Healing with Medicinal Plants of the West
Cultural and Scientific Basis for their Use

Cecilia Garcia & James D. Adams, Jr.

This informative guide covers the traditional healing uses and modern pharmacological data on 115 native plants found in California and the West. While western plants have been used in healing for thousands of years, this book carefully explains the uses of each plant for healing and the spiritual dimension of that healing process. Written by a Chumash healer and a professor of pharmacology, this book is like no other, presenting the spiritual dimension of healing as a necessary part of the healing process.

For each plant, the guidebook provides a color photograph, a description, traditional uses (both primary and secondary), active chemical compounds, and recommendations for its use. Common plants covered in this guide include agave, alumroot, baby blue eyes, bladderpod, blue dicks, blue flag iris, California bay, California buckeye, California poppy, ceanothus (3 species), chamise, Chinese houses, clematis (2 species), coffeeberry, columbine, coyote brush, datura, dogbane, elderberry, ephedra (3 species), hedge nettle, juniper, larkspur, lomatium, lupine, manzanita, mesquite (2 species), milkweed (3 species), miners lettuce, mugwort, ocotillo, Oregon grape, penstemon, peony, poison oak, prickly pear, rose (2 species) sage (5 species), snowberry, soap plant (2 species), stinging nettle, sunflower, toyon, tule, willow, yarrow, yerba santa (2 species), and yucca (3 species).

Includes a fascinating section on red harvester ants used in healing, plus a recipe for modern acorn preparation in the valley oak section, and a new section: Sacred Not Psychedelic. This third edition has four new pages of introductory material: Is Something Wrong with Modern Medicine?, The Power of Modern Drugs, How Can Traditional Healing Help?, and Disease Prevention Is the First Priority.

Now in its third edition.

266 pages, 5.5" x 8.5", full-color cover, 115 color photographs, 2 other illustrations, references, index, 2012. Published by Abedus Press.
ISBN 978-0-9763091-9-2. trade paper

$17.95