The Herbal Lore of Wise Women and Wortcunners

Praise

“A deep excursion into the heart of herbalism … The Herbal Lore of Wise Women and Wortcunners invites us into the hearts and essences of the plants and encourages us to discover ‘who’ they are through the realm of our own senses.”
—from the foreword by Rosemary Gladstar, author of Rosemary Gladstar’s Herbal Recipes for Vibrant Health and coauthor of The Herbalist’s Way

“For the serious student of herb lore, or anyone who would be delighted by the colorful history of herbalism … Wolf Dieter Storl has penned an account of wortcunning that is entertaining and practical. Without sacrificing pragmatic information about the healing properties of plants, Storl reveals the amazing mystique  of this ancient lore.”
—Matthew Wood, author of The Earthwise Herbal

“A thorough history of global plant medicine that incorporates intellect, science, and lore … an insightful reference that needs to be part of every herbalist’s library.”
—Kris Hill, herbalist and founder of Hillbotanical.com

“I own at least a couple of hundred books on all aspects of herbs and herbalism, but this one is my all-time favorite. Not so much a book about herbs, but a literary walk down the secret garden path to the plant devas themselves. I have learned more about the art and craft of traditional herbalism from these pages than from any other source, and I am delighted that this book is now, finally, becoming available to the English speaking world! A ‘must read’ for any student of herbalism who wants to go beyond formulas and constituents.”
—Kat Morgenstern, founder of ethnobotany and ecotravel website SacredEarth.com

“[The book] discusses old European, Oriental, and Native American herbal medicine with all of their mysticism and in the same breath speaks about modern concepts of health. The reader is taken into a historic world that accepted and used herbal energetics in healing. The text delves into principles of shamanism, homeopathy, planetary influences, and anthroposophic medicine. … Comparisons of Chinese, Ayurvedic, and Greek classifications of medical plants according to taste and smell is particularly interesting.”
—Kathi Keville, American Herb Association

“[Wolf D. Storl] provides enough detail to empower the novice while surprising the old hand. … I recommend this book to any practicing herbalist and serious researcher who seeks a source of literature previously lacking in our discipline.”
—Amanda McQuade Crawford, consultant medical herbalist at The Ojai Center of Phytotherapy and contributing editor to HerbalGram

“The Herbal Lore of Wise Women and Wortcunners offers a survey of the healing art of ancient Egyptians, Greeks and Romans and contrasts these early practices with herbal medicine today from Chinese, Indian and Native American medicine. Author Wolf D. Storl explains how to collect plants, distill, and administer medicines from them and includes old-world ‘women’s plants’ and their other uses as well. … A fine acquisition for any interested in herbalism and botany.”
—Midwest Book Review