Plants of the Gods: Their Sacred, Healing, and Hallucinogenic Powers


Richard Evans Schultes
    • Numerous new and rare color photographs complement the completely revised and updated text. • Explores the uses of hallucinogenic plants in shamanic rituals throughout the world. • Cross-referenced by plant, illness, preparation, season of collection, and chemical constituents. Three scientific titans join forces to completely revise the classic text on the ritual uses of psychoactive plants. They provide a fascinating testimony of these "plants of the gods," tracing their uses throughout the world and their significance in shaping culture and history. In the traditions of every culture, plants have been highly valued for their nourishing, healing, and transformative properties. The most powerful of those plants, which are known to transport the human mind into other dimensions of consciousness, have always been regarded as sacred. The authors detail the uses of hallucinogens in sacred shamanic rites while providing lucid explanations of the biochemistry of these plants and the cultural prayers, songs, and dances associated with them. The text is lavishly illustrated with 400 rare photographs of plants, people, ceremonies, and art related to the ritual use of the world's sacred psychoactive flora.

The Pure Heart of Yoga: Ten Essential Steps for Personal Transformation


Robert J. Butera - 2009
    Perfect awareness. True beauty. Yoga is much more than just a physical activity. It is a conscious lifestyle that brings about a profound spiritual and personal transformation. This book on yoga invites you to experience yoga as the ancient masters intended it--a holistic way of life that unites the body, mind, and spirit for complete health and well-being.With clear instruction, Dr. Robert Butera guides you through ten steps on the path of yoga that are based on traditional yogic principles and practices, yet designed to fit seamlessly into your life. Yoga enthusiasts of all kinds will discover effective tools for creating a life of healthful beauty and inner peace.Understand the role of physical poses within the larger, holistic system of yoga Practice breathing techniques (pranayama), work with your energy centers (chakras), and develop your concentration Overcome psychological blocks, balance your emotions, and grow emotionally and spiritually Visit www.pureheartofyoga.com for free video clips of demonstrated yoga postures.Praise: "The Pure Heart of Yoga will bring increased depth to your yoga practice...It is an excellent book: thoughtful, reflective, deep, and accessible."--Eleanor Criswell, Ed.D., author of How Yoga Works"That he's able to instruct and inspire with a warm heart and skillful direction, without judgment or prejudice about the "style" or your yoga of choice, is good reason to believe this book will bring life to your practice."--Yoga Journal

Edible and Medicinal Plants of the West


Gregory L. Tilford - 1997
    Herbalist and naturalist Gregory Tilford provides a thorough introduction to the world of herbal medicine for everyone interested in plants, personal well-being, and a healthy environment.

Face Reading in Chinese Medicine


Lillian Bridges - 2003
    Based on an understanding of the shapes, markings and features of a face, a therapist can discover important facts about the health and life of a patient, related to the principles of Chinese medicine. In addition to understanding how the body's internal functions can be seen on a face, readers will also learn to evaluate non-verbal expressions and assess personality from features and markings of the patient's face. Clear discussions demonstrate how this technique can be used as a supplement to other diagnostic tools in Traditional Chinese Medicine. Engaging, insightful, highly readable text is written by a well-known and experienced lecturer in the field. Extensive illustrations give you a clear understanding of theories and techniques. A focus on the deeper aspects of face reading and diagnosis helps readers become more conscious of their actions, reactions, and the health consequences of behavior.

Hands-On Healing Remedies: 150 Recipes for Herbal Balms, Salves, Oils, Liniments Other Topical Therapies


Stephanie L. Tourles - 2012
    Stephanie Tourles offers 150 original recipes for herbal balms, oils, salves, liniments, and other topical ointments to treat a wide range of conditions. This comprehensive guide is filled with safe and effective cures for scores of common ailments, including headaches, backaches, arthritis, insomnia, splinters, and more. Take control of your well-being and stock your family’s medicine cabinet with gentle, all-natural homemade healing formulations.

Encyclopedia of Natural Medicine


Michael T. Murray - 1990
    Michael Murray and Joseph Pizzorno, two of the most trusted naturopathic doctors in the world, have teamed up once again to bring you cutting-edge natural remedies for the most common ailments. Easy to understand, a pleasure to read, yet scientifically well researched and documented, this is your complete health adviser to the natural approach to over 70 diseases, from arthritis to varicose veins. In addition, this life-long reference offers important information on: ·The four cornerstones of good health and how to achieve them ·How to enhance your body's key systems ·How to promote good health and increase longevityAuthoritative and up to date, the Encyclopedia of Natural Medicine is the essential medical reference no home should be without.

