Amy Blackthorn - Blackthorns Botanical Wellness: A Green Witchs Guide to Self-Care

Blackthorn's Botanical Wellness is a rare treat: a book on herbalism that understands chronic illness and pain and meets you where you are. Amy Blackthorn's compassion and experience are clear from the first page. As someone who loves herbal healing and who has chronic illness myself, I felt seen while reading this book. You don't need years of herbal experience to get something out of this book, and it makes a good place to start.

Siri Vincent Plouff, coauthor of Lessons from the Empress

Amy Blackthorn brings her unending well of plant knowledge and trademark compassion to the world of wellness in this book, and it is fantastic. Every word of Blackthorn's Botanical Wellness is carefully thought out and deeply impactful, as Blackthorn offers in-depth information about all of the ways plants and other allies can help us care for ourselves, especially if we are among the traumatized and cast aside. There's no spiritual bypassing herejust an ever-sweet and profoundly informative book that will throw a considerable, necessary punch into your wellness routine.

Cassandra Snow, author of Queering the Tarot, Queering Your Craft, and coauthor of Lessons from the Empress

Blackthorn's Botanical Wellness is a true delight. Amy Blackthorn offers sensitive and intelligent advice delivered with a healthy blend of humor and compassion. From sigils to servitors and tarot to tea, this book examines the witch's common tools and core praxes through the lens of wellness to provide solid advice about building a self-care routine that is accessible to readers of all backgrounds.

Nicholas Pearson, author of Crystal Basics and Foundations of Reiki Ryoho

Blackthorn's Botanical Wellness marries the practical with the mystical, offering guidance for healing both body and soul. It's a valuable resource for anyone looking to expand their self-care.

Nikki Van De Car, author of Wellness Witch

If life has bruised or even broken you, Blackthorn's Botanical Wellness is a wellspring of help. Each page is informed with Amy Blackthorn's mastery of spiritual healing and plant magic, including wonderful recipes for diverse herbal potions. Learn to recover your self-assurance with the help of healing plants. Face your fears, stand in your power, and find your personal strength once again. Blackthorn's Botanical Wellness is another radiant gem in Amy's crown of books.

Caroline Kenner, founder of The Fool's Dog tarot and oracular apps company

Once again, Amy Blackthorn has produced a relevant, practical, and easy-to-follow-and-use guidethis time for that thing we all need most: self-care. The tips and recipes are delivered in the most nonencyclopedic waythink of this book as sitting down to tea with a friendand provide divine guidance for busting stress, saying no at last, and diving deep into what you really need. I'm going to start by putting some nettle under my front doormat. I suggest you do the same, as we can all do with a little more luck and protection.

Natalie Zaman, author of Magical Destinations of the Northeast and Color and Conjure

OTHER BOOKS BY AMY BLACKTHORN

Blackthorn's Botanical Magic

Blackthorn's Protection Magic

Sacred Smoke

Blackthorn's Botanical Brews

For Peep
(19472016)

This edition first published in 2022 by Weiser Books, an imprint of
Red Wheel/Weiser, llc

With offices at:

65 Parker Street, Suite 7

Newburyport, MA 01950

www.redwheelweiser.com

www.redwheelweiser.com/newsletter

Copyright 2022 by Amy Blackthorn

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from Red Wheel/Weiser, llc .

Reviewers may quote brief passages.

The magic squares in chapter 5 come from Agrippa, Three Books of Occult Philosophy: Table of Saturn, p. 321; Table of Jupiter, p. 322; Table of Mars, p. 323; Table of Sol, p. 324; Table of Venus, p. 325; Table of Mercury, p. 326; Table of Luna, p. 327.

ISBN: 978-1-57863-778-2

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data available upon request.

Cover and text design by Sky Peck Design

Typeset in Adobe Text Pro

Printed in Canada

MAR

10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

To the doctors who listen.

To the friends who believe.

To the family that nurtures.

Thank you.

This book contains advice and information for using essential oils, herbs, and other botanicals and is not meant to diagnose, treat, or prescribe. It should be used to supplement, not replace, the advice of your physician or other trained health care practitioner. If you know or suspect you have a medical condition, are experiencing physical symptoms, or if you feel unwell, seek your physician's advice before embarking on any medical program or treatment. Readers are cautioned to avoid any allergens and to follow instructions carefully and accurately for the best effect. Readers using the information in this book do so entirely at their own risk, and the author and publisher accept no liability if adverse effects are caused.

A book is never written in a vacuum, though it can be lonely work. I'd like to thank the radio shows, television stations, podcasts, conferences, and festivals that have welcomed me over the years. You refine my books in ways I can never predict. To Judika Illes, who has been a dear friend for over a decade and never lacks for just the right words to make it all okay. To the staff at Weiser Books, for making it look perfect every time. To Ashli and Jill for being my sounding boards, my cheerleaders, my divine translators. To my Cynn, Hwitmersc, and to my oath web. To my chosen family, Josh and Kane, Millie, Leeloo (RIP), Melissa, Kristen, and Janna, no matter how far, I love you, I cherish you, I appreciate you. To Laura, may our concurrent paths never diverge in the wood; I'm always available for Miss Amy Classes for the kids. To Amy H. for her calming presence and John H. for amazing hugs when needed. As chosen family goes, I won the jackpot. To my fellow authors and dear friends who have been sounding boards, therapists, and hand-holders, I adore each of you.

B lackthorn's Botanical Wellness seeks to share tools for managing health, chronic illness, and self-care, embracing the emotional well-being of aromatherapy, tips on talking to family about boundaries and delegating help around the home, and connecting to botanical allies that can work with us in a variety of ways. This is a book of hope. This book tells us that there are specific things we can embrace for our own wellness.