This was kind of bland. It didn't really give me a lot of what I want or need in this type of book.

I have read many of these types of books and this just didn't have what I wanted. I expected more about the plants themselves for medicine needs but it seemed to be very small part of the book

Ava Green and Kate Bensinger have created a dynamic, well-researched, highly informative book about growing herbs and how to expand their use in your daily life for optimum use.

I consider myself very knowledgeable when it comes to growing plants, especially food since I am a long time organic farmer but this book was so well thought out, researched, and formatted well that I learned great information. I like that Ava and Kate in "Grow Your Own Medicine" they first talked about soil. The importance of starting out with great plants is that it is first about the soil. You can write a book about herbs but if the emphasis on the foundation of achieving great plants and soil isn't discussed first then It's a bit moot. But Ava and Kate cover that completely and I love it! Also they next went into why grow your own plants well first of all you know then what you are getting how safe the plant is to eat which I find is talked about perhaps often enough but then not often enough and it just can't be stated enough how important it is to be rooted in knowing where our food comes from.

Then each herb broken down alphabetically with good amount of time given to each plant. Coming from a botanist perspective I thought each plant came with a sizeable amount of valuable information. I did make their cough syrup recipe and was delighted with it. Also, the book has color through with soft watercolor illustations.

I highly recommend this book and would use in my teachings to encourage herb knowledge and to increase knowledge about them and to expand their uses.

I received this book as an ARC from NetGalley, however this is my unbiased review. This was a really fun book! I thought the illustrations were a cool addition and it was accessible to beginners without diving too deep into the technical aspect of gardening. While there were a list of herbs to plant (including harvesting, safety, and other key facts about them) I do wish it was a little more focused on the medicinal aspect. Though, I understand the author's have a different book that focuses more on that. This one is just on the basics of actually growing your garden. The recipes included were interesting however and I definitely have a few new ones to try for my own garden! 4.5 stars

As a beginning herbalist myself, I started this title with quite a lot of questions. I didn't anticipate that each and every one of them would be answered. They weren't just answered, the authors also gave historical references and real life experiences to back up their claims and advice, and did it in a way that made the information more relatable and easier to digest. At the beginning of the book they mention acting as a guide through the journey and immediately fulfill that promise. I felt as if I were sitting there with them, learning first hand what and what not to do. This isn't just gardening for them, Ava & Kate highlight the importance of the connection between gardening, mental health aspects, giving to others, self sustainability and much more. They even provide a QR code in the middle of the book that provides access to even more plants and information that didn't make it into the book (to help with cost and sustainability) as well as offer alternative methods and products that you can easily do yourself, opposed to opting for store bought.
I would recommend this book to anyone looking to start an herb garden, no matter how small or large and regardless of your starting knowledge base. All the information is there for you in one convenient little book, from the very beginning seed, all the way to harvest (and even what to do after!) I give this title a 5 star review based on the information it provided and the needs it met for me. I cannot wait to get a physical copy to reference at my leisure and times of need. I enjoyed this copy via Ebook from NetGalley reads. I am not sponsored or promoted in any way.

This is a book for complete beginners, which I am. Gives easy and thoughtful explanations for things that some authors take for granted their reader knows. I really enjoyed the illustrations, there was hardiness zones for other continents which was really interesting to see and in the future compare to my zone and see a plant native to that area would survive in my zone. Overall I really enjoyed it and will be buying a copy to keep in my home.

I read the ARC offered by the publisher

This is a great book! While I have a serious black thumb, Ava Green and Kate Bensinger walk novices and experts through the how-to of beginning and maintaining an herb garden.

Each highlighted herb has detailed sections on the culinary and medicinal uses.

The only thing that could have made this better would be adding magical uses.

Think this is all too woo-woo? Chicken soup and broths have helped heal people for ages and the curative properties are likely boosted by the herbs being used.

Grow Your Own Medicine is a solid reference book for everyone from herbalists and homesteaders to kitchen witches.

I love the practical advice, aesthetic beauty, and easy readability of this book. If you’re looking for a place to start in planting herbs for any reason, this is a great start! I plan to use some of what I learned to start my very first herb garden this season.

