I prefer books that are more direct, the introduction was a bit drawn out for me. I was surprised by the illustrations throughout the book but I enjoyed them. I enjoyed the brief overview of the history of herbalism and how to start your garden. If I purchased this book as a printed reference, I would like to be able to access all of the content in tangible form. Having the QR code in the middle of the book with additional herbs is a bit awkward. I read this book on my iPhone and did not have a way to access the QR code since I could not scan it. Having a bit.ly link would be better. I was expecting a bit more herbs to be listed as well as more information to store and use them as oils, tinctures, etc. I did also appreciate the ailments and herb properties index.

Thank you NetGalley for the privilege of revieiwng this book.

Grow your Own Medicine has a wonderful formate that is easy to understand accompanied with very practical advise. Each herb that is covered is broken down with clear information on how to grow, harvest and use. The authors also provide recipes and ways to use the hers for medicial use. What is covered is well thoughtout and practical. It is a good guide and would be great gift.

Grow Your Own Medicine is an herbal and guide to medicinal plants and herbal medicine. Released 25th Jan 2022, it's 143 pages and is available in hardcover, paperback, audio, and ebook formats. It's worth noting that the ebook format has a handy interactive table of contents as well as interactive links and references throughout. I've really become enamored of ebooks with interactive formats lately. For Kindle Unlimited subscribers, this book is currently included in the KU subscription library to borrow and read for free.

This is a well written and accessible beginner-friendly guide (with recipes and tutorials) to herb gardening. The authors have taken care to not only provide an herbal listing with 21 different plants and their cultivation and uses, but also to give readers the necessary info to help the plants thrive: culture, harvesting, preserving, and uses for each of the included plants.

There is a short overview over hardiness zones as well as climate and humidity which is impressively broad in range: the authors include zone maps for the USA as well as Europe, South America, Canada, Australia, and the UK. They've specified regional characteristics as well, indicating where some of the plants are protected or restricted.

There are no photos in the book, however, it's full of clear and well rendered illustrations. The botanical illustrations show relevant stages of growth and the active parts of the plant which can be utilized. Each of the plants in the herbal contain ID name (common and botanical (Latin) nomenclature) as well as keys for uses: medicinal, culinary, teas, perfume, etc.

The tutorials and recipes include tools and ingredients in a bullet style list. Measurements are in American standard units, followed by step by step instructions.

Five stars. This would be a superlative choice for public or school library acquisition, community garden/allotment member libraries, or the home gardener's library.

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.

Amazing book packed with knowledge!

I have been dabbling in growing herbs over the past few years, and knew that they had many benefits. But this book absolutely blew my mind in terms of just how useful herbs can be for supporting health!

I really enjoyed learning about the history and origins of herbalism along with the sacred responsibility of caring for the earth through our approach to growing and harvesting herbs. It felt very intentional to start the book this way, setting the reader up to approach the rest of the content with an awareness and appropriate mindset.

This book makes growing herbs accessible for anyone, by addressing the climate zones all around the world and explaining how they play into growth. Suggestions for different environments and both indoor/outdoor growing are provided,

My favorite part of this book is the herb-by-herb catalog which talks about each herb, their uses and how to avoid common growing problems. I can't wait to start with some new herbs this year and this book will be with me every step of the way!

As someone who loves plants and is desperate to start my own garden, this book is perfect!

It's a book I expect to return to often as it's absolutely full of information and ideas. For anyone interested in growing herbs, this book is a must!


[I received a free copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review]

This is a fantastic guide for beginners looking to start their own medicinal herb garden. After trying and failing for the last couple of summers to grow my own herbs without really knowing what I was doing, I was glad to find this book so comprehensive. It covers everything from the basics of choosing the right soils and determining your hardiness zone to creating your own fertilizers and managing various plant diseases.

Though it’s still winter and I can’t get out into the garden just yet, the growing/gardening section is so thorough I have no doubt my herbs will be flourishing this summer.

For the medicinal section, I love that each herb not only lists its medicinal uses but also provides a paragraph on safety and contraindications. This is especially good to know if you intend to gift or sell your medicinal products, because you can include it as a disclaimer. In addition, the authors have included a variety of recipes to try out as well as a handy index of ailments that makes locating the right herb quick and easy.

