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Your other favourite reads.

Your other favourite reads.

Plants for the People by Erin Lovell Verinder (Thames & Hudson, $45)

May the vital force of plants be with you via this modern guide to botanical medicine that promises to support you, soothe you and make you reconsider burning the candle at both ends. A herbalist, nutritionist and energetic healer, its author considers plants the wisest mystics of them all and seeks to redirect us to become more in harmony with them and our bodies. “Plant medicine attunes to our needs the way only nature can, offering essential healing elements for body, mind and soul,” she says. “This is the return to simplicity, the return to nature.” These thoughtful, informative pages offer recipes for curative balms, elixirs, essences, syrups, tinctures, poultices, pastilles and other melodic words for things to make you better — just ask yourself how you feel and the remedy will follow. You might go easy with herbal tea or take Erin’s advice on how to become an at-home apothecary using herbs you can purchase or forage for, stepping into your wild.

TOP Most medicinal teas involve steeping plant material in boiling water; however, some plants prefer a cold-water infusion as their delicate properties are sensitive to heat. RIGHT & OPPOSITE LEFT Having trained in Australia and the US, Erin now calls Byron Bay home. OPPOSITE RIGHT Herbal jellies and pastilles are a fun way to disguise strong flavours and encourage little ones to take their daily dose of goodness.