Medicine from the Trees

Best-selling author and board-certified naturopathic physician Pursell brings us easy-to-create herbal remedies sourced from thirty-four tree species widely acknowledged to have scientific medical benefits.

Pursell, author of two best-selling books based on medicines created from herbs and flowers, now brings us trusted alternative remedies based on ingredients sourced from thirty-four common trees from around the world, readily available in our own backyards or in herbal supply markets.

These recipes (including teas, tinctures, bath soaks, syrups, salves, and even cookies) will teach readers how to manage day-to-day physical complaints such as immune system health, colds, and stress. Did you know that you can pickle the seeds of American ash trees as a beneficial gut microbiome supplement and source of nutrition? That a morning tea made from banyan tree bark will balance blood sugar levels all day? That a tincture of beech leaves improves circulation? That a delicious ketchup made from hawthorn is good for the heart? That steamy spruce baths are effective for treating lower back pain as well as colds? Pursell reveals all these surprisingly simple and easy uses for medicinal preparations from the trees that surround us all, and many more.

Interwoven with the recipes are the author’s own powerful memories and experiences with each tree species and lovely commissioned “modern botanical” illustrations, giving the entire collection a personal feel and beauty that makes it a perfect gift for anyone interested in herbal and alternative remedies.