The Energetics of Western Herbs:

A Materia Medica Integrating Western and Chinese Herbal Therapeutics

Newly revised and enlarged 4th edition Peter Holmes, L.Ac., M.H.

Two volumes in soft cover, 8 1/2" x 11", 928 pages
Price: $70 per volume

Vol. 1: ISBN 1-890029-42-5

Vol. 2: ISBN 1-890029-43-2

click here to view pdf sample

The Energetics of Western Herbs, Vols. 1 and 2, is a pathbreaking reference work for over 220 botanical remedies used in Western herbal medicine.

Comprehensive and detailed, it draws on Chinese and Greek herbal medicine to integrate traditional herbal energetics with the latest findings in plant pharmacology. The traditional vitalistic and modern scientific systems of herbal medicine are complementary paradigms, not irreconcilable approaches. Using both systems simultaneously will greatly enhance the efficacy of herbal formulation in clinical practice, as well as provide a deeper understanding of each system.

This fourth edition is a complete revision and expansion of the third edition in both text and layout. It includes fourteen new herbs, including Schisandra, Rehmannia, Rhodiola, Eleuthero, Devil's claw, White peony, Asian ginseng, Asian Buplever and Baikal skullcap. The introductions to each herb class, which explore the treatment strategies behind the various types of herbs, have been rewritten to include much new clinical material as well as to reflect current knowledge. In addition, the whole text has been re-typeset for greater user friendliness as a practical herbal medicine reference.

The Energetics includes detailed practical instructions for preparing and using herbal remedies for internal and topical use. For each herb, it includes the most useful preparation forms, along with important dosage, caution and contraindication information. For this fourth edition, the detailed dosages for tincture, infusion and decoction preparations have been fully updated, based on current Western herbal medicine practice, and the tincture strength and ethanol content information have been added for every herb.
 

Endorsements of
The Energetics of Western Herbs

This is a text that deserves respect. As an account, even encyclopaedia, of traditional uses, these monographs and their introductions are probably the most complete and integrated anywhere. This is an impressive opus: I believe Holmes succeeds very well on his own terms, and many practitioners will be grateful to him for illuminating their therapeutic deliberations.
Simon Mills, M.N.I.M.H., author of Out of the Earth

The Energetics of Western Herbs is an excellent resource for the practitioner. Peter Holmes' unique and masterful blending of Western physiological and Eastern diagnostic principles adds depth and clarity to the art of herbal formulation. This revised edition incorporates the most recent research in plant medicine. This brilliant two-volume set is a must for any herbalist.
Linda Costarella, N.D., co-author of Herbs for Women's Health

This classical book, now extensively revised and updated, provides a creative revisioning of western herbalism. Clear, concise and comprehensive, it elegantly defines an integrated energetic model with specific indications for the therapeutic use of western herbs. An exceptional and immensely useful text
Chanchal Cabrera, M.N.I.M.H., A.H.G., President, Gaia Garden Herbal Apothecary

Every user and lover of Western herbs can gain tremendous insight into the nature and "energetics" of herbs with careful study of Peter Holmes' ground-breaking book, The Energetics of Western Herbs. This book has become the de facto standard reference work for everyone interested in the integration of Western and Chinese herbal medicine. This is absolutely where the excitement is today!
Christopher Hobbs, L.Ac., A.G.H., author of Handbook for Herbal Healing

In this important volume, Peter Holmes has accepted a challenge, gone to the libraries and shown that there is a rich herbal tradition in the west that was discarded by the enthusiasm and ideology of the scientific revolution. Peter Holmes has creatively engaged the best of the buried western herbal tradition in a dialogue with the rich tradition of the east. The Energetics of Western Herbs is an important discussion that can only enhance the creativity, depth, intelli-gence and clinical skills of all herbalists both in the east and in the west.
Ted Kaptchuk, O.M.D., author of The Web That Has No Weaver

