Informative
helpful to learn more about natural medicine and remedies
a quick and easy read
able to jump around throughout book depending upon one's interests.
would be a good gift for a gardener or someone interested in natural health/remedies

This book is informative and practical. It serves as a trusted guidebook that you'll find yourself returning to again and again, and would be useful for people just beginning their journey into herbal medicine. It provides a good starting point for understanding how to harness natural ingredients to address modern-day ailments or concerns.

The author covers many important details. From how to safely source and store herbs, to proper dosages, safety considerations, key tools, and common ingredients. The book also offers valuable insight into preparation methods, application techniques, and provides a look at various plant profiles.

I especially enjoyed the opening chapters of this book as they serve as a beautiful introduction to the world of folk remedies and herbalism. The author invites readers on a personal and cultural journey. One that bridges ancestral knowledge with modern needs.

From the first pages, the writing shows respect for traditional healing practices. The author's Afro-Indigenous heritage is not only honored but also serves as a lens through which the reader gains insight into how folk medicine is both universal and deeply rooted in community.

I am excited to use it as a tool in my own herbal medicine journey. The only aspects I think are missing would be an even more in depth profile on specific herbs beyond basic information.

I enjoyed this book. It was very niche but o think the topic and the contents was useful and insightful

For those seeking more plant-based medical care, Herbal Medicine for Modern Life is worth a look.

The book’s two biggest sections concentrate on the medical uses of specific plants and recipes to use the plants in. I particularly liked the plant section because it explained what each plant was good for and who should avoid them.

The recipes were organized by health concern, such as migraines, insomnia, and sinus infections. Most of the recipes were either drinks or drops, and none of them seemed hard to create, but some were time consuming. While some recipes took a short amount of time to reach the finished product, others took weeks.

At the end of each recipe was a warning as to who should or should not use the recipe because of existing medical conditions or medications. This I found helpful as it kept the reader from having to go back in the book and investigate each plant on their own.

Thank you, Zeitgeist, for providing me with a copy of the book.

Super book! Very informative, with the ways to harvest, how to use, how NOT to use and bit of history. So great!
Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC.

I’ve been trying to get into herbal medicine and this is the perfect start for me! Very informative information. Thank you NetGalley and the author/publisher for this !

I was hoping for a guide on how to dip my toes into herbalism and that’s exactly what this is! Some philosophy followed by info on popular herbs followed by recipes. And the recipes ranged from tea blends (I can do that!) to tinctures (a little intimidating but I could get there).

I’ll be adding this one to my cookbook collection.

Thank you to Zeitgeist and NetGalley for an ARC of this book! This is my honest review.

I used to write in this genre 30 years ago occasionally for Mother Earth News. I love herbal medicine and know this topic. Author Ruth Blanding wrote an absolutely excellent book on this one . Her Table of Contents, her body of work, Index. and Bibliography are comprehensive and well done. This is a terrific resource for people trying to learn various herbal plants and their specific uses. At the same time she is cautious and wise in her advice. Her recipes address a wide variety of physical issues and their herbal plant remedies. This book is easy to understand and easy to read. Great recipes and blends. I give this book a five stars out of five. Well done.!

A great resource for herbal remedies. I really like how this book is laid out. It starts with a list of some of the most common herbs and information about them. It then breaks down different medical problems and has a wide range of herbal remedies that can be used. There are recipes for tinctures, syrups, teas, etc. There's also information included about avoiding interactions with modern medicine. This is thorough and I would highly recommend!

Thanks to NetGalley and Zeitgeist for a digital copy in exchange for my honest review.

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

Herbal Medicine for Modern Life is a fascinating and informative book about herbal medicine, its benefits, and the connection to nature.
Being a chronic pain sufferer, I've begun to look at more traditional treatments for pain and healing as my medications increase and change. I do hold a strong belief in nature and that there is a cure for everything within what we have around us, and so I jumped at the chance to read this book.
I loved the comprehensive insights into how to use herbs for medicinal reasons and the fact warnings were added amongst the information, too.
Each recipe was easy to follow and simplified to make it accessible and easy to make and included easily to source ingredients and herbs too making it even more user-friendly.
The book consists of recipes for tinctures, infusions, balms, and syrups, and I've screenshot many of these to try this summer. I'd love a physical copy of this book (I read the pdf version) to have to hand for the future as I'm hoping this will be a game changer for me in many ways.

