Herbal Intelligence: Plant Teachers and the Return of Viriditas (Hoffmann David)(Paperback)

A guide to the cultural reawakening of modern herbalism Providing a comprehensive guide to the dynamic new landscape of modern herbalism, renowned medical herbalist David Hoffmann explores how ancient healing modalities are once again becoming prominent—just when the planet most needs them. Acknowledging the ecologically unsustainable course we are on as a species, Hoffmann reveals herbalism as a way to reconnect with the land and ourselves, a powerful way to participate in the earth-centered green transformation underway in our culture. Using the concept of viriditas—the understanding of nature as divinely ­intelligent—Hoffmann explores modern herbalism in detail. He looks at the deep involvement of herbs and their constituents in ecology, revealing the universal role of plants in integration and homeostasis. He examines the concepts of biodiversity and chemodiversity, elaborating on the ecological role of human-herb interactions and co-evolutionary relationships between species. Presenting evidence of medicinal plant use by animals and early humans, he reviews herbalism from its ancient roots to the modern varieties in practice today, emphasizing how herbalism that developed outside of the dominant culture laid the foundations for the effective, simple techniques relevant for our modern world. He examines the radical and non-hierarchical roots of herbalism, considering the parallels between the field’s development and the growth of spiritual awakening and social ra
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