Alchemy of Herbs: Transform Everyday Ingredients into Foods & Remedies That Heal

I was very excited to hear that Rosalee de la Foret was writing her first book. I have thoroughly enjoyed studying with Rosalee for the past couple of years, and immediately pre-ordered her book, knowing that I was in for a real treat. After a couple of months of waiting, I am extremely satisfied with this high-quality publication. Rosalee clearly poured her heart into this book and each section takes the reader on a magnificent journey to the world of herbal medicine. The beginning of the book starts you on your journey with the benefits of herbs and spices, then continues with the latest science proving the effectiveness of our herbal allies. She then guides you in matching the herbs to you, not just to an ailment, providing examples on energetics, helping you to discover your own constitution, and giving an overview of the different tastes and what they will do for you. Included are quizzes to help you determine your own energetic balance, an exercise to hone your new-found skill, and a chapter on how to get the most out of your book, all leading to in-depth information on the five tastes of herbs. Each herb starts with a beautiful photo of the herb, and an intriguing quote from another great herbalist , past or present --even a quote on the herb Ashwaganda from Charaka, one of the founders of Ayurvedic Medicine. I loved each of the quotes and the photographs. For each herb there is a listing of the botanical name, family, parts used, energetics, and taste as well as the properties, uses and preparations. Rosalee then gives delightful recipes as well as even more helpful information on the herb itself. To wrap up the book, Rosalee gives very helpful conversion charts with equivalent measurements and temperatures, as well as a glossary and a recommended resource page on where you can acquire these new herbal allies to begin your new healthy herbal life.

Alchemy of Herbs is a beautifully written and deeply informative guide that shows how everyday ingredients can be transformed into powerful, natural remedies. It’s ideal for those who love cooking, gardening, herbal medicine—and want to nurture their health with simple, effective ingredients. 🌿 What Makes It Stand Out: Grounded Approach: Offers clear, science-backed explanations about the healing properties of common herbs—amplifying confidence in your selections. Easy-to-Follow Recipes: From herbal tinctures and teas to salves and syrups, you can find simple step-by-step directions tailored for kitchen setups—no expensive gear required. Mindful Lifestyle Integration: Beyond recipes, this book weaves in tips on cultivation, sustainable sourcing, and seasonal eating, creating a holistic wellness practice. Accessible for All Levels: Whether you’re a complete beginner or already into herbalism, the explanations are thoughtful, encouraging, and never overwhelming. ⚠️ A Few Notes: Not a Replacement for Medical Care: While many remedies are gentle and supportive, they should complement—not replace—professional medical advice for serious health issues. Ingredient Sourcing Matters: Some recipes work best with fresh herbs from home gardens or trusted suppliers—so having good-quality sources helps. ✅ Final Take: If you’re drawn to turning your kitchen into a wellness center and love the idea of self-care through plants, Alchemy of Herbs is a treasure. It’s beautifully crafted, richly informative, and genuinely empowering. A must-read for anyone looking to deepen their relationship with food, nature, and holistic health.

Wow! That was the first thing that came out of my mouth as I began reading this book. It is by far the best introductory book I have seen in my almost three decades of learning about herbal medicine and herbal support. I was hesitant to buy another introductory herb book as my knowledge is beyond the introductory level. But the recipes in this book are worth every penny. I wish I had this book to start with back then. I think it would have saved me money, time and energy as I explored what I thought was herbal medicine content. The content is not overwhelming and if this is the only herb book you learn from you will have a basic foundation if using herbs for nutritional support and basic home remedies. The foundational content includes an explanation about how herbs serve individuals unlike our current system of One Solution Syndrome for everyone (take a pill for this and then take a pill for that), a well-explained overview of the energetics of herbs and deep dive into the tastes of herbs - which is my favorite part. More than anything else, I love the simplicity of introducing herbs through food and cooking. Food should always be our first medicine - which is how I can easily justify a Cardamon Chocolate Mousse Cake each month since it so good for me! Another aspect I like about the recipes is that they are all very doable: no specialized equipment, no huge orders of exotic herbs and spices and no tricky culinary skills required. The author has done a remarkable job of making herbal support both legitimate to the doubtful and accessible to the open-minded. Most importantly, Rosalee uses her clinical skills throughout her writing and offers recent research to support medicinal applications. She also employs safety and caution and gives specific examples of what some herbs can do (because yes, they really work!) to some individuals. Overall, I think this is the best introductory book on incorporating herbs and their nutritional and medicinal properties to support our health.

