A practical guide to the celebration of Beltaine and the sacred herbs of spring * Explores the identification, harvest, and safe practical and ritual use of more than 90 plants and trees * Details rituals for honoring the traditional Gods and Goddesses of spring, such as the Goddess Chloris, the Goddess Flora, and the Daghda * Reveals which herbs to use for luck, magic, protection, purification, abundance, fertility, and love as well as the herbs of the Faeries and Elves and herbs for journeying to the Otherworld and for contacting the High Gods and Goddesses Marking the beginning of the Celtic year, the festival of Beltaine, May Day, is a celebration of the return of spring and the promise of summer, a time for love magic and spells for increasing the fertility of the land and the plants that grow upon it. Like Samhain in autumn, Beltaine is also a time when the veil between the physical and spiritual world is at its most transparent and the ancestors and denizens of the Otherworld easily interact with the world of humans. Presenting a practical guide to the celebration of Beltaine, Ellen Evert Hopman examines the plants, customs, foods, drinks, and rituals of May Day across many cultures. Discussing the gods and goddesses of spring, Hopman details the rituals for honoring them as well as traditional poems, prayers, incantations, folk rhymes, and sayings related to this time of year. She explores well dressing, the custom of honoring the source of sacred water by decorating a well. She also looks at Beltaine's association with Walpurgisnacht and Hexennacht, which fall the preceding evening. In the extensive section on the sacred plants of Beltaine, the author explores more than 90 herbs and trees, offering spells, rituals, and recipes alongside their medicinal healing uses. She reveals sacred woods suitable for the Beltaine fires and Beltaine flowers for rituals and spells. She explores herbs for luck, magic, purification, abundance, and love; herbs for protection, such as bindweed, elder, and St. John's wort; herbs of the Faeries and Elves, such as burdock and dandelion; and herbs for journeying to the Otherworld and contacting the high gods and goddesses. She also details the identification, harvest, and preparation of seasonal edible herbs, greens, mushrooms, and flowers. Woven throughout with mystical tales of folk, Faery, and sacred herbs, this guide offers each of us practical and magical ways to connect with Nature, the plant kingdom, and the Spirits that surround us in the season of spring.

This illuminating book has the power to transform your health and change your life. We are living longer than ever before, but our prolonged lives have come at a price: a rise in chronic diseases like digestive disorders, high blood pressure, heart disease, arthritis and cancer. These diseases pose a challenge to conventional medicine, which controls symptoms but doesn't address the underlying cause. But there is a solution: naturopathy. Naturopathy, or natural medicine, focuses on uncovering the roots of health and resilience. In The Natural Prescription (first published as The Nature Cure in the US), Dr Michalsen shares the potential of nature he discovers every day with his patients. Thoughtfully written and filled with science and history, fascinating case studies and practical guidance, he walks us through the basic principles and scientific mechanisms of naturopathy and provides us with practical, easy-to-follow instructions on how to integrate naturopathic methods into our daily routine. 'Essential reading for anyone interested in living a long and healthy life.' - Dr. Qing Li, author of Forest Bathing 'This is a book that brings us toward a new approach to medicine, a book that is not to be missed.' - Valter Longo, PhD, author of The Longevity Diet 'This scientifically-based and accessible book will help to transform lives as it contains a multitude of actionable recommendations to reverse and prevent multiple diseases.' - Lorenzo Cohen, PhD, professor and director of the Integrative Medicine Program at MD Anderson Cancer Center and co-author of Anticancer Living