Hedgerow Medicine: Harvest and Make your own Herbal Remedies

I bought this book after buying the Grow Your Own Drugs dvd and books. It is very accessible, easy to read and understand. It contains a wealth of information on plants and herbs, harvesting, location, and how to use them. What I love most is that although you cannot just lug it around everywhere whilst foraging (you could with a rucksack) and collecting, it is so beautifully illustrated that in no time you will easily recognise the plants you need whilst out and about on our shores, woods, meadows, scrubland and even in many urban areas. I was diagnosed with a controllable serious illness last year with no actual cure and keep it under control with medications which have all sorts of horrible side effects which eventually could cause organ deterioration. I was suitably alarmed and now have been able to amaze my specialist with rapid recovery and have changed my meds to a much safer and smaller type and dose due to my change in diet and herbal supplements. Many of the recipes have alleviated the side effects and calmed my condition down in a way my meds could not even touch. I am a very sceptical person so if I can be convinced-anyone can. It takes very little effort or skill either. I have shared this knowledge it presents with the recipes and remedies with work colleagues who are amazed. I have only had the book a short time. It has added even more pleasure to my woodland walks, seaside strolls and given me a new outlook on life with the ability to really appreciate the value and benefits of getting back to nature.I have even discovered new uses for what grows in my garden already. Buy this, the James wong books and dvd and Richard Mabey's food for free and nature cure if you really want to look after your health and improve your diet for free. I feel like a new woman. I have never had so much fun either. Now I love to photograph and chart my finds and have my own local guide to my finds and how I have used them Give it a go, I feel positively evangelical. The least it will do is get you out and about to appreciate the calm and beauty which surrounds us.

Oh, I just love this book! I've been wanting to get into herbal medicine for a while now, but I didn't know where to start. My mother has always been fascinated with 'herbalism' and it kind of rubbed off on me after I watched James Wong's Grow Your Own Drugs a few years ago. We bought Wong's book and flipped through the pages together, but the book only included recipes for things like varicose veins and head lice with additional ingredients that were expensive to buy (haha! I just looked through the reviews for this book and saw that someone else mentioned Grow Your Own Drugs). I saw this book on Amazon, and thought I'd give it a go. With this book, I wasn't disappointed. It contains each herb, with its own page or two (or three) about what it does, how to use it, how the herb was used in history with a beautiful accompanying picture to boot! I'm a sucker for history, and this book brought me much joy reading about herbs I'd viewed as weeds in the past, and how useful they really are! Chickweed, for example, which I always pull up and toss aside to be throw away or given to my guinea pigs, will proudly be dried and bottled by me this year to aid weight loss and help me soothe the itchy skin I get during summer. I definitely feel there should be more people my age (I'm in my early 20s) who should know (and be taught) more about these natural medicines. With the help of this book, I will walk around the woodlands and fields come spring to pick and select my own medicine. How awesome is that? Nature's pharmacy. UPDATE: So, it’s been 6 years since I wrote this review (we’re in 2022 now). In that time I’ve had a child who’s now a toddler and I’m in my late 20s. The world has changed so much in that time! I’ve come back to say I (and my mum) are still absolutely in love with this book and it has been of so much use/assistance to myself and my family. I think it’s clear - now more than ever - that we must take personal responsibility for our health and equip ourselves with the knowledge we need to flourish in this world. We need to be more in harmony with nature. Our world isn’t stable at present and we cannot always guarantee pharmaceutical medicine will be available at our fingertips 24/7. Just take a look at the news whenever you’re reading this and you’ll see things aren’t going in a good direction. This is why books (like this one) are so valuable. This book arms you with so much knowledge - to me it is priceless. I think it’s insane to ignore the natural medicine that grows all around us, if you’re reading this and searching for herbal medicine books like I did 6 years ago… I’m guessing you agree? I’ve used this book more times than I can count and the herbs have been amazing at treating all kinds of ailments! Ranging from high blood pressure in my dad, anaemia, irregular menstrual cycles and infections (and much more). There’s so much to be said about this book that I can’t fit everything into a single review, so buy it and read it yourself! You won’t be disappointed. One thing I forgot to mention in my review is the fact Julie and Matthew even PROVIDE THE DOSAGES so you don’t have to do any guesswork! Truly an incredible book that serves my family year after year. Many thanks and much love to the authors - as you can tell we’re big fans!

