I received a free copy of this book in exchange for a fair and honest review. All opinions are my own.
Author Kerry Hughes returns to share her insight into the benefits of using plants not just in edible purposes, but in all formats, and focuses in particular on aromatic plants in her book, “Botanicals With Benefits: Develop A New Relationship With Your Garden: The Aromatic Plants Volume”.
The Synopsis
Kerry Hughes—Ethnobotanical Explorer—would like to take you on a journey to explore plant uses. You don’t have to travel far, however—the plants in this Botanicals With Benefits Volume are often found right under your very nose! Did you know that many of our common garden plants have multiple uses that you can access and incorporate into your life?
Have you ever imagined how rich your life could be if money really did grow on trees? But perhaps even better than money, this book shows you that the plants around you can provide you with edible flowers, teas, foods, medicines, cut flowers, and aromas that can be applied to the body, used in the house, and much more. They are right there for the picking. Kerry would like you to start your learning with just one plant and see how the journey unfolds from there.
This Aromatic Plants book is more than just a book on aromatic plants, it is the second in a series of books about Botanicals With Benefits. The aromatic plants featured in this book are all common garden plants, and they all have more uses than just being aromatic plants. There are so many ways in which garden plants work for us or could be working for us, but until now, there have only been a few places to learn about this vital knowledge. More than ever, now is the important time to begin learning this knowledge, as our lives have been changed forever by a pandemic. Whereas globalism had centered the perspectives of our lives around a global economy, today it is important to start looking at change in our own communities, and Kerry would like to show you that there is no better place to start looking than in your backyard.
The Review
I loved how clear and thoughtful the author was to their approach to this subject. The knowledge and research that comes through this book in every chapter were felt through the concise yet at time emotional writing style. The passion and heart that goes into this subject on the author’s behalf were great to see translated onto the page, and readers will definitely feel drawn into the book as they learn more and more about aromatic plants.
As a bit of a personal connection to this book, in particular, I connected a lot with the section on mugwort. As someone who is learning more and more about magick, the paranormal, and even witchcraft and how herbs have played a role in all three of these things, it was interesting to see what kind of properties plant-like mugwort has and how it can be utilized, as it has become a classic or iconic plant used for incense or smudging.
The Verdict
A memorable, educational, and brilliant deep-dive into the world of plants, in particular aromatic plants, author Kerry Hughes’s “Botanicals With Benefits: Develop A New Relationship With Your Garden: The Aromatic Plants Volume” is a must-read book. This follow-up to the first book in the series does a great job of building upon the knowledge gained in that book and elevating the reader’s understanding of aromatic plants in particular. Whether you feel a personal connection to a particular plant like I did or just have an interest in expanding your knowledge, especially at a time when more people are staying home and getting into gardening, this is the book for you. Be sure to grab your copy today!
Rating: 10/10
About the Author
Ethnobotanist, Herbalist and Author, Kerry Hughes – with a 20-year record-of-success in natural product development – is driven by a tenacious fascination with the potential health enhancing role plants can play, and her purpose is Ethno-Botanical Discovery and strategically innovating and expanding the boundaries of new natural product development. Through this, Kerry has catalyzed significant phyto-product breakthroughs that have been applied to bring to market new, efficacious and profitable products that not only heal people but also protect our threatened global biodiversity.
Kerry’s love of natural products has compelled her to write and speak frequently on a variety of subjects. Her writing includes the recently published Botanicals With Benefits: Establish a New Relationship with your garden (2020), as well as these in-depth text books: Understanding Socio-Ecological Systems through Decoloniality: Convergence of Indigenous and Western Knowledge (in press); The Incense Bible, Taylor & Francis (2007), one of the first scientific reviews & examinations of incense, The Health Professionals Guide to Dietary Supplements, Lippincott, Williams & Wilkins (2006), a peer-reviewed guide to herbs and nutritional supplements, and Botanical Medicines: The Desk Reference for Major Herbal Supplements, Haworth Press (2002) an in-depth text-book on the medical aspects of many of our top supplements. Additionally, she has authored over a dozen articles in peer-reviewed scientific journals on various natural product topics.
Kerry is the Founder of EthnoPharm; a consulting business focused on Natural Product Discovery and Development. She is also on the Scientific & Medical Advisory Boards for Amare Global, Good Pharma and Hilma, and is on the Advisory Board for Global Food Forums. Kerry has acted as a consultant to the United Nations through the International Trade Centre (ITC) for international development projects involving botanicals and authored essential oil and organic reports for the Market News Service (MNS). As the Director of the US office of The Institute for Market Ecology (IMO), an eco-product certifier, she helped to co-develop and establish the Fair for Life Social & Fair Trade Certification in the US market, the highest-bar global Fair Trade certification standard. Today, she continues her work with standard development on the soon-to-be launched Certified Regenerative standard by A Greener World.
Kerry has a background in Ethnobotany and Biochemistry, with a Bachelor of Science degree in Biochemistry, and a Master of Science degree in Agriculture with an emphasis in Ethnobotany and Soil Science from California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo, California. She is also a certified Clinical Herbalist by the Berkeley Herbal Center, A Level 1 & 3 Certified Australian Bush Flower Essence Advanced Practitioner, and has helped teach at the Berkeley Herbal Center & The Herbal Academy of New England.
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