I loved this book so much that I have purchased it. I love how it breaks down different uses, along with details for each herb. I enjoyed learning more and being able to use some of the recipes for everyday use.

Im glad i was able to have this handy just a week or so ago, The ICK was running through out home.
The coughing , sneezing, and overall ick was everywhere. We were able to find a few teas that really helped. The lung support tea seemed to hit the spot with our cough and that is now going to stay on stand by.

We try to stay as natural as possible so having a book like this with so many good and easy go to herbal supports is fantastic.

I will be gifting this to everyone for Christmas this year.

Thank you NetGalley and Zeitgeist

#HerbalMedicineforModernLife #NetGalley

This book is an excellent starting point for anyone interested in herbal medicine. Having been passionate about herbalism for some time, I particularly appreciate its focus on how herbal remedies can complement modern pharmaceuticals. The most important takeaway from this book is the emphasis on using herbal medicine alongside conventional treatments. The author encourages readers to always consult with their doctor and inform them of any new herbal additions to their regimen. Thankfully, most doctors are generally open to these natural supplements.

The book covers the basics of herbal medicine, offering a helpful introduction for beginners. It includes a concise list of essential plants to get started, along with a variety of recipes tailored to different health needs. I’m especially excited to try some of the recipes, particularly the aches and pains rub, which sounds promising!

While this book is an excellent resource for beginners, there are a couple of things to keep in mind. Not all of the claims are supported by scientific studies, which might be a turn-off for some readers. Personally, I take what resonates with me and leave what doesn’t. I also noticed that the book doesn’t provide a comprehensive list of contraindications for the ingredients in the recipes. For example, elderberry, which is commonly featured in herbal medicine, is not recommended for those with autoimmune conditions, a fact I believe is crucial to mention. Always do your own research—search for plant names along with “study” or “PubMed” for more information—and, of course, consult your doctor.

Overall, if you’re looking for a solid introductory guide to making your own herbal remedies, this book is a great choice. Just be sure to approach it with an open mind and a healthy dose of caution when it comes to any potential risks.

Herbal Medicine for Modern Life is a beautiful entree into the world of herbs and healing. While the more seasoned herbalist might not find much to interest them, those new to herbalism, or those who are simply herb curious will receive a lot of benefit from this informative and well thought out book. The author starts by explaining herbalism and herbal healing, moves on to a chosen selection of commonly used herbs and explains them in detail and follows with a herbal remedies for some of the most common ailments that plague us in modern times. The author ends the book with resources for learning more and purchasing supplies.

I really enjoyed the books easy to digest format and writing. It was very clear and concise. One area where I felt that the book was lacking was that nearly all the recipes listed contain multiple herbs to make up the recipe. While I enjoyed the recipes, I would have liked to have seen it explained the power of just a single herb in a remedy. Sometimes a plain cup of passionflower tea can help with insomnia. If orange peel is good for blood pressure control, how is it used? Can it be simple consumed as a tea or made into a tincture? As this book seems geared toward beginners, they should be informed of how these herbs can be used singly as well as mixed with other herbs. It's a missed opportunity, as it leads a novice to believe that herbal healing is reliant on a mix of herbs when that isn't always the case. Despite this, the book is lovely and I would certainly give it to anyone interested in learning to create their own herbal apothecary.

The recipes were the highlight of the book. They were well laid-out and organized. Some additional details may have been helpful (such as including if an herb should be crushed or not) but overall, they were well-detailed.

It promotes sustainability and respect, advising when it is or is not appropriate to collect herbs, how much is safe to collect, and help in identifying the best places to purchase hers.

The book does tries to balance the "herbs are helpful" with the "medical science is still legit" stance, and takes note where certain herbs may impact certain conditions or interfere with certain medications, and encourages the reader to always defer to a medical professional. But I did feel like it got close to minimizing certain conditions, like in implying that COVID-19, a mass disabling disease, just needs a few herbs. I don't know that this was the intention of the author, it may have just been presented this way for the sake of length.

I'm someone who is probably between novice and mid-level experience, and I think this book is appropriate for anyone from beginners to those who have some experience and are looking to branch out more. It's absolutely something I will be keeping on hand for continual reference.

@penguinrandomhouse #partner

Herbal Medicine for Modern Life is a great book for budding herbalists and the herb-curious. The book begins with the history of using herbs through the ages, working with medicinal plants, and the different herbal preparations.

