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"Ann Armbrecht brings readers along on a wholly engaging exploration of her questions and hard learnings about whether the healing power of plants can truly make it into the factory-sealed supplement bottles on our grocery shelves.”—Kate Williams, CEO of 1% for the Planet
“Ann Armbrecht establishes herself as a gifted storyteller, weaving the practical aspects of the global botanical industry with the lesser explored and more nuanced threads that make up the tapestry of sourcing, producing, and selling herbal products. The result is a riveting journey, one that tackles hard questions not explored by most. For those who loved Braiding Sweetgrass, this book is a perfect opportunity to go deeper into understanding the complex and co-evolutionary journey of plants and people in creating the herbal products we love.”—Angela McElwee, president and CEO of Gaia Herbs
"The quality of the technical information is lovingly translated with practical examples into interesting and relevant guidance for small growers and herb users. And beyond the technical narrative, the author poses philosophical questions about the ethics, authenticity, and sustainability of the modern herb market."—Cindy Angerhofer, executive fellow of Botanical Research, Aveda Corporation
"I read this brilliant book from cover to cover like a story I couldn’t tear myself away from. Like herbs themselves, [it]is rich in colors, scents, and flavors and is rooted in the earth—exquisite and messy, beautiful and dirty all at the same time."—Anne McIntyre, MAPA, MCPP, fellow of the National Institute of Medical Herbalists, author of Dispensing with Tradition and The Ayurveda Bible
"The high-quality organic herbs in your teacup, tincture, or supplement did not materialize out of thin air. More than fifty years ago, the seeds of an industry were planted by a few unique and talented individuals—farmers, herbalists, and entrepreneurs who have dedicated their lives to improving planetary, human, and animal well-being. This well-researched and fascinating book tells their stories and lays out a clear path for a healthier sustainable future."—David Winston, RH (AHG), dean of David Winston’s Center for Herbal Studies; founder of Herbal Therapeutics Research Library
"Ann Armbrecht acknowledges the racist, imperialist roots of the international trade in botanicals and examines the impressive progress being made to transform this legacy of economic oppression. The evolving supply chain acknowledges the ecology of issues beyond profit. Armbrecht introduces these holistic, ecological perspectives as a sign of great hope for the future and celebrates the rich diversity of people and backgrounds that make the planet’s herbal abundance accessible to the West."—David Hoffmann, RH (AHG), fellow of the National Institute of Medical Herbalists, chief formulator for Traditional Medicinals
“Ann Armbrecht has looked under the bonnet and found that the engine of herbal healing is in need of repair. Even well-intentioned conflicts of interest in this industry too often get in the way of quality and sustainability. Ann concludes that the answer here, as ever, is about nurturing relationships and supporting the interests of everyone in the herbal web. Everyone who loves herbs needs to read this book!”—Simon Mills, herbal clinician and elder, author of Out of the Earth, coauthor of Principles and Practice of Phytotherapy
"A thoroughly engaging, must-read book for all herbalists, herbal medicine makers, herb growers, and anyone who turns to herbs for their health. I was immediately drawn into the story of botanical medicines and the complexities within each bottle of herbal tincture on store shelves."—Rosalee de la Forêt, herbalist and author of Alchemy of Herbs, coauthor of Wild Remedies
"Ann Armbrecht’s engaging book provides perceptive and important insights into what is too often an invisible trade despite its immense importance to the livelihoods, traditions, and interests of a great many people around the world."—Steven Broad, executive director of TRAFFIC and member of the Board of the FairWild Foundation
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100.00% of customers are satisfied
5.0 out of 5 stars Must read for herb-lovers and workers
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5.0 out of 5 stars Important for understanding the history + future of herbal medicine and community in general
Honestly I skipped through the first couple chapters in my eagerness to get to the deeper industry history and questions, but am going back through to enjoy the story a little more now. Possibly because I resembled the first couple chapters too much. I am a white woman who grew up learning about herbal medicine from books written by white men who scanned ethnographic texts for references on plant usage in the Rockies (such as Gregory Tilford etc). I was lucky enough to harvest and try them in person for years, getting to know how they grew, smelled, tasted, felt etc. For the past 20 years I have been aware of and participated in the herbal medicine world in the Pacific NW, after studying cultural anthropology. I am aware of the narrow vision of many herbalists in the US who practice an extractive style of herbalism, despite their very best intentions. Now I practice Chinese herbal medicine, which has many more layers of problems as practiced in the US. This is all to say that I am pretty cynical about the nature of global botanical sales and consumption. I was ready for a market analysis geared toward extraction and profit, but this is so much more.Ann Armbrecht paints many pictures of herbal industry practices across the globe as the title suggests. She openly acknowledges and tracks the stages of her knowledge and understanding as she learns more about the complexity of the industry on the ground, which is refreshing- she leads you through in a self-aware way, so that the more naive parts are not as grating, and you can easily see that this is not a moralistic "here is how everything all works out" type of narrative. The storytelling aspect feels fun and humorous while the big questions are explored in a satisfactory way. The depth reaches into the realm of anthropological inquiry without becoming too academic. Industry examples abound, giving one real food for thought and many jumping-off points for further inquiry.She gives voice to so many points about the botanical market that I understood but haven't heard discussed among the consumers of herbal products, especially important now that so many small scale herbal product makers are buying bulk herbs without knowing their sourcing.I think this will be a text that opens up this discussion for the numerous herbal hobbyists and natural product marketers that are flooding the self care world these days. This book gives me hope.
