Be Your Own Shaman: A Field Guide to Utilize 101 of the World's Most Healing Plants

Shepherd’s Purse

Copyright © 2024 by Jane Barlow Christensen and Brian R. Christensen

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10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is available on file.

Hardcover ISBN: 978-1-5107-8114-6

eBook ISBN: 978-1-5107-8115-3

Front cover photography by Melia Coleman

Plant illustrations by Joni Barlow Siegel

Cover and book design by Mayfly Design

Printed in China

Disclaimer

This book serves as an educational resource on plants and their potential uses. However, readers must exercise caution and responsibility when applying the information presented here. It is crucial to accurately identify plants, as some may resemble edible ones, while others can be poisonous. The medicinal insights within this book are intended for educational purposes only and should never replace a consultation with a licensed physician for health-related issues.

The authors and publisher do not accept liability for any outcomes arising from the use or misuse of the plants discussed in this book. The content is a blend of historical and modern sources, folklore, and personal experiences, and it is not a substitute for advice from qualified herbal or medical practitioners. Additionally, individuals taking prescribed medications or women who are pregnant should seek professional guidance before considering herbal remedies. This disclaimer underscores the importance of caution, professional guidance, and personal responsibility when using the information within Be Your Own Shaman for medicinal or edible purposes.

A Loving Tribute to Max G. Barlow’s Beautiful Legacy

My dad, Dr. Max Barlow, passed away in 1998, but he left a powerful legacy — both in children (there are 14 of us) and in business. He was the second son of 5 boys and 2 girls and was the only one who didn’t go into the family’s heating and electrical business. He served in the Navy right after the Korean war. With degrees in botany and zoology from Brigham Young University, he often gave lectures at universities and was a former U.S. Educator in Biological Sciences.

He had a huge heart and was a generous giver. He wouldn’t hesitate to buy you a meal if you were hungry, fill your tank with gas, buy you a new pair of shoes, or put you through college. Even if he had just met you. A few times in his life he gave away his car to someone he felt was more in need of it than himself. All you had to do was ask. He was generous to a fault. And kindness for everyone was the way he chose to live his life. He didn’t see race or color. He saw humanity. He taught us by example and it was beautiful.

He was extremely intelligent and he was humble about everything he knew and did. He was a lifelong learner and instilled the love of education in all of us. I remember how giddy he was as he danced around the house with my mom and all of us when his self-published book From the Shepherd’s Purse arrived from the printer. It was SO fun and we were all inspired by what he accomplished.

I watched as he became a very popular guest on hundreds of talk radio shows around the country as he promoted his book. Even back then (more than 40 years ago) people were hungry for his message of the power of medicinal herbs and the ability of the human body to heal itself when given the right tools.

He was gone from this human existence way too early but he left an incredible dent in the universe. There are many people who are as grateful as we are.

It is an honor to update and add to this amazing work and to carry on his legacy with pride and joy in my heart for what he created. He is one of my angels and I feel his presence every day. His spirit reminds us to take care of our amazing human bodies. It is the foundation of everything that we can accomplish and the abundance, joy, and service we can provide.

Life is SO much sweeter when we are as fully healthy as we can be.

Let this be a reminder to live your best life and leave your own dent in the universe. You are a powerful creator and the ripples of love and kindness that you put out have huge benefits to yourself and others.

Jane

XO

Lemon Balm

Contents

Foreword

How to Use This Book

The History and Purpose of Plant Names

1. Adaptogens and Hormonal Health

2. Blood, Heart, and Circulation Health

3. Brain Health

4. Cancer

5. Diabetes, Gout, General Inflammation, Oral Health

6. Digestive Health

7. Elimination Organ Health

8. Lung and Respiratory Health

9. Microbes

10. Nutrients

11. Pain and Inflammation

12. Relax, Sleep, Stress and Anxiety

13. Women’s Herbs

14. Psychedelics and Sacred Plants

15. Plant Identification/Taxonomy and Preparation Methods

Glossary

Index

About the Authors

Chamomile

Foreword

Thirty-five years ago, I was struggling to find herbal remedies that contained not only therapeutic properties but therapeutic dosages. Having spent the previous five years dealing with my own personal journey of cardiomyopathy and reversing it, I was now challenged by my new passion in life to help others with their health journey.

From my own experience I learned that the keys to effective results were therapeutic properties and therapeutic dosages. The problem was there was little to nothing available in the marketplace and what was could barely help your pet.

The path to finding Max was challenging. An obscure health store in Santa Monica, California, run by a woman who shared the same passion for therapeutic products, introduced me to Max’s formulas. After she encouraged me to try them, I immediately realized their effectiveness in addressing any number of health issues. I had to know him, I literally begged for his contact information. She cautioned me that it was doubtful he would take my call let alone speak with me.