Herbal medicine is a holistic way of living and addressing and supporting your body as well as those you love and care for. I've been a kitchen herbalist for over 25 years, foraging and preparing plant remedies (and food) for myself, my children and family. This book is a delightful and delicious refinement. Rosalee included recipe examples to help you launch into ways of understanding what flavours, seasoning and the how the energetics affect you and yours. She helps you refine and pay attention to your body's sensory feed back in order to direct your choices and use of simple herbs commonly used in our kitchens as well as some basic herbs found in Europe and the N. American continent. I am back in school to earn my accreditation and expand my knowledge and practical base into TCM and Ayurvedic traditions as well. I read many books on herbalism and Rosalee's book is well organized for the beginner while providing structured information for a seasoned herbalist. If you are new to the herbal world, this book is a grounded and excellent entry point. The information is easy to understand and very accessable. Her book is all round inspirational for anyone at any level. She has written a book to help you experience successful results. Thank you Rosalee for all of your gifts and talents and hard work making this book happen. I believe you set an excellent new baseline for herbalology books going forward.

This book is amazing! Although, If you're looking for a "this herb heals this issue" sort of book, this isn't for you. If you want to know how to use herbs in just about any other way though, this book IS for you! My favorite parts are (in no particular order): 1- the full color pictures of the herbs so I can take it out with me to try to identify wild plants, 2- the glossary at the back! I'm learning but not all of the vocab has stuck yet 3- the actual studies about the herbs! until Rosalee talked about it a little while ago I bought into the "herbs-aren't-studied" rumor but now I have sourced studies that I can kindly share with the mis-informed. We shall end this rumor! 4- It's not as tall as I was expecting. At first, it kind of made me sad but I realized quickly that it will fit in my diaperbag better so I can carry it with me everywhere without cutting back on diaperbag necessities. 5- There are a list of places at the back of the book that provide herbs and supplies along with info on if they provide the herbs and/ or the supplies and if there are other things you should know (one of the places provides fresh herbs but you have to order those in advance). 6- Instead of a text book or recipe book, it's feels almost like a story. It's all personalized with stories and emotion so it's like reading a letter from a friend, exactly what a great book should do. 7- While not every recipe has a picture of it, a huge majority of them do (including a couple very tempting desserts) and the ones that don't seem to be things like the teas that all look fairly similar anyways. 8- "Part 1" where she goes into the taste of herbs and the importance of energetics. I've learned these from her but I'm very happy they're in the book as both a reminder and also to make it easier for me to help and teach others. 9- They aren't all food recipes! There are other things too like "Lavender bath salts", "Cayenne salve", and "Cinnamon tooth powder" 10- The cute picture of the ladybug on the sage leaf on page 158. 11- She lists the special considerations of the herbs. Things like "use in low doses (or avoid) if pregnant", "avoid if you're on blood thinners", and other sorts of things that one needs to consider. 12- The metric conversion chart! On the other side, there were a couple things I didn't like 1- The corner of the cover was slightly bent up when I opened the box. Most likely Amazon's fault since the box was quite a bit bigger than it needed to be and the packaging only slightly prevented the book from moving around. 2- Several of the pages were cut slightly off. They're the same size as the book but the bottom line of a couple of the "who-said-the-quote"s got sliced in half. I can still read it but there is a small strip of white at the top. Because the first issue isn't their fault and the second one has nothing to do with the quality of information or how it is presented, I'm still going to wish I could give it more stars or something along those lines. And I'm honestly considering buying another for a wedding present for a friend and possibly a few for presents this Christmas.

I’m happy with the item, but Amazon was disappointing due to delaying my book for a couple of days!