5.0 out of 5 stars Botanical Business, Sustainability, Social Equity, and much more
Don't let the title fool you, this book is about much more than the business side of the botanical trade. The author shares her deep personal experience with traditional herbalism and relates how community herbalists form sustainable relationships with plants and people and their environments. Later she explores how these intimate relationships, which are an integral part of herbal medicine, can be lost in the modern botanical trade with its sometimes obscure supply chains and economical pressures that can compromise quality. She also dives into potential solutions to such herbal quality and trade equity challenges and considers strategies for evolving the botanical business toward a more environmentally and socially conscious model. A very thoughtful and insightful book, and surprisingly interesting to read - definitely not dry or superficial like some "business" books can be.
5.0 out of 5 stars Everyone needs to read this book!
I love everything about this book - except the title! A friend recommended the book and said: “Every herbalist should read this book.” If she hadn't said that I probably would have skipped the book because the word business suggested to me that it was about...you know boring business stuff!The book takes you on a journey, reflecting Armbrecht’s initial research intentions and then the stories she shares about her actual experiences seeking to understand how the global business of medicinal botanicals is organized. She starts with the most basic questions: who grows, harvests, and wildcrafts the plants? How well are they paid and treated? How are the herbs dried and processed? How is contamination avoided? How are the plants’ medicinal properties maintained? And most importantly, how does sustainability fit into this billion-dollar industry?Those seemingly simple inquiries quickly revealed the challenges involved in a global supply chain. Throughout the book, Armbrecht describes her interviews, travels, observations, experiences, expectations, and thought-provoking questions. Truly a gifted storyteller.And my friend was absolutely right: anyone who purchases herbs should read this book. It’s our responsibility.
5.0 out of 5 stars This book is long overdue in the herbal community
Ann Armbrecht has done the worldwide herbal community a great favor by writing this book. It’s an insightful look into the herbal “industry “ that so many of us depend on for our health, well being and livelihood. She asks the very important question; is it possible to maintain the spirit and essence of the plants in an industrial setting? In the factories that most commercially grown and harvested herbs end up in? The author makes us aware of how many hands these plants pass through on their journey to our medicine shelves and kitchen pantries. This book is an easy, interesting read that not only speaks to the commerce of herbs but to the spirit and essence the plants so generously grace us with. The next tea I brew with a commercially produced tea I will do so with a greater respect for the time, effort and spirit that went into its creation. Thank you Ann Armbrecht. Bonnie Kavanagh, R.N./Herbalist, Herbal Educator/7 Arrows Herb Farm
The new challenge of bringing Nature to the end consumer in a global industry
(function() { P.when('cr-A', 'ready').execute(function(A) { if(typeof A.toggleExpanderAriaLabel === 'function') { A.toggleExpanderAriaLabel('review_text_read_more', 'Read more of this review', 'Read less of this review'); } }); })(); .review-text-read-more-expander:focus-visible { outline: 2px solid #2162a1; outline-offset: 2px; border-radius: 5px; } Ann Armbrecht journeys across the continents to follow herbs from source and shares her concern about plants (ageless wisdom rediscovered by science for our health without harmful or side effects, used wisely) : how to maintain the life force and spirit of millions of years engineering even through the global business of botanicals.Eye opening and worth reading !
Being cognizant of herbs journey to you and its environmental impact
This book is a great ready, so well written and researched. I have found it to be an incredible source of inspiration and motivation at this point in my Naturopathic/Herbalism career. This book should be read by anyone who consumes a herbal medicine product that they have not grown themselves.From those who are studying or practicing herbalism as a profession, to the regular herbal tea drinkers, to the consumers who occasionally dabble once a year with echinacea tablets for a cold - this book offers critical food for thought about the 'behind the scenes' story of how that herb ended up in our teapot, capsule or brown bottle.In an exponentially expanding industry and consumer demand, we all have the responsibility to be cognizant of contributing towards a crisis point of unsustainable, unethical practices. Where were the herbs grown? Who picks them? Are they happy people or are they struggling to feed their families each day with poor pays? What's the ecosystem they're grown in? Are we contributing to the decline of biodiversity by supporting the picking of wild harvested herbs? This book exposes how this is already occurring and that a worldwide overhaul of the industry was needed yesterday! (no easy solution there)From the beginning pages that ask you to ponder the importance of energy and intention when handling and growing herbs, to the very timely discussion about the sustainability of the herbal medicine industry - I knew this book was perfect for me and is a 5 star read. Thanks Anne.
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Following the Herbal Harvest: A Search for the Healing Promise of Plant Medicines
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