Southern Folk Medicine: Healing Traditions from the Appalachian Fields and Forests by Phyllis D. Light

The author, Phillis D. Light, is the director of the Appalachian Center for Natural Health in Arab, Alabama, on Sand Mountain. She is a fourth generation herbalist and healer and claims kin to Creek and Cherokee foremothers. She was a close friend and early student of Tommie Bass (1908-1996) who lived and practiced nearby and was arguably one of the most well-known herbal healers of his generation.  This book considers, Native American, African-American, and European folk medicine as well as the influence of religion upon folk medicine. It has chapters on each of the four basic elements: fire, air, water, and earth. “Written in an easy-to-understand and autobiographical manner, this book will open your mind to a new way of understanding well-being, illness, and health.” – David Winston. “This book is a treasure! It is at once charming to read and chock-full of plant wisdom. . . . Light is able to remain true to her ancestral roots of Southern Appalachian herbal medicine. As such, it inspires our deeper appreciation for Southern Folk Medicine.” – Michael Tierra. “On every page there’s a richly told story, a brilliant passage, a bit of wisdom or practical advice about health and healing that makes the kind of sense that only folk traditions do.” – Rosemary Gladstar. Berkeley, California: North Atlantic Books, 2018. 278 pages with a foreword by Rosemary Gladstar, an Afterword by Matthew Wood, and an Index. Trade paperback