The Herbalist's Guide

Create the home apothecary of your dreams!

With a little bit of knowledge, Mary Colvin, RH (AHG) believes that anyone can develop their own homemade remedies and medicines. In The Herbalist’s Guide, she introduces you to the world of herbalism and shares her own knowledge about herbal actions, the concept of energetics and its importance in herbalism, basic botany, harvesting, herbal preparations, miscellaneous materials used to make herbal medicine, and other tools of the trade.

Chapters include full-color photos for identification and come with exercises for information retention, suggestions for additional reading and education, and recipes for simple remedies. By the end of this book, you will come away with:

• An understanding of herbalism basics
• Guidance to experiment with thirty-five commonly used herbs
• All the information you need to practice safely and effectively
• A fully stocked home medicine chest
• And so much more!

Grow your own herbs and be armed with natural solutions to help heal your family from everyday issues with The Herbalist’s Guide.

Mary Colvin is a registered herbalist (RH) of the American Herbalists Guild (AHG) and the owner of Ancestral Herbology. She wants to continue to inspire a new generation of herbalists and provide education and mentorship in the study of herbalism with the safe practice of using herbs as medicine. She has devoted her time and efforts toward the future of herbalism as the former treasurer and vice chair of the AHG, the host of Herbology Talk, as a speaker, as the host of the Training in Herbalism series on TikTok @simpletrainingherbalist, and through her website www.herbalistmentor.com.

"Mary Colvin’s The Herbalist’s Guide is delightfully conversational and humble. Mary covers absolutely every detail a budding herbalist needs in order to understand the depth and breadth of herbal practice. Colvin’s presentation contains balanced advice and foundational skills. This guide will become dog-eared from the constant returning to dirt-smeared pages. A soothing overview of herbal terms, preparations, tools of the trade, care of oils, tinctures, dried plants, oh my, the list is too long, and so thorough. And, like a good teacher, Mary shares some homework in each chapter to implant the knowledge. You will not feel alone while using this handbook! I felt I had a wise and steady earth mother guiding me toward practical skills. A gift for all wishing to practice well."
—Margi Flint, RH (AHG), owner of Earthsong Herbals in Marblehead, Massachusetts, and author of The Practicing Herbalist

“Mary has done an excellent job in laying out all the foundational principles a beginner or intermediate student of herbalism needs to learn in order to become a competent herbalist, either for themselves or others. She tells you how to find competent sources of information, source quality herbal materials through harvesting or purchase, and understand the medicinal properties of plants. This includes an excellent discussion of herbal energetics and how to use properties and energetics to select remedies. Her materia medica section provides useful information about harvesting, preparing, and administering many commonly used herbal remedies. The Herbalist’s Guide will make a great addition to any herbalist’s library.”
— Steven Horne, RH(AHG) 

“I am hard pressed to say what Mary Colvin does not cover in this fabulous guide for those embarking on the path of herbalism. Her depth of experience and wisdom shine through on every page whether it be growing, harvesting, medicine making, safety issues and even sage advice on how to navigate online resources. Her writing feels as if she is in the room with you as her years of experience lend a deep sense of comfort as you begin or further your work with plants. She reveals her true skill as an educator and herbalist as she begins at the beginning where most books fail to mention – Herbalism and Botany. Honoring the relationships, we need to cultivate with the plant world, Mary tenderly addresses vital ecological issues of today empowering the reader to engage as a participant in the preservation of this ancient tradition. And of course, I love her brilliant teachings on energetics, the foundational language of herbalism.” 

—Kat Maier, RH (AHG), author of Energetic Herbalism: A Guide to Sacred Plant Traditions and Winner of Gold Medal Nautilus Book Award for Ecological/Healing Arts 

“The Herbalist’s Guide is a fantastic resource for fledgeling home herbalists and students looking for an affordable and approachable yet thorough resource to learn herbalism and incorporate it into their daily lives. Consider this book a foundational herbal study program in book form. The exercises speckled throughout are a gem to gain *experience* with the herbal medicine while learning the plants, body, and building a home apothecary.” 

—Maria Noel Groves, RH(AHG), Clinical Herbalist at Wintergreen Botanicals and Author of Body into Balance 
 

The Herbalist’s Guide is an authentic journey of a teacher mentoring the budding herbalist with detailed tools of consideration on developing their plant relationship, growth and cultivation.  Colvin expresses herself in a manner that’s simple to understand and grasps the fundamental principles of building your own apothecary. This read is reminiscent of a cheerful, clear, culturally sensitive grandma holding my hand to share with me the steps needed to develop my personal relationship with plants. What a source of encouragement and wisdom graced with beautiful pictures for the serious seeker of foundational herb knowledge. I’ll be recommending this to my students
—Olatokunboh Obasi MSc., RH (AHG), CNS is founder and educator of Well of Indigenous Wisdom School.