I look forward to this summer!

<i>I received this ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.</i>

This book was amazing and provided so much information which was amazing for a beginner herbal gardener like myself. You can tell the book was well researched!

Grow You Own Medicine by Ava Green & Kate Bensinger is a great beginner resource for growing healing herbs. This is new to me so I appreciated that it did not overwhelm with information but was well written for someone at any level of experience to benefit from the information provided. Looking forward to putting this to good use in our garden!!! Thank you NetGalley & GreenHopeX for the opportunity to read and review this book.

I’ve been using herbs and holistic medicines for awhile now and this is a great introductory book for beginners. Not a big list of herbs, with only 21 covered in the book, but the author has provided a QR code for a more detailed listing.

If you’re looking to grow herbs for medicinal purposes and are starting from the beginning, you will find this book helpful to get you started. The only thing I will say is that you should always understand the contraindications of any herb or supplement you use…it may not always work well with another herb or some other medication you have been taking. Doing your due diligence in all areas will help you find more natural ways of healing your family and yourself while cutting out synthetic medications, where possible, that can be replaced by nature.

Perfect for the witches out there that are willing to learn more about the craft! Pretty basic stuff BUT important to have in hand.

I have always been fascinated by herbalism and I believe we can get many answers from the nature. This book is to the point, simple to understand, and well-thought out. I would definitely recommend this to anyone interested in this subject. Growing your own medicine can also be a lot of fun, and it makes the home look nicer!

This is a very in-depth look at growing your own herbs. It is written in a very friendly, upbeat tone and you come away feeling ready to get started on digging that garden!

The book covers everything you need to know. It starts with a brief history of herbalism, then goes on to talk about soil types, hardiness zones and climate, garden design, tools you’ll need, growing from cuttings and seeds, making compost, dealing with diseases and pests and general guidance on growing, harvesting and taking care of your herbs. It is full of tips and tricks the author has learned throughout her journey with herbs, and she clearly knows what she is talking about.

In addition to showing you how to grow and harvest herbs, the book contains information on 21 different herbs. For each herb you learn how to propagate, it, common growing problems, medicinal uses, safety (as some herbs can be dangerous in high doses or unsuitable for those with certain medical conditions and pregnancy), how and when to harvest, and culinary and other uses. Some herbs have a recipe included for things such as infused oils, food dishes, cough syrups and sweets, and herbal sachets. It would have been nice to have a recipe for every herb, rather than just some of them.

There are no photographs of the herbs but there are clear, detailed illustrations that give an excellent idea of what each herb looks like, and also what different plant diseases and pests look like. I felt the illustrations really added to the book and, personally, I think they were a better choice than photos would have been.

It is a little unusual in that there is an option to access information on 32 more herbs via a QR link, leading you to a pdf that is external to the book. The reason given for this is that it helps to reduce printing costs, which is a fair point, however not relevant for ebooks. I wonder if these extra herbs will be included in the ebook? Also, a web link would be useful for those readers who do not have smart phones.

Overall, this is a comprehensive book about growing herbs and I learned a lot. I would have liked more information about using the herbs as I feel this would have made it a more complete volume, but I understand the author is currently working on more books so perhaps this will be in an upcoming book. This is a book about growing herbs after all, and nowhere does it say I am going to learn about using them, so I feel this book more than adequately fulfills its promise to its reader. If you want to learn about starting your own herb garden, you will not go wrong by starting with this book, and I suspect you will be referring to it for quite some time before you feel the need to move on to another!

With thanks to Netgalley, Ava Green and Kate Bensinger for providing an advance copy of the book in return for an honest review. All opinions in this review are my own.

Thank you to Netgalley for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I found this book absolutely fascinating. Now to start preparing for planting and to put it all into practice. Recommended.

