Sacred Plant Medicine

by Buhner, Stephen Harrod; Medicine Eagle, Brooke

• ISBN13: 9781591430582
• ISBN10: 1591430585
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2006-02-24
• Publisher: Bear & Co

Summary

In "Sacred Plant Medicine," Buhner looks at the long-standing relationship between indigenous peoples and plants and examines the techniques and states of mind these cultures use to communicate with the plant world.

Author Biography

The first in-depth examination of the sacred underpinnings of the world of Native American medicinal herbalism<br /><br />• Reveals how shamans and healers “talk” with plants to discover their medicinal properties<br /><br />• Includes the prayers and medicine songs associated with each of the plants examined<br /><br />• By the author of <i>The Secret Teachings of Plants</i><br /><br />As humans evolved on Earth they used plants for everything imaginable--food, weapons, baskets, clothes, shelter, and medicine. Indigenous peoples the world over have been able to gather knowledge of plant uses by communicating directly with plants and honoring the sacred relationship between themselves and the plant world. <br /><br />In <i>Sacred Plant Medicine</i> Stephen Harrod Buhner looks at the long-standing relationship between indigenous peoples and plants and examines the techniques and states of mind these cultures use to communicate with the plant world. He explores the sacred dimension of plant and human interactions and the territory where plants are an expression of Spirit. For each healing plant described in the book, Buhner presents medicinal uses, preparatory guidelines, and ceremonial elements such as prayers and medicine songs associated with its use.<br />

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments	ix
Foreword	xi
Brooke Medicine Eagle
Preface to the New Edition	xv
Preface to the First Edition	xxiii
The Sacred and the Earth	1	(15)
To Be Healed by the Earth	16	(9)
Visions of Sacred Plant Medicine	25	(12)
The Sacred Song of a Plant	37	(12)
Making Sacred Relationship with Plants	49	(19)
Healing in a Sacred Manner	68	(16)
Digging for Medicine: The Wildcrafting of Medicinal Plants	84	(7)
Making Plants into Medicine: The Technology of Herbalism	91	(11)
Ceremony: Making Deeper Relationship with Plants	102	(22)
Four Sacred Plants of the Rocky Mountain Region: Their Sacred Qualities and Uses as Medicine	124	(15)
A Short Compendium of Plants and Their Sacred Uses	139	(36)
The Birth of Gaia	175	(10)
Appendix: Wildcrafting Ethics and Guidelines, by the Rocky Mountain Herbalists' Coalition	185	(6)
Notes	191	(9)
Suggested Readings and Herbal Apprenticeship Programs	200	(3)
Index	203