Making monographs

Building these reference tools can be an effective technique to get to know a herb in a more personal way, while also delving into different facets of herbalism. The most common categories for this being the plant's colloquial names & binomial nomenclature, a botanical description, the plant's energetics as well as it's active/chemical constituents, common preparations, uses, dosage, and last but not least, safety. Each of these categories can of course be further expanded on. A few examples of this could be the addition of cultural and historical uses, maybe adding dried specimens/botanical illustrations for easier plant identification, or even the pharmacodynamics of a plant and how it might interact with other plant chemicals and medications. If you enjoy foraging, why not shift the focus of your monograph to be location specific? You could do this by adding local foraging locations for easy reference. The possibilities are endless! This practice is meant to be enjoyable, so let your research guide you.

A fun exercise when crafting a Materia Medica is to take note in the trends of your practice. For example, what herbs are you more likely to gravitate towards? What kind of preparations are you most likely to make? Taking notes or starting a journal can be a great way to track these habits that can provide insight or help you to better understand the unique way in which you practice herbalism. You may find that you tend to gravitate towards making teas over tinctures, or perhaps you find yourself mostly using locally foraged plants. The better you get to know your herbs, their uses, and the kinds of preparations that work for you, the more confident you will be when it comes to your own practice.