Documenting your Herbal Knowledge
Creating your own Materia Medica may seem daunting or like something to do “one day”. I highly recommend you begin today. Collect the knowledge you’ve researched, learned, and used. Make sure your information is sound and you are double and triple checking for accuracy.
Your “book of simples” doesn’t have to be fancy - although I do recommend creating something you really like to use. It can be simple or complex. It’s up to personal preference. My big tip would be to make it something you understand and use your own “voice”. If you use the common names, then don’t put your information in the latin names. Take your own pictures or draw the weeds - or both.
The first step is to discover the weeds/plants/herbs in your local area. Please see my previous post on steps to do that.
Then jot some notes down on what your newly discovered herb does. What does it help? What works well with it? Here are some notes I added for some late Spring plants. I was doing research and grabbed some scrap paper to throw down the research I did on dandelion and purple dead nettle. As you can see it’s not pretty. It’s scribbled quickly and not artistic. It is all info based.
You’ve found your herb. You’ve double checked for accuracy of identification. Now write down where it came from and when it was available.
Here you see my “working book”. It’s like a personal plant almanac. Since I am foraging my own land, I don’t write down the location, but the month it showed up.
If you have your own land or someplace that is safe to forage, I recommend doing the same. That way you know when the herb came up and where it was located.
If you are foraging on public lands, please make sure the area is safe and not treated. Then write the location and any landmarks.
And then when you know your herb begin the personalized part of this project. Create your materia medica/book of simples. This is like your personal forage book that is filled with usage, recipes, locations, etc. Make it as artistic as you’d like. Doing all of these steps will allow the herbs usage, identification, and properties to connect with you. Soon you will be able to discuss the uses of each herb…and if not, you can grab your materia medica to help jog your memory.
Here is a page from my personal book of simples, showcasing one of my favorite herbs: Goldenrod.
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