I LOVE THIS BOOK! Over the past decade or so, I've taken steps to take back my health by eating more natural foods, exercising, and trying to understand an ailment and why my body is responding in a certain way. Herbs were a natural extension of this, but I always found myself looking for a "cure" instead of a healthy way to incorporate herbs into my daily, healthful routine. Rosalee has changed that with her book. She helps you understand how your body has its own energetics and you can match that to the energetics of an herb to balance yourself. This works so much better than seeking an herb to "fix" an ailment, since what works for one person more than likely won't be as effective for another. I now understand how I can best supplement my health and the health of my family in different, customized ways. And the recipes...YUM! I've known certain herbs are very beneficial for healing and wellness, but getting them down (and keeping them down!) isn't always easy. Rosalee's recipes really are gourmet. People eat food prepared this way because it's delicious! It has been a joy to test these different recipes out with my family and then teach them from the book why what we're eating is beneficial to their health and how to recognize how the herb is making them feel. This really helps the information stick, when we're happy and satisfied with food, the info really sinks in. I highly recommend this book for anyone who is interested in learning more about herbs and for anyone who wants some really delicious recipes for things as varied as Warmed Golden Milk (using turmeric) to Dark Chocolate Mousse Cake. Yes, there are healthful benefits of Cocoa explained in here! I think my favorite is still the Rosemary Tapenade. Heart healthy and simple to make, the flavor is amazing! This book is well worth the price.

I teach students in higher ed. They are afraid of herbal therapies due to the ridiculous and often wrong media hype. What I love about this book is simple culinary ingredients used in cooking like himemade mustard, fennel tea,cardamom chocolate mousse cake,sage chicken etc. So easy to find in a grocery store. A great way to introduce people to the world of herbs because they feel the recipes are simple, the ingredients are easy to find and they feel comfortable. Once they make a few of these recipes they feel more empowered to move on in their herbal education. A great book for nutritionists too who want their clients to introduce more culinary herbs into their cooking. They also have facial concoctions and a few "harder" herbs like elderberry and astragalus-- still all extremely safe and gentle and allows the reader to get more adventurous. My daughter has alot of food sensitivities so I appreciate the fact that recipes like the chocolate mousse cake is dairy and grain free. It is a beautiful book with gorgeous photos, easily organized and loaded with amazing information. A real gem and is going on my list of christmas gifts for lots of people this year.

Wonderful book, ideal for beginner and experienced alike. Rosalee is a true pioneer in the Herbal field, the information in this book is easy to understand and provides great information about herbs and how to use them, and the recipes are fabulous! This is the Herb book to keep in your kitchen. Rosalee introduces a groundbreaking way of understanding how to use herbs, which is different from any other books I have read, she has made me aware of introducing more phytonutrients into each meal I make and has deepened my connection with plants and herbs. Highly recommended.

Lo que más amo de este libro es que puedes saber el uso medicinal de cada hierba o especie, su uso terapeutico, y hasta como aplicarlo para alguna receta. Lo cual se me hace increíble, porque al estar comprando este tipo de libro, significa que eres medio de una onda holistica o yogi, entonces un regalo hecho a base de hierbas para uso culinario estaría demasiado original.

This book is a feast for the eyes and for the stomach! Beautiful photos, delicious recipes and very well written easy-to-understand information about each herb and how to use it to improve and build wellness make this book a keeper. I've been a grower of culinary herbs for years, and can't wait to try some of these recipes with my own fresh herbs. One bonus for me is the detailed information on medicinal properties and energetics of each herb, and how to determine which herbs will be the best for your body type. If you haven't bought Alchemy of Herbs yet, you're missing out!

This book is a must to have. It is filled with very best advices and precious knowledge Everyone can benefit for these all the year around. It is simple, it is thorough and extremely helpful. I would advise it to everyone interested to be efficient in the use of Herbs and Spices of all sorts... Thank You Rosalie and Family team for this sharing. Your Family Name was a prediction of your inclination for Nature !!! Long Life to this Book and those who will apply the ideas. All the Very Best. Marie-Regine aka Christiniam

El contenido es de 10, la encuadernación lamentable; se me ha abierto de par en par al poco de empezar a leerlo. Una verdadera pena