Things have changed in the last few years and countless people are crippled by stress and anxiety. The effects of stress on our health can lead to devastating long-term illnesses such as adrenal fatigue and chronic fatigue syndrome. More recently, there has also been the complex condition known as long Covid, which we are steadily learning more about. Many people feel completely burnt out but do not understand how this affects their body or what they can do about it. Unfortunately, mainstream medicine has almost nothing to offer the person who wakes up feeling exhausted and unable to cope with the smallest stress. Having helped people for more than 20 years to recover from these illnesses, Jo Dunbar passes on her knowledge and experience in this accessible book.  Her healing approach involves nutrition, herbs, exercises, meditation and lifestyle changes. It's a holistic rounded approach but we are empowered to adapt it to our own needs. Jo also doesn't reject mainstream medicine out of hand and she is well-versed in all the current developments and research.

During the pandemic, surgeries closed their doors to their patients, and told them to self-isolate and take paracetamol. People became frightened and felt abandoned to cope with a virus against which there seemed no answer from mainstream medicine. Since then, there has been a groundswell of interest in plant medicine, and this book will help readers feel empowered and able to help themselves heal and thrive using tinctures, teas and other recipes, but without having to train as a medical herbalist. Amongst the alluring recipes are Menopause Tea, Horse Chestnut Gel and Brain Spice Condiments, and chapters include Nourishing Your Adrenals, Herbs for the Heart and Muscles and Joints. There's a huge amount of wisdom here garnered from Jo's 22 years of practising herbalism. There is nothing as magical as picking a weed from under a hedge, brewing it in the cauldron of your teapot, and using that potion to restore health. It's everyday alchemy, and it transforms us from the base metal of material gratification into the gold of recognizing the exquisite power of nature. Secrets from a Herbalist's Garden meets the pull to recover from illness or to alleviate a long-standing condition, as well as the yearning for a new way of life, where growing and harvesting herbs with the seasons is adopted as a new holistic lifestyle. You might consult the text with a specific ailment or a plant to harvest, but it would also guide you to a more spiritual and seasonal lifestyle.