Hello Antlerstockers! I decided to be fancy and post my book and resource recommendations here rather than trying to generate a handout for you all. This way we can share ideas and add to this as we think of things. Thanks for coming by!
Edited to add: The salve we made today is Rosemary Gladstar’s St. John’s Wort-Comfrey-Calendula Salve. Don’t forget to label your tin!!
This is a collection of some of the books and websites that I have used in my explorations with basic and simple herbalism. The most important thing is to learn for yourself and just start somewhere. I’m not a doctor nor any kind of healthcare practitioner and therefore can’t give any medical advice. But these are resources I used while I was teaching myself.
Books:
Rosemary Gladstar’s Herbal Recipes for Vibrant Health: 175 Teas, Tonics, Oils, Salves, Tinctures, and Other Natural Remedies for the Entire Family by Rosemary Gladstar
Hands On Healing Remedies: 150 Recipes for Herbal Balms, Salves, Oils, Liniments, and Other Topical Therapies by Stephanie L. Tourles
Organic Body Care Recipes: 175 Homemade Herbal Formulas for Glowing Skin and a Vibrant Self by Stephanie Tourles
Homegrown Herbs: A Complete Guide to Growing, Using, and Enjoying More than 100 Herbs by Tammi Hartung with a Foreword by Rosemary Gladstar
The Herbal Medicine-Maker’s Handbook: A Home Manual by James Green
Places to Buy Supplies:
For high-quality herbs, anything you could think of: Mountain Rose Herbs, https://www.mountainroseherbs.com/
For basic herbs, and especially for pre-mixed herbs; a really great place to start out if you don’t want to buy bags of different ingredients: The Bulk Herb Store. I find this site more approachable and less overwhelming. They also have bundles and kits for beginners. http://www.bulkherbstore.com/
For tins, bottles, jars, and containers for all your concoctions: Specialty Bottle http://www.specialtybottle.com/ Mountain Rose and Bulk Herb Store both carry some containers, but you pay a lot more because it’s not their main thing. For more choices and better prices, I go to Specialty Bottle.
For soap-making: Bramble Berry Soap Making Supplies. They even sell lye via mail-order, although you have to sign a release and send it to them before they’ll actually send it to you. http://www.brambleberry.com/