Just the best book on herbal / hedgerow medicine you will find. Julie Bruton-Seal and Matthew Seal's style is informative, engaging and humorous as well as being incredibly inspiring. I would read this book at night - it's as good as a novel - and hardly be able to wait to get out into the countryside with my scissors and basket the minute I got up in the morning. I'm not anywhere near a herbalist, just a lay person with an interest and a science/botany background, and I know of several plant / flower remedies that definitely worked for me so I am interested to try more. I think it particularly appeals because the advice is so believable, from Julie's personal experience from years as a herbalist, in contrast to other books which appear to have been put together by a commissioning editor. Julie describes actual case studies like treating someone in their family; she also notes which remedies are gentle enough for children. The range of conditions for which each plant is recommended to be used is also believably narrowed down - again other books tend to list a random assortment gleaned from sources ranging from Pliny to Culpepper to folklore, some or all of which may be hearsay. My only reservation is the inclusion of the preparation and use of flower essences (not many recipes mentioned - self-heal and three or four others from memory) which is not something I personally have much time for, being all scientific and rational and that, but even I began to wonder whether I'm wrong after reading it here. Finally, the photos are beautifully shot, the margin notes informative and there are actual recipes! With doses! Wow. In summary, I wish this book was twice the length, it's so readable. Definitely recommended.

Put simply, this is the only book you'll ever require......don't hesitate, don't wonder if I should, buy it. The descriptions are beautifully simple and straightforward, are not confusing in any way, and highly informative. The photography is beautiful and super helpful to identify the plants you need, no little crappy out of focus snapshots of plants, but big, super quality photographs. To say I'm impressed with this book is a huge understatement, I wasn't expecting much, but, what I have is an absolute treasure and will go with me everywhere now on countryside walks.....indispensable is a good word. If your a Doctor, buy this book, it will open up a world of natural remedies and powerful drugs that aren't synthesised in a Laboratory for Drug companies to make their fortunes out of.

I absolutely LOVE this book! It is really inspiring and actually seems realistic for the average person as there are so many things in it that you recognise but would never realise you could use at all, never mind ingest!. Very clear and straight forward with name alternatives that the average person would know and not just those complicated Latin names that make nature so scary and alien sometimes. I am starting a collection of jars and bottles ready to fill with my 'weeds'! Very exciting and just can't put the book down. So simple to follow and clear recipes to follow for each plant and what they are good for etc. It's not just a quick page per plant either. You don't feel rushed, plenty of info to get you out there foraging. Also include some foraging rules etc so people don't start pulling up things they shouldn't and harm the environment. If you are interested in foraging, maybe haven't done much before or are scared of pulling out something poisonous, buy this lovely book!

I was really impressed with the simplicity of this book, and the coloured pictures, insights, instructions and guidance that it gives. In other words, there are no expensive, long winded medicines and tinctures in this book, just good old fashioned, wisdom and direction. If you want to be prepared? then this is the book for you.

This has got to be one of the best books I have ever bought. It is one of the most informative and helpful books about everyday wild plants you would find by the wayside and in local fields or spare ground, even weeds in your garden. The colour pictures and illustrations are fabulous and the recipes most helpful. I will most definately be foraging this spring and summer and stocking up my cabinets with herbal remedies, homemade bath and skin oils, muscle rubs and anything else thats good for you. The only downside to this wonderful book is that it isnt big enough, I really wish the author had gone to town and put most plants and herbs in there it would be well worth the time and I would have definately spent more money to acquire it.

This is such a useful book. It offers sound, practical advice on using some of the most common wayside plants found in the UK along with full botanical information, clear photographs and interesting folklore associated with each plant. For each herb included there is a list of ailments which might benefit from it's use and the appropriate form of preparation to use. Beginners to herbalism would certainly find this a very interesting and inspiring book to have on hand while more advanced herbalist might find the list of herbs included rather limiting although I suspect they might find some of the recipes both novel and useful. Definately recommended for all herbalists both new and advanced.

Presenta alcune delle erbe più comuni e diffuse in UK (quasi tutte presenti anche in Italia). Bella impaginazione con numerose foto. Molto informativo, con diverse ricette. Uno dei miei preferiti.

Un magnifique livre de plantes en anglais très bien expliqué,tout ce que j'attendais. Encore très bien, je vous le conseille si vous pratiquez l'anglais.

I've got tons of miscellaneous herbals with lists of plants and their properties; this one is special because the information is deep and rich and dense with both the fascinating lore and history of plants and the instructions for practical use in treating ailments. This book is UK-centric... There are some plants mentioned in this book that only grow in UK and Europe; this is a bit disappointing because I'm in Canada and those plants don't grow here... but I knew that going in. Most of the plants mentioned are very common here and I've seen quite a few myself on my foraging hikes.

I love this book. It is written in an understandable and interesting way. The photos are very helpful, large, and colorful. The usage guides take the mystery out of making herbal medicine and offer accessible and fun formulas. It's a UK based book, but as someone living at a similar latitude in the US, it is perfectly applicable to my climate. This is my favorite herbalism book!

I use this book as my number one source for herbal remedies and how to make them. It is simple, well organized, and maps to what other sources say about herbs. I have recommended this book to my family and friends interested in alternative medicine.