Aromatherapy for Healing the Spirit: Restoring Emotional and Mental Balance with Essential Oils


Gabriel Mojay - 2000
    • Explains the esoteric and energetic healing properties of 40 essential oils to help restore balance to the body and psyche. • Provides help for a wide range of common emotional and mental complaints. • Includes full-color illustrations to guide readers through the massage and acupressure sequences. In this unique synthesis of Eastern and Western healing approaches, Gabriel Mojay combines the practice of aromatherapy with the wisdom of traditional Chinese medicine. Mojay explains the esoteric and energetic healing properties of 40 essential oils and shows how they can be used to manipulate qi, the body's vital energy, to stimulate healing from negative emotional and mental states. Some forms of nervous tension, for example, are caused by stagnant qi energy, which can be released with essential oils. Aromatherapy for Healing the Spirit provides help for a wide range of common emotional and mental complaints--including depression, low energy, lack of concentration, poor memory, anxiety, and low self-esteem. Easy-to-reference charts and full-color illustrations teach simple aromatherapeutic massage and acupressure techniques that restore balance to the body and psyche.

The Green Pharmacy


James A. Duke - 1997
    Now, in Green Pharmacy by James A. Duke (with illustrations by Peggy Kessler Duke), America's foremost authority on medicinal plants and herbs shares his knowledge of these hidden reserves of healing power.* For Arthritis: A new, all-natural remedy that can cut pain in half.* For Back Pain: A fruit that has anti-inflammatory properties to produce long-term relief.* For Your Heart: An herb that opens up clogged arteries and lowers blood pressure, with none of the side effects of prescription drugs.* For High Cholesterol: A tasty grain that has three times more cholesterol-lowering power than oat bran.* For Migraines: An herb that has the power to eliminate the blurred vision and debilitating pain of these monster headaches.* For Mood Swings: A common food that shares the power of Prozac to boost the brain's level of "feel-good" serotonin.* For Osteoporosis: A prime plant source of calcium that vastly enhances protection against bone depletion.* For Wrinkles: An herbal lotion that has the skin-clearing, wrinkle-reversing power of alpha hydroxy acid but costs only pennies.And much more-- over 120 conditions in all!

A Practical Guide to Vibrational Medicine: Energy Healing and Spiritual Transformation


Richard Gerber - 2001
    A growing number of pioneering researchers embrace a new view of healing—one expounded by Dr. Richard Gerber in his groundbreaking bestseller, Vibrational Medicine.Now he shows how to put this new way of thinking into practical use, describing the role of consciousness and "thought forms," as well as the benefits of homeopathy, acupuncture, color and light healing, magneto biology, and other therapies. A traditionally trained physician, Dr. Gerber combines scientific evidence with traditional methods from the East and West to unlock our potential for healing ourselves.

Organic Body Care Recipes


Stephanie Tourles - 2007
    Stephanie Tourles shows you how to use fruit, flowers, herbs, and minerals to craft healthy products that promote radiant skin, strong nails, shiny hair, and an elevated mood. Pamper yourself from head to toe with products like Strawberry Cleanser, Pineapple Sunflower Scrub, and Almond Rose Body Lotion. Gentle on your skin and free of harsh chemicals found in commercial products, you’ll want to indulge yourself over and over with these luxuriously aromatic bath blends, face masks, and body scrubs.

T'ai Chi Classics


Waysun Liao - 1990
    T'ai Chi Classics presents the inner meaning and techniques of T'ai Chi movements through translations of three core classics of T'ai Chi, often considered the T'ai Chi Bible. The texts are introduced by three chapters explaining how to increase inner energy (ch'i), transform it into inner power (jing), and project this inner power outward to repel an opponent without physical contact. Master Liao also provides a description of the entire sequence of T'ai Chi movements, illustrated by his own line drawings.

Healing With Whole Foods: Asian Traditions and Modern Nutrition


Paul Pitchford - 1993
    It's also a primer on nutrition--including facts about green foods, such as spirulina and blue-green algae, and the regeneration diets used by cancer patients and arthritics--along with an inspiring cookbook with more than 300 mostly vegetarian, nutrient-packed recipes.The information on Chinese medicine is useful for helping to diagnose health imbalances, especially nascent illnesses. It's smartly paired with the whole-foods program because the Chinese have attributed various health-balancing properties to foods, so you can tailor your diet to help alleviate symptoms of illness. For example, Chinese medicine dictates that someone with low energy and a pale complexion (a yin deficiency) would benefit from avoiding bitter foods and increasing sweet foods such as soy, black sesame seeds, parsnips, rice, and oats. (Note that the Chinese definition of sweet foods is much different from the American one!)Pitchford says in his dedication that he hopes the reader finds healing, awareness, and peace from following his program. The diet is certainly acetic by American standards (no alcohol, caffeine, white flour, fried foods, or sugar, and a minimum of eggs and dairy) but the reasons he gives for avoiding these negative energy foods are compelling. From the adrenal damage imparted by coffee to immune dysfunction brought on by excess refined sugar, Pitchford spurs you to rethink every dietary choice and its ultimate influence on your health. Without being alarmist, he adds dietary tips for protecting yourself against the dangers of modern life, including neutralizing damage from water fluoridation (thyroid and immune-system problems may result; fluoride is a carcinogen). There's further reading on food combining, female health, heart disease, pregnancy, fasting, and weight loss. Overall, this is a wonderful book for anyone who's serious about strengthening his or her body from the inside out.

