Ashkenazi Herbalism: Rediscovering the Herbal Traditions of Eastern European Jews - Deatra Cohen, Adam Siegel

Written by Deatra Cohen, Adam Siegel
Read by Adam Siegel
Format: M4B
Bitrate: 64 Kbps

The definitive guide to the medicinal plant knowledge of Ashkenazi herbal healers—from the Middle Ages to the 20th century.

Until now, the herbal traditions of the Ashkenazi people have remained unexplored and shrouded in mystery. Ashkenazi Herbalism rediscovers the forgotten legacy of the Jewish medicinal plant healers who thrived in Eastern Europe’s Pale of Settlement, from their beginnings in the Middle Ages through the modern era.

Including the first materia medica of 26 plants and herbs essential to Ashkenazi folk medicine, Ashkenazi Herbalism sheds light on the preparations, medicinal profiles, and applications of a rich but previously unknown herbal tradition—one hidden by language barriers, obscured by cultural misunderstandings, and nearly lost to history. Written for new and established practitioners, it offers illustrations, provides information on comparative medicinal practices, and illuminates the important historical and cultural contexts that gave rise to Eastern European Jewish herbalism.

Part I introduces a brief history of the Ashkenazim and provides an overview of traditional medicine among Eastern European Jews. Part II offers a comparative overview of healing customs among Jews of the Pale of Settlement, their many native plants, and the remedies applied by local healers to treat a range of illnesses.

This materia medica names each plant in Yiddish, English, Latin, and other relevant languages, and the book also details a brief history of medicine; the roles of the ba’alei shem, feldshers, opshprekherins, midwives, and brewers; and the remedy books used by Jewish healers.

Critic reviews

“A significant contribution to Jewish studies—Cohen and Siegel have successfully resolved the mystery of Ashkenazi herbal traditions.”—Marek Tuszewicki, deputy director of the Institute of Jewish Studies at Jagiellonian University in Kraków and author of A Frog Under the Tongue

“Meticulously researched, absorbing, and poignant, Ashkenazi Herbalism is an important addition to the canon of herbal literature, bequeathing to us a tradition of herbal practice that, but for [Cohen’s and Siegel’s] efforts, would have remained lost to the world.”—Judith Berger, writer, herbalist, and author of Herbal Rituals

“A brilliant work that captures an important but long-ignored facet of traditional herbal healing practices.”—Rosemary Gladstar, herbalist and author of Rosemary Gladstar’s Medicinal Herbs and Rosemary Gladstar’s Herbal Recipes for Vibrant Health