Have you ever thought about growing herbs and using them to make healthy teas or to relieve common symptoms? If you have, Grow Your Own Medicine is the book for you. This well-organized, thorough guide covers it all. Beginning with the technical side of gardening, authors Ava Green and Kate Bensinger discuss optimal soil conditions and growing zones. This is followed by plans for beds, community gardens and indoor gardening. Next is my favorite section: 21 herbs with information on growing, propagation, healing properties and simple recipes. Herbs include lavender, parsley, bee balm, chamomile, purple coneflower and others, all probably familiar to the beginning herbalist. The guide concludes with information about harvesting, drying and plant diseases.

Grow Your own Medicine is an ideal reference guide for beginners but more experienced gardeners will benefit from the detailed information included. It belongs on every gardener’s book shelf. 5 stars.

Thank you to NetGalley, IBPA and Ava Green and Kate Bensinger for this ARC.

This book is written to the beginner herbal gardener, tracing the history of herbalism and the many benefits of growing your own herbs. The author includes comprehensive information on types of soil, importance of light and watering, as well as graphs for climate and hardiness zones, and gardening methods and tools. Included is a helpful section containing 21 of the most commonly grown herbs and each herb includes information about propagation, maintenance, common problems, medicinal uses, safety, culinary and other uses, and harvesting. There is also good information about harvesting and storage, and how to identify and deal with pests and disease.

This book would be an excellent resource in any gardener’s library and would make a great gift. In this increasingly toxic world, homegrown herbs are a great comfort for food seasoning and medicinal purposes as well as providing beauty and scent to a home garden.

Thank you Netgalley, Green HopeX, and the author for this eARC in exchange for my honest review.

*Thank you to netgalley, the authors and publishers for an ARC in return for an honest review*

A thorough step-by step on anything and everything a beginner could need.

Though unfortunately many who may not be able to commandeer a garden may have to save most tips and tricks until they can get on the property ladder, it is a composite and fulfilling read nonetheless.

The illustrations are wildly useful, and provide a visual that neurodivergents like myself can make a lot more sense of than simply words on a page.

A thorough book to help anyone who is starting out with growing herbs. It is very much aimed at absolute beginners, taking you step by step through the basics of gardening. It then lists out a number of different herbs and how to grow them, along with their medicinal uses.

I was disappointed with the small number of herbs listed, but the book does include a QR code to take you to a PDF which lists out further herbs, which seems a bit odd as I think most people would want all the information in one book rather than in separate places. The illustrations of the herbs are quite simple, and for a book aimed at beginners, full colour photos of the herbs at different stages of its development would be a lot more useful.

Wow I love the illustrations in this and it is info packed albeit a little light on varieties of plants presented. I finally learned something I was curious about, how growing zones worked in other countries/continents. Would like to see a 2nd volume with information on a bunch of different herbs.
I think it’s pretty much a must if you love cute illustrations, gardening and herbalism

A well-researched and a well planned presentation on practical fit for all kind of gardening guidebook giving specific tips about planting herbs.

The details are specific and crisp which I really appreciate.

I like the water colour illustrations. However, for such guidebooks I would love real pictures of the plants and the materials required.

Go for this book. It has a lot to offer.

I need a physical copy of this book!

Thank you, Green Hopex, for the advance reading copy.

I am not an herbalist. I am someone who is interested in the art of healing and creating your own medicines. I was intrigued by the title and drawn by the cover. The contents are purely delightful! These women know what they are talking about and have many years of combined experience to share what they have learned. I enjoyed having all of this wisdom in one place: a helpful tool. It starts with the very basics, such as the right soil and the right climate. I appreciate that no assumptions are made, and all opportunities are placed in the hands of the reader to cultivate their own herb garden. The actual “meat” of the content, the twenty-one herbs provided are done so in an excellent format. Each herb provides symbols for what it is best used for, and then various tips, such as propagation, maintenance, common problems, medicinal use, safety, culinary use, other uses, and harvesting. There is a robust section for harvesting and storing, as well as helpful insights for your own garden. An excellent resource for those who are just getting started and then some more herbs as you master the basics (provided via a QR code). All in all, a helpful resource and tool that I have learned a lot from and would certainly recommend to others who are looking to grow their own herb medicinal gardens.

I received a complimentary copy from the publisher via NetGalley and all opinions expressed are solely my own, freely given.