't know I needed.
I have needed a book like this for quite some time. And the truth is that it helped me a lot.
This book gives us different tips to be better with ourselves. With our mind and our body.
I think it is a book that we all need to read, especially in those moments when we feel lost and need help, this book can give us some of that help.
I liked it a lot, and I took several notes from this book that I plan to put into practice to feel much better.
Besides the fact that the edition of the book (still in digital) is very beautiful.
If you are in need of feeling good about yourself and a few tips on how to do it, this is definitely the book for you.

Radical Remedies is a detailed and beautifully designed introduction to herbs and natural medicines. As someone new to the concept of herbal remedies and natural medicines I found this to be a great summary of resources and ideas.

Thank you to the publisher and to NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I was anxious to read this ARC because I love phytotherapy and really appreciate that the author acknowledges both the validity and usefulness of modern medicine and herbs, in conjugation, with being used as necessary. However, the formatting of the book made it rather hard to read. Also, I felt like there was a lot of fluff and the author inserting her own beliefs on what you should look for in a herbalist that is not indicative of how effective an herbalist is at all but simply based on personal beliefs. There is definitely some good information that can be gleaned from the book, though I did find some parts to be a bit too "New Age" for my personal tastes, such as talking to the plants and asking for permission before each use. It may appeal to some, but most people that I know who love and use herbal medicine, do not do this so it feels unnecessary and distracted from the actual content of the book. I'm sure those who do it may disagree, but there is no one correct way to feel about plants, so some parts like that felt a bit detached, for lack of a better term. Overall, it was an okay book. Certainly not my favorite on the subject, but still informative, none the less. 2 1/2 stars.

Radical Remedies is a really beautiful and thorough introduction to herbs and natural medicines. The art throughout the book is stunning. As far as content, I think this is a great resource but felt a bit over my head at times.

I think this is a great start for anyone interested in the remedies world!!

Radical Remedies: An Herbalist's Guide to Empowered Self-Care by Brittany Ducham
Publisher: Roost Books
Genre: Health, Mind & Body | Nonfiction (Adult)
Release Date: April 20, 2021

Radical Remedies: An Herbalist's Guide to Empowered Self-Care by Brittany Ducham is an incredible resource for taking control of your own wellness.

This book is filled with no much great information. This was well-researched and put together in an easy to understand manner.

I have been on a wellness journey for some time now and I'm so excited to have found this book! The author covers so many topics of wellness, such a plant based medicine, gut health and the connection between what we eat and how we feel.

I definitely recommend this book!

I'm so grateful to Brittany Ducham, Roost Books, and NetGalley for providing me with a free copy of this ARC ebook in exchange for my honest review.

This is an absolute treasure! It is full of fantastic ideas, recipes, and easy to implement strategies for health and wellness. This is definitely one I will return to over and over! Many thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for the advanced copy.

This is an excellent herbal guide and one of my favorites that I've read for review recently. The book is broken down into chapters of types of issues, such as viral illnesses, depression and heartache, aches and pains, and so on. I appreciate that Ducham talks about all kinds of things to help each type of issue such as lifestyle changes and healing foods, not just herbs. She provides wonderful in-depth looks at quite a few herbs, many of which I grow or forage and also use for healing. There are many recipes, but most of them use a combination of tinctures (herbs steeped over a long period of time in strong alcohol). I didn't tend to have every one of the ingredients for any of her recipes, which was discouraging for me as I prefer to use almost all local plants for my remedies and not to order tinctures or dried plants from others online. I also am kind of a one or two plant herbalist as it's often all you need -- elderberry for viruses, raw garlic to kick a sinus infection, nettle tea to build immunity and boost iron, and so on -- and I just mix and match according to my needs. For those who want those sorts of recipes, though, this will be a fantastic resource. Each remedy tends to be composed of about 5 tinctures. There are also recipes for healing oils and other types of preparations like syrups, but the focus is really on tinctures.

There are no photos, though there are nice one or two color illustrations to set the mood. There is no information on growing or foraging the herbs, other than occasional mentions of things like this plant is often found growing on sidewalks.

One thing I really appreciated was the author's notes on using remedies from your own heritage and culture instead of taking them from other cultures. White sage is one example of this, where a holy plant for Native American tribes has been over-harvested and endangered by unscrupulous foragers and herbalists cashing in on its popularity. I also appreciated her notes against using essential oils, which are completely unsustainable for most plants (and have pretty much the opposite effect of gentle herbal remedies) and her notes on respecting plants in general.

Not much of the book was new to me, but I've been using herbs for many years and also read ridiculous numbers of health books. It's a fantastic resource for anyone interested in health or holistic remedies, and not just herbal ones. I especially enjoyed the in-depth herbal studies, and the well rounded nature of the advice.

I read a temporary digital ARC of this book for review.

I found myself to be easily enamored with this little book of plant based self-care. Arranged by the type of care the reader is looking for ranging from stress and anxiety to digestion and mental clarity, this book has a little something for everyone. And while I have been always been interested in medicinal herbs, I would say that my knowledge wouldn't even fill a thimble, so I found this to be packed full of new and interesting information. However, if you're a more advanced practitioner, I'm not sure if you would find this book as useful. I also really loved the illustrations, simple, but beautiful.

This is a great resource book. Self care is so important but even more so during this pandemic. I have read many books on alternative remedies. This book has been the most extensively researched and written to date that I have read. I found it to be extremely helpful and particularly liked how the author explained seasonal wellness and provided charts for easy access and understanding.

An ARC was given for an honest review.

Radical Remedies by Brittany Ducham opened my eyes to the world of plant medicine, and I will forever be grateful for the concise, deep, exploratory, and prevalent guide through this universe. Though, I'm not one to work with plants everyday - and often forget to water my own - this book has shown me a new appreciation outside of Western medicine. This book is the compendium guide for anyone using plants as remedies or are interested in diving head first in this medicine.

