Wildcraft: The science & spirit of wild plants as food and medicine
The author Heidi Merika was one of the first naturopaths to receive a Bachelor of Health Science degree rather than a diploma from the Southern School of Natural Therapies, Melbourne Australia. Her childhood was one immersed in nature as she travelled the country with her Mother who taught Heidi how to gather wild plants for food and medicine. So she is very well placed to write about the science and spirit of Wildcrafting.
This book is a delight to the eye. Intimate photographs of Heidi engaging in this age- old tradition with her children and students bring the plants to life on the page. . The introductory part of the book has well cited information on the nutritional value of common wild foods and the active constituents within each plant. Good advice on safe procedures to use for the sustainable foraging of food and medicine is also balanced with an intuitive process to communicate with the plant spirits.
Each plant is described in terms of its plant spirit qualities, including tidbits of folklore, how to identify the plant in the wild, nutritional value, alongside culinary and medicinal uses For those who are curious about engaging in wildcrafting for medicine and food, this book will set you safely on the path with a broad range of common wild plants to get your teeth into!