This is a good guide to types of depression, anxiety, etc and herbs that can be used to treat them. I appreciated that it delves into different reasons for depression and anxiety, with different herbs recommended depending on the cause. For instance, depression related to PMDD and hormonal causes will need different remedies than depression related to gut imbalances or stress. It goes into ways you can take them (capsule, tea, tincture) and some dosage recommendations.

As a forager and herbalist, I was hoping for more information on making my own remedies but this is meant for people who just buy their herbs. Most of the information is from the perspective of studies and established mainstream science, rather than from the perspective of experienced herbalists. Therefore, there’s more of a focus on Asian remedies since they have been doing studies so much longer and on the few western herbs studied by herbal companies and the medical establishment. I was hoping for more plants (and mushrooms) that are in my region. Generally, herbal wisdom from communities like indigenous and Appalachian herbalists is discounted and I would have liked to see their perspectives. Still a great guide for the many herbs it does cover though.

I read a digital copy of this book for review.

Thank you so much to Net galley and the publisher for sending me a copy of this book! As someone who has a lot of knowledge in this field I do not think that this book was meant for me. Although this has so much good information it just was all what I already know. Because of this I would only recommend this book to beginners!

I’m always looking for natural treatments to any kind of health issue. This book is kind of like a beginners guide to that which I love. I found it to be very useful in my healing journey.

This is quite a nice little book. There is a lot of introductory material, which aims to set herbal medicine in context, including types of medicine and the classification of herbs spices etc. The breadth of the introduction is very wide, and because of that the depth of detail is very shallow. I would have preferred a bit more detail on herbal medicine itself rather than lots of definitions from eastern, western, functional medicine etc concerning diagnoses and treatment styles. It felt like I'd been given a ton of information which barely scratched the surface and I didn't feel like I really had gotten to know herbal medicine or how it fits better.

That said, I was excited to reach the main chapters on herbal medicine for mental health: this is split into 3 parts covering: depression, anxiety and bipolar disorder. I was fascinated that each of these was connected to a body system or organ. For example, depression could arise from problems with the gut-brain connection, thyroid, cortisol, sex steroid, PCOS, vitamin D, insulin etc. The explanations were clear for these linkages and a good range of herbals along with how they work were presented. Individual case studies helped to show which herbs were prescribed and why.

The book was well referenced and contained some interesting end notes.
My review copy did contain a fair few corrections marked up in the text which I found a bit distracting.

I'm still a novice when it comes to herbal medicine, but I found this book very interesting and even with being a newbie I was able to follow along. I will be buying a physical copy to add to my other herbal books.

This is a great book that explains herbal solutions for mental health conditions such as anxiety and depression. It makes sense that if something is out of balance in a body, causing symptoms, the herbal solutions that bring the body back into balance correct the symptoms.

This is the book that every medical student should be introduced to during medical school and continue using as a reference to help heal the entire person. A good blend of herbal medicine and western medicine can be found in this book. "An herb is used not only for the action needed but for its affinity for the organ." It was helpful that the author made many comparisons to other modalities of medicine (allopathic, osteopathy, western, herbal, Chinese energetic). The book addresses the follow topics, chapter by chapter: Depression, gut-brain connection, the cortisol connection, the thyroid connection, the sex steroid connection, polycystic ovary syndrome, the Vitamin D connection, the insulin connection, and other treatments. Anxiety disorders, deficits in attention, sleep bipolar disorder and pain relief are all covered in more details as well. This book was so interesting to learn about a variety of topics and the herbs that can make a significant difference.

Fantastic! The author provides a good account of herbs and their uses to support mental health and conditions like ADHD and PCSO, as well as other treatments such as CBT.

As someone interested in herbalism, I was eager to check out this book. Written by a psychiatrist who was trained in traditional Western medicine but who also studied and practiced herbal medicine, this title is full of helpful information. I can picture using this as a resource to return to as needed.

As noted, all medical advice should come from a professional who knows your situation. Having some background in herbal wellness, the information resonated with me and was easy to understand. 4 stars, recommended for those interested in wellness, particularly mental health and/or alternative medicine.

Thanks to Net Galley and the publisher for the complimentary digital review copy of this title.

Being an herb and natural medicine enthusiast and mental health advocate, I was really excited to see this title. From the description, it seemed like it would have a lot of interesting information and help guide people who are more inclined towards pharmaceutical medicine to explore the option of supplemental medicine with herbs.

It is acknowledged that there are simply no scientific studies into a lot of these herbs, especially for mental health benefits, and the suggestion that herbs already known for their medicinal benefits be viewed through the lens of also helping with stress and anxiety was interesting to read about.

However, the constant switching between anecdotes, mental health symptoms, trends, and herbal doses for certain conditions left me feeling the book was trying to accomplish a bit too much within its pages, or that the target audience was a bit too broad.

Over-arching guidance throughout the book is that the reader speaks to their doctor before beginning any herbal use to treat symptoms. Overall, this book was effective in helping me think about natural medicine to treat mental health.

Many thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC of this book!

Thank you for this ARC for an exchange for an honest review.

This is very helpful book, highly recommend it.

This is an excellent reference book explaining the best herbs/supplements/tinctures to naturally treat many illnesses. I have already ordered some herbal tea blends from Mountain Rose Herbs. I really enjoyed reading this book. Filled will very good information.

Lillian Somner's expertise as a psychiatrist, osteopathic physician, acupuncturist, and her experience working with the brilliant Daniel Amen really shows in this excellent guide for treating mental health naturally.

She covers a lot of ground in the various aspects and details of areas of mental health, ranging from treating depression to ADHD to specific hormonal issues for women. What’s particularly refreshing is her method of combining herbals, vitamins, other supplements, dietary changes, and at times medications to treat the whole person. Often medical books on treating conditions naturally vilify allopathic medicine, but she maintains a balance that I appreciate. And of course, she recommends working along with your own medical professional to implement herbal remedies.

Highly recommended for anyone wanting a reference book in their collection to help navigate the tricky waters of treating mental health conditions.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for the opportunity to read and review this book.

In this book, the author, Dr. Lillian Somner, provides readers with easy to understand information about the use of herbal remedies as alternative to prescription meds. Perhaps you've suffered a bad side effect from a drug or prefer a natural remedy. This book provides the answers to the many questions you might have.

Dr. Somner begins with a clear explanation of what constitutes an herb. Research is presented with regards to the different type of depression and how other systems of the body come into play. Some common herbs used in treatment for depression, anxiety, the nervous system, stress, and the digestive system are highlighted. Contraindications are provided.

This book is quite thorough, also including some info on essential oils and probiotics.

Conditions treated are broken down by chapter as well as chapters devoted to insulin and Vitamin D, two key components to mental health.

There is discussion of the thyroid and inflammation as contributing factors, which seem to play a part in many illnesses these days. Women suffering from menstrual issues will find a wealth of info on painful menses, PMS, PCOS (polycystic ovary syndrome), and other issues.

The authors asks that you please discuss these herbal options with your doctor.

Thank you to Kensington and Net Galley for providing an ARC of this book.