An interesting book that serves as a good introduction to herbal remedies to be used in tandem with modern medicine, this book covers the use of herbs and runs a huge gamut between all the necessary ingredients and the forms of solutions that can be created. The reader will be able to pick up huge amounts of information from this book, and it incorporates foraging, self-care, and other ways of managing to work towards a healthier life. I do wish it were a little more illustrated, but that's okay- it's always hard to have identifiable herbs included in a book. All in all, this is a good starter's almanac to herbal remedies and how to go about making your own.

I received an advance reader copy of this book to read in exchange for an honest review via netgalley and the publishers.

Radical Remedies is an amazing book packed with information that has been well researched and learned by the author.
I've learned so many new things about herbs especially in connection to self care and medicinal benefit and the best bit for me is that they are all natural remedies.
Some herbs in this book I had never heard of so I will be looking about for these.
Such a dedicated, resourceful and helpful book - give it a try you won't be disappointed.

Very in-depth writing on what seems to be a growing topic among my library patrons. Searching for a more holistic path can be confusing, but this title sets any fears and confusion aside. Enjoyed reading and will recommend to my patrons.

"Radical Remedies" is a must read this year. With all of this going on, some radical remedies are truly in need. The author of this book suggests several teas and herbs to try daily and some recipes in order to improve your lifestyle and health issues. I even took notes on how to do a soothing face mask, so I can try it out. Throughout the book there are several sections called "plant profile", in which Ducham talks about different herbs and explains how to use them. I honestly recommend this book to everyone. Rating: 5/5 stars.

I enjoyed this book; I feel like I learnt so much. Not my normal kind of book, but I’m so glad I gave it a try.

Thank you NetGalley for my complimentary copy in return for my honest review.

I wasn't quite sure what to expect from Brittany Ducham's upcoming release "Radical Remedies: An Herbalist's Guide to Empowered Self-Care."

If I'm being honest, I'm more of a wannabe when it comes to the world of herbals. I respect it. I admire it. I think about going for it, but then I think "That's a lot of work."

But, over recent years I've been moving ever so gently toward that direction. It's movement that became more passionate after a November 2019 hospitalization that led to amputation of my upper left leg. While that result was awful, the truth is it could have been much worse.

Since I was off work for 3 months doing rehab and followed that up with this seemingly endless quarantine, I've been teaching myself to cook for the first time in my life and moving into the world of healthier living beyond my active life.

I've been eating better, utilizing supplements, and exploring scents. I even became a Reiki Master. So, I approached "Radical Remedies" with both wariness and excitement.

Truthfully, I'm not sure that "Radical Remedies" is the ideal book for a beginner. Ducham has a wealth of knowledge and obviously enjoys sharing it. She writes with a weaving together of warmth and intimacy and knowledge that is compelling and never less than engaging.

But, there's a LOT. Seriously. Ducham knows her stuff and shares it comprehensively in this fascinating, empowering, and engaging collection.

Ducham is a community herbalist, writer, and medicine maker. She owns Spellbound Herbs and you can just feel her passion for life, love, emotional/physical well-being, and justice in her words.

"Radical Remedies" encourages readers to become empowered toward self-care and Ducham helps to provide the tools to do so. She focuses primarily on twenty-five of the most nourishing herbs and explains their benefits, uses, variations, and serves up a myriad of remedies in great deal. She explores such common issues as depression, insomnia, pain, the gut, tension, a broken heart, trauma, and more. She provides both encouragement and practical tools to make a difference. She presents herself as human, while also leaning into the vast knowledge she has gained from extensive study.

There are multiple reasons why I appreciated "Radical Remedies" even more than I expected. As someone who was born with spina bifida, I often find myself leaning into the wellness world cautiously as an awful lot of practitioners don't seem to recognize the words "wellness" and disability" in the same sentence. Personally, I believe they go together beautifully and I get the sense that Ducham would agree. She understands the value of contemporary medicine, but also believes its vastly over-utilized and, this is my wording, tends to put profits before people.

As someone who has had 50+ surgeries, I'd have to agree with that conclusion.

Yet, while I live with chronic illnesses there are a myriad of reasons why I've massively outlived my life expectancy and I believe it does come down to attitude, self-care, listening to my body, and not always leaning into medicine. So many predictions for me have been incorrect, from cognitive limitations to independent living and more. So, I guess what I'm saying is that Ducham presents with a balance that I find refreshing.

She's human and that comes through in her writing.

Ducham also avoids anything resembling a quick fix attitude. She understands that life is a journey and so is our movement toward well-being. There are, of course, things we can "fix" rather quickly but there are also journeys that will take long - for example, recovering from trauma. Again, Ducham seems to take a balanced, healthy approach to well-being that is refreshing and that I don't always see in this world. There are times I feel like a bit of an outcast, but "Radical Remedies" made me feel like I belong in the world even if I did find it a little overwhelming at times.

I do think that "Radical Remedies" is more a book for someone already on a wellness journey of some type or someone who has at least a basic knowledge of herbs and wellness. Ducham provides such an extensive knowledge base that if you're unfamiliar with basic terms it may prove to be a bit too much right off the bat. "Radical Remedies," I suppose, feels like it's for the person who's decided to truly gain deeper knowledge or to truly get serious about self-care and is ready to do something about it whether it's exploring herbs, learning recipes, or simply acquiring the tools one would need to truly begin leaning into this life style.

If you're truly ready to be empowered toward a healthier, cleaner, and more empowered life, then "Radical Remedies" is an engaging, empowering, and absolutely energized book that you'll enjoy from beginning to end.