Reddit reviews PDR for Herbal Medicines, 4th Edition

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Most the edible and medicinal plant books cover wild plants. They often also have pseudoscience presented as fact or just outright falsehood so without some knowledge of the subject just picking up a few books could do more harm than good. We would also need some idea of your location to make good recommendations. An idea of your available space and goals would also be helpful. Sorry I can't give a straight answer but the subject is nuanced.

Having said that, I would recommend two sources as a starting point: PDR for herbal medicines https://www.amazon.com/PDR-Herbal-Medicines-Thomson-Healthcare/dp/1563636786/ref=mp_s_a_1_2?keywords=pdr+herbal+medicines&qid=1573757937&sr=8-2 and Germany's Commission E https://buecher.heilpflanzen-welt.de/BGA-Commission-E-Monographs/

Both are scientifically valid collections of monographs on medicinal plants. They don't cover a lot of what you are looking for -such as gardening help- and they also cover things that should only be used by advanced practitioners -please don't try to make tincture of opium. But, they are rigorously reviewed for scientific accuracy and contain very good preparation and dosing guidelines. My suggestion would be to visit local botanical gardens and horticultural supply centers and ask what kind of medicinal plants are commonly grown in your area. Your local extension service probably has a master gardener program that will also be very useful. After you have a list of common medicinal plants for your area, look them up on Commission E and PDR For Herbal Medicines and only plant the ones that are known to be effective AND can be prepared by a beginner.

Good luck.

You have the right attitude, and this makes me happy. Nothing is benign. Not even water. First lesson of toxicology. However, even chamomile can cause palpitations in some people. Get in touch with Kiva Rose. Matthew Wood is probably one of the best herbalists in the US. And Bastyr is one of the best places to study in America. If you have the love for botany and pharmacology and the instinct for healing, these people will point you in the right direction. As for book sources, I can recommend Bartram's Encyclopedia of Herbal Medicine even though some of this is quite old information. There are plenty more books, but start there. You are on the right track with why the 90% Calendula tincture is mostly used topically, but it's also used internally in certain situations. Study, study, study. The PDR for Herbal Medicines will give you a lot of help, too.

If you go the natural herbs route, check into a book called the "PDR for Herbal Medicines", the most recent edition you can find. It lists all the herbal medications currently on the market, dosage levels, chemical composition, warnings to users, contraindications, etc, etc, etc.

(The first link that I found when I searched for it was at an Amazon site - http://www.amazon.com/PDR-Herbal-Medicines-4th-Edition/dp/1563636786 - but I'm sure other major book chains will have copies available.)

It won't tell you what you should be taking; it will tell you what effects any particular herb you're on has.