Many a satisfying winter evening awaits the herbalist who owns a copy of The Energetics of Western Herbs by Peter Holmes. These volumes throb with the pulse of life, sing with the laughter of Artemis (to whom they are dedicated), and twinkle with the truth of the wise woman way. By looking holographically, Peter has seen into the inner forms of illness and plant medicines, and shows us clearly—and with much love—the patterns of connection. Packed with information which is easily accessed, The Energetics of Western Herbs—like Artemis herself—will be a lifelong friend to the student and practitioner of herbal medicine.
Susun Weed, author of Healing Wise

Here, is perhaps the first attempt in a millennium or more to classify Western herbs in terms of their "energetics". Holmes views Western herbs through the eyes of a practitioner of Chinese medicine. The Energetics of Western Herbs is borne of the author's lifetime pursuit of thinking of Western herbs in oriental terms. It is an impressive, massive undertaking... This is an impact herb book, one that will be talked about reverently and irreverently for a long time.
Steven Foster, author of Herbal Emissaries

The Energetics of Western Herbs is a scholarly work, with extensive notes on individual herbs from European sources previously unavailable to North American readers. An appendix classifying the Western herbs by Chinese organ syndromes is valuable to the practitioner of Oriental Medicine.
Paul Bergner, editor of Medical Herbalism

As a practitioner of Chinese medicine I find this text to be the most exciting and useful reference in my library. It not only allows me the option of choosing environmentally related herbs for my patients but assists me in maintaining the status and integrity of the medicine I've come to know.
Douglas Vickerd, licensed acupuncturist, Victoria, B.C.

It is the original work that is sorely needed in the Western herbal tradition, and perhaps we didn't know how much we missed it until it arrived... I hope it becomes a landmark, an historical breakthrough, on the way to an authentic modern herbal medical system. Peter Holmes' work is not merely one of refined scholarship. It is also full of insight, and practical application.
Stephen Fulder, Ph.D., author of The Tao of Medicine

Peter Holmes has given us an audacious new work which is global in perspective. In this text he opens a new frontier for our exploration by revitalizing the traditions of the western world's herbal healing art. By means of his research we are introduced to the saga of the largely forgotten progenitors of the herbal traditions in Europe and the Near East. Through the practical eye of his clinical experience as an eclectic herbalist emerges the possibility for a unified theory of herbal healing. As you move with Peter through this text, you will not only be offered a new integrated methodology for using herbs, but you will also have the enjoyment of joining in his quest to recover the past, be delighted by the stories he has to tell, and be enlightened by the insightful commentaries he has carefully crafted for us.
Randall Barolet, OMD, author of Chinese Herbal Medicine: Formulas and Strategies

An attempt has now been made, at long last, to go back to the roots of both Eastern and Western traditions of herbal medicine and to integrate them into a new and original work: The Energetics of Western Herbs in two volumes, by Peter Holmes. This is an attempt to provide continuity between the ancient systems and present-day practices and classifies Western herbs according to a system which applies equally to all traditions. It is far and away the best study of Western hernal medicine, indeed the only one of its kind. Even the chemical constituents of each herb are more numerous than in any other herbal. It is a creative and original work which has gone right back to fundamentals, and could provide the key to the future understanding and application of herbal medicine in this country. In my humble opinion this work should be considered as a school textbook in the future. This book could be a starting point for a reappraisal and reformulation of our herbal philosophy.
Brenda Cooke, M.N.I.M.H., Editor, Greenfiles

The Energetics of Western Herbs promises to become one of the cornerstones in many herb students' libraries... [It] provides Western scientists a farmework for understanding the rationale for the use of both Eastern as well as Western herbs within the Eastern mindset. Holmes' books constitute a laudable attempt in this difficult area, and Westerners are encouraged to set aside their skepticism for a while and attempt to explore the world of herbs from a new (ancient) perspective.
For those who are already immersed in Eastern ways, some herbalists, practitioners of Chinese herbology here in the West, acupuncturists, and the like this book is a most welcome addition to what is inevitably an increasing area of public health interest.
Mark Blumenthal, Executive Director, American Botanical Council