Grow Your Own Medicine covers the basics of herb gardening, from why, to how and what. The introduction is well written and makes you excited to get to gardening herbs. The book then goes through 21 plants (not sure if this is just the kindle version, there was then a link to another 32). Each plant has a great infographic that shows the plant and its primary uses. The author then dives into a brief history of the plant, how to grow and care for it and its uses. I do wish there had been more information about what part of the plant is being used.
The second half of the book goes deeper into general garden information, like soil health, fertilizers, common issues and beneficial pollinators.
Overall, the book is a great introduction to gardening herbs and gives lots of ideas for which herbs are right for your garden. It has enough information to get started, however, I will end up looking up the plants I grow to get more detailed information.
Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC

This book contains lots of information about various garden herbs and other natural medicines that you can grow at home. Most of the book is laid out by plant, with common and botanical names, propagation, medicinal and culinary use, etc. Each has an illustration of the mature plant to help with identification.

The information in the book seems useful, but some of the layout and editing choices are not the best. The plants are not listed alphabetically, and there's no explanation for their order. The authors have made an odd choice with acronyms, only defining them the first time they appear. So if you're reading straight through, you would know that GRAS means "generally recognized as safe". But if you turn directly to the herb you want to know about, you may be confronted with multiple acronyms that you don't know. There's no glossary of acronyms that I could find. There's also, curiously, a QR code to a file with 32 additional herbs (the book only contains 21). In the middle of the book.

If you are new to gardening and herbalism then this book is for you!

The book is very thorough - almost like an encyclopedia - and teaches the medicinal, culinary, decorative, scent and dye uses of 50+ herbs in detail. The author takes the time to teach the reader the basics of soil, watering, and managing plant diseases. While there aren't any photos, there are beautiful illustrations that show relevant stages of growth and the active parts of the plant.

I received a free copy of this book from the publisher and NetGalley in exchange for my honest opinion.

I found this book very encyclopaedic and incredibly thorough. However, given the whimsical cover image, I was expecting a more integrated and playful design aesthetic throughout the book.

But let's jump right into the content. This book is a wonderfully comprehensive guide and provides every detail to help new gardeners get started planning and designing a medicinal garden. It explains topics like soil Ph, hardiness zones and must-have tools. It touches on how to propagate, plant from seeds, grow from cuttings. This book also distinguishes harmful and helpful garden insects, as well as helps to quickly identify and manage common plant diseases. Such Information is invaluable, and usually only available from extension offices and/or family-run nurseries.

The Holy Grail of this book, however, is the deep dive into the 50+ herbs you will learn to cultivate. Each herb offers a detailed key to identify medicinal, culinary, decorative, tea, dye and scent characteristics. Each herb section opens with personal and historical musings, then focuses on countless tips to ensure your growing efforts are wildly successful. Sprinkled with occasional recipes, DYI projects, and small illustrations, this helpful guide is essential for anyone just getting started with establishing and maintaining a medicinal and culinary garden.

I love everything about this book. I want to order the physical copy on Amazon ASAP, so I can have this pretty and useful book on my shelf :)

Grow Your Own Medicine by Ava Green and Kate Bensinger is a great reference book. The book is very well laid out and easy to read. There is so much useful information, I will be buying this book. I however wish there were better pictures.

I can’t recommend this book enough, simple easily designed layout, breaking everything down for all level of learning. Great first go to book for anyone wanting to start a herbal garden, and harvest. The recipes included were some I had not seen before which was a pleasant surprise.

I thought this book would be quite interesting, but it's amazing!
Really good information and the explanation of the herbs is so detailed, telling you what each herb can be used for health wise and how best to grow them. this book will certainly be well used.
Thank you netgalley

Some nice instructions for growing and caring for herbs. A little too much anti-pharmaceuticals talk for my taste.

Grow Your Own Medicine is packed with useful information, techniques, advice, and recipes. I absolutely loved reading about the possible uses and benefits of different herbs. I have been looking for a book like this and absolutely want to purchase a print copy to keep on hand. I feel these are things everyone should know and am excited to find out more myself.

I'm looking to expand my herb garden, and this book has me excited for the growing season. I've read practically all the books on vegetable and herb gardening at my library, and I still took so many notes on this book. Even though the book's title is "Grow Your Own Medicine," I was shocked by how extensive the medicinal use and safety sections were. I'm also thankful that there was emphasis on sustainable harvesting.

Grow Your Own Medicine, Handbook for the Self-Sufficient Herbalist written by Ava Green and Kate Bensinger is an outstanding resource for the beginning gardener or even for the experienced one. Full of tips, health benefits, recipes, and advice, this book is a one that I will come back to often as I grow my own garden. I highly recommend!

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.