Health & Well-Being

Medicine from the Trees: Herbal Remedies from the Forest for Whole-Body Health and Wellness

Best-selling author and board-certified naturopathic physician Pursell brings us easy-to-create herbal remedies sourced from thirty-four tree species widely acknowledged to have scientific medical benefits.

Pursell, author of two best-selling books based on medicines created from herbs and flowers, now brings us trusted alternative remedies based on ingredients sourced from thirty-four common trees from around the world, readily available in our own backyards or in herbal supply markets.  

These recipes (including teas, tinctures, bath soaks, syrups, salves, and even cookies) will teach readers how to manage day-to-day physical complaints such as immune system health, colds, and stress. Did you know that you can pickle the seeds of American ash trees as a beneficial gut microbiome supplement and source of nutrition? That a morning tea made from banyan tree bark will balance blood sugar levels all day? That a tincture of beech leaves improves circulation? That a delicious ketchup made from hawthorn is good for the heart? That steamy spruce baths are effective for treating lower back pain as well as colds? Pursell reveals all these surprisingly simple and easy uses for medicinal preparations from the trees that surround us all, and many more. 

Interwoven with the recipes are the author’s own powerful memories and experiences with each tree species and lovely commissioned “modern botanical” illustrations, giving the entire collection a personal feel and beauty that makes it a perfect gift for anyone interested in herbal and alternative remedies.

About The Author

Dr. JJ Pursell is a board-certified naturopathic physician and licensed acupuncturist and has worked with medicinal herbs for more than twenty years. She is the former owner of both Brooklyn’s The Herb Shoppe and Fettle, a Portland, Oregon–based apothecary.

  • Publish Date: February 17, 2026
  • Format: Hardcover
  • Category: Health & Fitness - Herbal Medicine
  • Publisher: Rizzoli
  • Trim Size: 8 x 9
  • Pages: 232
  • US Price: $34.95
  • CDN Price: $47.00
  • ISBN: 978-0-8478-7611-2

Reviews

"With the mighty banyan trees of India, ginkgo trees from Asia, maples from North America, and many more, Medicine from the Trees invites readers to expand their knowledge of herbal medicine from the plants at their feet to the trees reaching overhead." — AMERICAN BOTANICAL COUNCIL (TEXAS)

"If you’ve ever wondered if the benefits of the herbs growing at our feet in our gardens and wilds also translate into the trees around us, you may find yourself deeply diving into Dr. JJ Pursell’s new book, Medicine from the Trees: Herbal Remedies from the Forest for Whole-Body Health and Wellness. In the book, author and naturopath Dr. Pursell takes her wealth of clinical experience and applies it to the forest, identifying which trees are nutritive and which are tannic, which have edible barks and which green leaves make wonderfully mineral-rich vinegars." — THE HERBAL ACADEMY