An Herbalist's Guide to Formulary by Holly Bellebuono

An Herbalist's Guide to Formulary by Holly Bellebuono ISBN-13: 9780738753034 Paperback: 384 pages Publisher: Llewellyn Worldwide, Ltd. Released: Nov. 8, 2017

Source: ebook review copy from the publisher through NetGalley.

Book Description, Modified from Back Cover:
Explore the ancient art of formulary. Organized by body systems, this essential guide provides an easy understanding of physiology and explains how herbs function, helping you design a holistic treatment for acute and chronic conditions. Bellebuono shares her step-by-step method of formulary with examples to illustrate the art of combining plants for specific illnesses, preventative care, and overall wellness.


My Review:
An Herbalist's Guide to Formulary is not a book you can use by itself unless you have an extensive knowledge of herbs. The author provided only very brief information about the herbs, focusing mainly on how the human body works (digestive, cardiovascular, brain & nervous, immune, hormones, etc.) and her formulas. By which I mean, use 2 parts tonic (supportive, long-term usage herb) to 1 part tier 2 herb to 1 part tier 3 herb to 1 part tier 4 herb.

So she'd talk about the respiratory system, for instance, and then list some herbs (tier 1, tier 2, etc.) that would be helpful for various problems with the respiratory system. She'd even suggest specific formulas (2 parts yarrow, 1 part sage, 1 part....taken as tincture). However, she didn't suggest how much of the herb to use (or even say how much was safe). The closest she got to giving amounts was "a small amount." As in, use kelp only in "small amounts due to high sodium content." (And she didn't mention the high iodine content here, which is a greater concern.) She didn't suggest how often or long one might take the formula. She didn't explain how to mix the herbs or make pills, tinctures, etc. She assumed you already know all this about herbs.

Also, I found enough basic errors that I stopped trusting her information. While she generally had good information, she'd say things like constipation is caused by too much fiber (but the opposite is true). She suggested eating yogurt when you have an ulcer, but the current medical advice is to avoid all dairy when you have an ulcer. In one spot, she said to avoid dairy for that condition, then a few sentences later she suggested eating yogurt. She also said some things that were confusing due to not fully explaining what she meant. So she said several times that you shouldn't take garlic long-term, only much later explaining that she was referring to raw garlic. I believe I was reading an advanced reader copy, so maybe the errors will be fixed in the final copy.


If you've read this book, what do you think about it? I'd be honored if you wrote your own opinion of the book in the comments.