But after some perseverance he did take my call and what followed was a friendship filled with hour-long conversations about wildcrafted cultivation and collection of herbs (as he laid out in his groundbreaking book From the Shepherd’s Purse) and the extraction process involved to realize a therapeutic dosage. Another quality of Max’s was to know what played well together, understanding the chemistry involved, creating combination formulas that were totally synergistic. Max was truly one of if not the greatest alchemists I have ever known and I have had the privilege to know a few.

During those early years working with various health issues that I would be confronted with professionally, I would ask Max his thoughts, to which he would respond, Let me think about it, and soon after would come up with an exact formula that literally knocked it out of the park. If there ever was a man put on this earth with a God given talent for healing, it was Dr. Max Barlow. I often thought of him as Merlin, who could create magic, only Max did it without a wand.

Today Max’s legacy is carried on through Jane, his daughter, who channels his passion and love of the healing power of plants. I have known Jane for most of her life; she is the perfect custodian of this incredible legacy and has taken it to another level that allows thousands to continue to benefit from it.

One of the greatest privileges in my life was to know Dr. Max Barlow.

—Richard Helfrich

Elderberry

How to Use This Book

This book contains 101 plants. Forty-eight are from the original book by Max G. Barlow, From the Shepherd’s Purse. The information for these original 48 have been updated but only a small amount as plant properties do not change.

Each plant’s information is on 2 pages and has a full color picture, illustration of the plant, the parts of the plant that are used, the time of day collected, where found and time of year collected.

Many of the plants in this book are found worldwide and many can be cultivated. Cultivated plants are noted. Plants and plant communities are not static but rather dynamic and are subject to constant environmental pressures and condition changes and to the influences of man’s activities. In many cases, the exact geographical location of a plant cannot be marked. Many plants are constant companions of man and can be found co-habiting with him. Most plants in this book can be found within 100 feet of your home. Careful observation will help you become familiar with many nearby, useful plants.

Plants are most often ready for collection just as the flower is about to open for the first time. This is not always true as in the case of Lomatium. The roots are typically harvested in the fall/late fall and by that time all of the flowers and leaves have dried and gone to seed. This is where being able to identify the plant while it is blooming is a good skill to have.

It is important to note that not all plant parts contain medicinal properties. Sometimes only the leaves will be used and sometimes only the flowers. Pay close attention to the times of day and times of year that each plant is ready to harvest. Plants should be collected after the morning dew and other moisture has evaporated. In some plants the active principle is at its highest potency when the plant’s photosynthetic machinery is going at its full capacity (approximately between the hours of 11am and 2pm). Most plant chemicals remain stable once they are formed, while others become essentially worthless during the plant’s resting time. This is especially true for plants containing glucosides. Plants should be collected when there is enough light to properly identify them and discard diseased or inferior plants.

By paying close attention to these simple steps you will get the most out of the time and preparation it takes to make your plants into your own herbal apothecary.

As you can see, this book is laid out in 14 sections. It’s been divided by ailment since we find that most people are looking for specific plants for specific health conditions.

Most plants will include extra tips for making herbal remedies at home and basically enjoying all the gifts from utilizing plant medicine in your everyday life.

The final section, Section 14, will give you plant identification tips and basic taxonomy along with preparation methods for tinctures, decoctions, infusions and poultices. This section was perfectly compiled in my dad’s original book From the Shepherd’s Purse and I’ve left most of the pages as they were written.

Mullein

The History and Purpose of Plant Names

As you will notice throughout this book, we have provided the scientific name and several common names that the plants have also been known by throughout history. While we certainly have not listed all names the plants may be known by, we attempt to provide a solid cross-section of names that have been used by different cultures throughout various times in history. You will see that certain plants have common names that come from certain cultures, for example, Ocimum tenuiflorum, or Holy Basil, is quite commonly referred to as Tulsi, which comes from the Hindu culture of India, where the herb is a mainstay.

While the common names are usually easier to pronounce and spell, it is often easier to conduct research on plants using their scientific names. For instance, if you type into an internet search engine health benefits of culantro, it will automatically correct culantro to cilantro, as cilantro is much more commonly known and used than culantro. Even after I typed the word culantro into this page it was autocorrected to cilantro by Word. But if you type in health benefits of Eryngium foetidum, you will immediately bypass all the unwanted cilantro information.

Different cultures throughout the world have given plants their own unique names, often with descriptive information in the names telling you what the plant does best. Sometimes common names have animals in them, like Hogweed and Horsemint. This could be because certain animals like to feed on the plant, because the plant is toxic to that certain animal, because certain characteristics of the plant resemble animal anatomy, and once in a while perhaps the name just sounded good and there is no relationship between the plant and that particular animal. Much of the time a common name will describe a characteristic of a plant, like Yellow Dock, having yellow flowers, and Life Root, being able to assist women in bringing life into the world