20,000 Secrets of Tea: The Most Effective Ways to Benefit from Nature's Healing Herbs


Victoria Zak - 1999
    He taught his son 80,000 secrets. On his deathbed, he told his son to visit his grave in five years, and there he would find the other 20,000 secrets. When the son went to his father's grave, he found, growing on the site, the tea shrub....Teas are the gentle, natural, most beneficial way to absorb the healing properties of herbs--easily and inexpensively. A simple cup of tea not only has the power to soothe and relax but to deliver healing herbal agents to the bloodstream more quickly than capsules, tinctures, or infusions. Feeling tired? Rose hip tea will rev you up and beautify your skin. Need some help with your diet? Ginger tea will provide the boost you need and help aching joints too. Hot or iced, these pure and simple drinks offer delicious ways to stay healthy and revitalize you from the inside out. This unique guide offers:An A-Z listing of common ailments followed by the teas best used to treat themInstructions on how to create your own medicinal kitchenAdvice on creating your own tea blendsDescriptions of the top 100 herbs and their secret healing propertiesAnd much, much more!

The Herbal Kitchen: Cooking with Fragrance and Flavor


Jerry Traunfeld - 2005
    In The Herbal Kitchen, IACP award-winning cookbook author and acclaimed Herbfarm Restaurant chef Jerry Traunfeld presents simple dishes using herbs straight from the market, windowsill, or garden.Until recently, the fresh herbs available in supermarkets were limited to parsley and maybe dill. Today, thyme, rosemary, basil, cilantro, mint, and sage are among the many fresh herbs as close as the produce section or the farmer's market. Not to mention marjoram, lovage, tarragon, lavender, shiso, and so many others.Jerry shows you how to incorporate these fresh herbs into your everyday home meals. So whether preparing a workday supper for the family, a special dinner for two or four, or a feast for a table of guests, using fresh herbs in your cooking will result in fresh and vibrant food.The Herbal Kitchen includes some recipes that are home variations of the innovative dishes Jerry prepares at the Herbfarm, while others are fresh takes on familiar classics such as Herb Garden Lasagna or Shrimp in Garlic-Sage Butter. All are uncomplicated and prep time is minimal -- with the emphasis on spontaneity and the unmistakable flavors of fresh herbs.Start off with Asparagus and Lemon Thyme Soup, Spicy Verbena Meatballs, or Rye-Thyme Cheese Straws before moving on to Cinnamon Basil Chicken, Side of Salmon Slow-Roasted in Dill, and Root Ribbons with Sage. Delectable desserts include Warm Lavender Almond Cakes, Rhubarb Mint Cobbler, and a sinful Chocolate Peppermint Tart.Once you're hooked on cooking with fresh herbs, you'll want to grow them yourself. The Herbal Kitchen is filled with important tips for growing, harvesting, and handling each of the herbs used in the recipes. Valuable information on the varieties of each herb is also highlighted, such as how to tell the difference between Greek oregano and Italian oregano, why you always want to choose bay laurel over California bay, and what type of lavender is best for cooking.Filled with stunning photos of the herbs, the techniques for handling them, and the finished dishes, Jerry's definitive guide is sure to be a classic, reached for again and again.

Wise Woman Herbal for the Childbearing Year


Susun S. Weed - 1985
    A confirmed favorite with pregnant women, midwives, childbirth educators, and new parents. Packed with clear, comforting, and superbly helpful information.Beginning with the two months before pregnancy, herbs are enlisted to provide safe, effective birth control, or to help ensure pregnancy, even in the most difficult of situations. A special list of teratogens, including herbs to avoid before pregnancy, is included, as is a section on herbs to improve the father's fertility and reduce the risk of birth defects.Once pregnancy has occurred, herbs are safe and beneficial allies in reducing the distress of pregnancy, including hemorrhoids, high blood pressure, morning sickness, emotional changes, anemia, muscle cramps, bladder infections, and preclampsia. Tasty recipes and clear directions make use easy and fun.Herbs take a starring role in labor and delivery -- whether initiating labor, increasing energy, diminishing pain, or staunching postpartum bleeding -- and in postpartum care of the mother's perineum, breasts, and emotions, and the infants umbilicus, skin, scalp, digestive system, and immune system.Humorous, tender, and detailed, this classic text is supported by illustrations, references, resource lists, glossary, and index.Includes herbs for fertility and birth control. Foreword by Jeannine Parvati Baker.