Woven Roots by Deatra Cohen and Adam Siegel is an indepth exploration of Ashkenazi herbalism and its interconnectedness in Eastern Europe with the Slavic, Romany, and folk healers in the community.

I have read many books about herbalism, but Woven Roots was a fascinating read, as cultural perspectives and teachings on the universal language of herbalism offers unique wisdom on the properties and uses of various plants. Given all of the trials and tribulations of the Jewish people, it becomes clear in this book that herbalism was a steward of its culture and beliefs that should be preserved and explored further for ethnographic and historical value.

This is an incredibly thorough and well researched book on the traditional folk uses of herbs of Eastern European Jews and other nearby cultures throughout history. The author tells of her own family history with the plants along with historical uses for each plant by folk healers in all different regions and time periods. She is an herbalist herself and she occasionally tells how she uses the herbs in her own practice but this is fundamentally a historical book and not a modern herbal book.

I read an advance copy of this book via netgalley. All opinions are my own.