The way of herbs

by Michael Tierra

Book by Tierra, Michael

Genres: Health, Herbs, Nonfiction, Reference, Nature, Gardening, Food

216 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1980

About the author

A pioneer in the study of traditional Chinese and Ayurvedic medicine in the West, Michael is credited with bringing the hugely popular herb echinacea back into common usage in the United States. His expertise comes from over 30 years of practice and study in North America, China, and India.

Dr. Tierra is the founder of the American Herbalists Guild, author of numerous books on health and herbal healing including The Way of Herbs, The Natural Remedy Bible and The Way of Chinese Herbs, (Pocket Books), Planetary Herbology, Chinese Traditional Herbal Medicine, Vol. 1 & 2 Biomagnetic and Herbal Therapy Lotus Press) and The East West Course of Herbology.

Dr. Tierra lives in Ben Lomond and practices nearby at the East West clinic in Santa Cruz at the northern end of Monterey Bay in Central California.

Reviews

[Krista · Rating 5 out of 5]

Awesome breadth and depth of information! This book contains so much knowledge that I can read page after page, fascinated by the different properties of each herb. It's unquestionably the most comprehensive herbal reference I currently have on the shelf! Others are more specialized, of course, but this one is invaluable for talking about pretty much "all the things." Includes indications, physiological effects, and cautions for herbs - I know it's not *all* the herbal knowledge on the planet, but it's pretty darn close! I use this all the time and consider it an essential reference.

[Lily Valleyrie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Holy Shi- this was so needed. america’s education system is messed up and the nurses I have spoken to about this they say they are considering leaving big pharma and returning to the slow healing way of life

[Tammy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very thorough and contains helpful healthful solutions!

[Rachel · Rating 4 out of 5]

I generally liked the book and I think the author presented the information in a useful way. He also seemed respectful of Chinese culture when he discussed traditional Chinese medicine. I also appreciated that he cited research studies when appropriate.
However, I think the author should have been more explicit when discussing using herbs as a complementary treatment to more traditional medicine. He does say this in several places, including in the section about cancer treatment (which is mostly about diet and helping patients with chemo and radiation), but I think he should have been more forceful with this idea.

[Joshua Sawyer · Rating 3 out of 5]

It is what it is. Filled with herbal lore and kitchen medicine. Interesting to read as a commentary on where herbal medicine found itself in the seventies … but … it’s certainly not for anyone with a modicum of scientific understanding.

[Gaby · Rating 5 out of 5]

The best in understanding the basics of herbology and the various classifications and how to do your own formulas.

[Amanda · Rating 4 out of 5]

Some of the information particularly on women's health is a bit outdated but, as an overall introduction to herbal medicines, it stands the test of time. I appreciated the attention paid to formulation and preparation as well as the brief foray into Chinese medicinal herbs and constitutions. Will be keeping it on hand as a reference.

[Leah Moore · Rating 3 out of 5]

It’s a bit more advanced than what I was looking for. Very little for illustrations and pictures.

[Cheng Cheng · Rating 5 out of 5]

Definitely need to reread it all the time to really understand it and remember it!

[Gabrielle Cogar · Rating 5 out of 5]

Was really impressed with this book. It is definitely my go to reference book. There aren't a lot of illustrations, but there are other books out there just for illustration.

[Paul · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent descriptions of applications and practical uses. There's an entire chapter on supplementing traditional medical cancer treatment with herbs.

[Trinity · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good info. Cancer treatment part is a little wishy-washy but everything else is super interesting

[Justin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not as much information as I'd like on the herbs, though there is a large amount of herbs covered

[Tucker Johnson · Rating 4 out of 5]

All around good intro book for herbs, part of the plants to use, their ailments, classification, and how to apply them to daily routine and life. I like how he says eating a balanced diet is more important than taking any herbal supplements. Very good info on chinese medicine and how to balance yin/yang in foods in the diet whether you eat meat or not. Something missing though was a comparison of chinese and auyervedic.

[Dr. Kim · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've read this book before but have to read it AGAIN for another course. I think the herb info in it is excellent although the new agey beliefs do not resonate at all with me - and that was just reading through all the intros, prefaces, etc this book has. This book does have very good information - it is one of the books I keep on my desk for easy reference.

[HeavyReader · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was recommended by the woman who taught a three day intensive herbal class that I attended in 2003. I use it often. Very useful if you follow Chinese medicine and need to know about herbs from that perspective.

[Peter · Rating 5 out of 5]

would recommend this to anyone interested in learning more about herbs. A great place to start. gives a good overview of plant medicine.

[Diane Giurco · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is one of the best herbs books.Everything you will need to know about almost any herb is in this book.

[Michael · Rating 5 out of 5]

must have reference for herbal remedies

[Dianne · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is one that I use all the time

[Nancy]

good enough.

[Yvensong · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent resource

[Kimberly Nichols · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really great introduction to herbology for the lay person who wants to utilize ancient plant and herb medicine in the privacy of their own kitchen for a stream of common illnesses and conditions.

[Kayla · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book full of herbal guidelines, recipes, and facts!

[Theresa Girolami · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great beginner book take his course http://www.planetherbs.com/
World-class herbalist training with the East West School of Planetary Herbology

[Immanythings · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a continuous read for reference book has some great ideas and remedies

[Charlotte · Rating 4 out of 5]

good primer to balancing concepts Btw east and west herbs, ayurveda and TCM. learned a lot.

[Richard Kravitz · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read this for my "Herbs" class at the now defunct Clayton College of Natural Health. Pretty comprehensive and quite readable.

[Carrie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have the old version and need to get the updated one. Pretty amazing and well done.