The author then walks the reader through 37 of the most common herbs as if she's speaking disbelief directly to the reader. She explains who she likes the particular herb, its qualities, plant family, the medicinal parts of the plant, maladies it addresses, common preparations, and important considerations. Each topic is not overly involved but it is easily understood.

The final section of the book has herbal folk recipes for numerous ailments. These recipes are extremely easy to understand. These preparations include teas, salves, creams, tinctures, and capsules.

I highly recommend Herbal Medicine for Modern Life if you're considering working with herbs.

I have been interested in herbs and what they can be used for, cooking and medicinally, since I was a child. It started with a chart in the back of my mother’s Betty Crocker Cookbook.

Unfortunately, every time I tried to delve more deeply into herbs and spices, I would quickly become overwhelmed and set it aside for another time. Until now. Ruth Blanding’s book was just the right amount of information for me—picking her favorite medicinal herbs and plants along with her succinct info about them rather than trying to tell me about all the possibilities was perfect for me.

Then, following that, she offers a few recipes for teas, tinctures, balms and the like and what they can be specifically used for so that I could easily focus on what is right for me. I also loved that she would repeat her cautions about which herbs mixed badly with prescription medicines, and which weren’t right for pregnant or lactating women, that type of thing.

She ends the book with a list of her favorite books; resources, including websites, and a bibliography. An added bonus is the many colorful photos. I am now considering taking a class on herbal medicine and getting to know more about what I can grow or source myself.

This is an invaluable reference that I will definitely refer to for years to come. I started gardening in 2020 and this year I decided that I would like to learn more about growing herbs to use for medicinal purposes and teas. So when I received this book for review purposes from Zeitgeist press/Netgalley, as complimentary review copy, I was so excited! The author definitely has a lot of knowledge which she shares, the first portion of the book is an introduction to herbal medicine as a whole and the various herbs and plants that are most common/useful. The second portion of the book is recipes. I like how it’s broken down into sections, so you can easily find what you’re looking for - pain relief, insomnia, food intolerance, etc. Just about anything you might be looking to treat is in this book. I also very much appreciate that she includes who should NOT use a particular herb. At the end of each recipe, she includes notes like “Chicory should be avoided by anyone with IBS.” Chicory is a FODMAP so I really appreciate the depth of her knowledge!

The only thing that is a barrier for beginners like myself is that many of the recipes contain multiple ingredients that you will have to grow or purchase. I’m sure that this is of no fault of the author, as these are traditional recipes. For example, I had SIBO this year and I want to make the “Gut Biome Balancing powder” for GI support. It contains 6 ingredients, none of which are things that are commonly found in someone’s pantry. For those with access to a local health & wellness store with dried ingredients, it might not be such a barrier but sadly, my local store closed so I will have to order all the ingredients. I still think this is a 5 star book, but this may make the recipes difficult for people who do not have easy access to ingredients. I am going to pick a few common ingredients and grow them in my garden next spring! I’m very much looking forward to trying some of the recipes with herbs from my own garden.

Thank you for the free/gifted book, @penguinrandomhouse. I thoroughly enjoyed reading "Herbal Medicine for Modern Life--Traditional Folk Remedies for Everyday Health and Well-Being" by Ruth A. Blanding.
I have grown an herbal garden for years and enjoy using fresh herbs in cooking and tea. I knew the benefits of a few herbs, such as peppermint as an aid to quell nausea, but Ruth lists many other uses for this herb, as well as the uses of many other common herbs found worldwide. Her Native American and African heritage "grandmother wisdom" is a treasure passed on to all readers of this book and should be preserved for all time!
I did not know all the other benefits of herbal use for areas I learned about in chapters regarding herbal preparations for protection against environmental and lifestyle stressors, physical pain and discomfort, respiratory illnesses and allergies, chronic fatigue, and other areas of health and illness that are included in this wonderful book! I also appreciated her list of resources and herbal organizations at the end of the book. If you are interested in acquiring more knowledge about herbal medicine this is an interesting and educational book to read!

@penguinrandomhouse#partner #sponsored @penguinrandomhouse #netgallery

I found this interesting and an overarching look at concepts I didn't have knowledge on before reading. I was hoping it would go a bit deeper on certain terms and topics, but I did learn something!