This book would not have been possible without having the resources, references, support, and guidance of all of the herbalists before me. Susun Weed once said to me, “What do you have to say that hasn’t already been written?” While Susun can be a harsh critic, I respect her dearly and I thought long and hard about this. What I discovered was that while there may be many herbal books out there, it was my voice that I truly wanted to share, along with my experiences of using herbs. So thank you to all of those who came before me, a countless number, but in particular, Linda Quintana, Susun Weed, Rosemary Gladstar, Scott Kloos, David Hoffmann, and Jill Stansbury. Those who, despite resistance, forged ahead so that we all could benefit.
With deep gratitude, I thank Shawn Linehan, who photographed this book to make it as beautiful as it is. Your artistic eye and talent are, as always, a pure joy to work with.
Thank you to my husband, Brian, and mom, Jo, for caring for the kids to give me the time to hole up in the Hillsboro Public Library to get some quiet space to put the words on the page. And, of course, everyone at The Quarto Group, but particularly Jill Alexander, Meredith Quinn, and Marissa Giambrone for their dedication and commitment to making this book the best it could be.
Lastly: Thank you to the plants. It is your beauty and inspiration that keeps me in awe each and every day.