The Boreal Herbal

Wild Food and Medicine Plants of the North

The Boreal Herbal: Wild Food and Medicine Plants of the North is an indispensable guide to identifying and using northern North American (and in many cases European and Asian) plants for food and medicine. Whether you're hiking in remote areas or gardening in your backyard, this easy-to-use handbook will help you recognize and use fifty-five common wild plants that have extraordinary healing properties.
With The Boreal Herbal by your side you will learn how to soothe aches and pains with willow, staunch a bleeding wound with yarrow, treat a urinary-tract infection using bearberry, and create a delicate and moisturizing wild-rose skin cream. Author Beverley Gray has also included dozens of healthy and delicious recipes, including Wild-Weed Spanakopita, Dandelion Wine, and Cranberry-Mint Muffins.

The Boreal Herbal features:

• Profiles of 55 herbs, berries and trees found in the northern boreal forest including data on habitat, harvest times, medicinal applications, food uses, cosmetic uses, and spiritual uses
• Full-colour photographs and botanical illustrations of each plant profiled in the book (and similar-looking plants) for easy identification
• Instruction on how to gather and preserve wild plants
• More than 200 recipes: teas, tinctures, powders, flower essences, topical treatments like salves and creams, beverages, jams and jellies, baked goods, soups, entres, and more
• Safety tips for harvesting and using edible and medicinal wild plants, including information on calculating dosage and plant-specific cautions
• A resource section for people interested in starting up a non-timber forest-products business
• Botanical and medicinal glossaries, an index, and handy reference charts listing the plants' medicinal actions and vitamin contents

Beverley Gray is a boreal herbalist, aromatherapist, natural-health practitioner, journalist, and an award-winning natural health-product formulator. She owns the Aroma Borealis Herb Shop in Whitehorse, Yukon.