Evolutionary Herbalism: Science, Spirituality, and Medicine from the Heart of Nature

by Sajah Popham, Matthew Wood (Foreword by)

Overview

Introducing a groundbreaking, holistic approach to the practice and philosophy of herbal healing for the body, spirit, and soul.

The first-ever herbalism guide to integrate herbal, medical, and esoteric traditions from around the globe—including astrology, Ayurveda, and alchemy—into one cohesive model.

Sajah Popham presents an innovative approach to herbalism that considers the holistic relationship among plants, humans, and the underlying archetypal patterns in Nature. Organized in 5 parts, this work explores a unique integration of clinical herbalism, Ayurveda, medical astrology, spagyric alchemy, and medical and esoteric traditions from across the world into a truly holistic system of plant medicine.
 
A balance of the heart and the mind, and the science and spirit of people and plants, Evolutionary Herbalism provides a holistic context for how plants can be used for transformational levels of healing for the body, spirit, and soul. For both the student herbalist and experienced practitioner, Popham’s original perspectives guide readers to a more intimate, synergistic, and intuitive relationship with the plant kingdom, people, and Nature as a whole.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781623173135
Publisher:	North Atlantic Books
Publication date:	04/30/2019
Pages:	544
Sales rank:	104,760
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 8.90(h) x 1.60(d)

About the Author

SAJAH POPHAM’s mission is to create a new paradigm of plant medicine based on the synergy of herbal traditions from across the world with modern science and spirituality. His approach is to work with plants to not just heal the body, but to attend to our psychological, emotional, and spiritual health–using plants to facilitate the soul’s evolution. Popham is the founder of the School of Evolutionary Herbalism, where he trains herbalists in the practice of transformational healing through the integration of clinical herbalism, medical astrology, and spagyric alchemy. He is also the founder of Organic Unity Spagyrics, a practitioner-grade spagyric herbal product line specializing in traditional alchemical extracts used by herbalists, doctors, and naturopaths around the world. He lives with his wife, Whitney, on their homestead in the forests and mountains of the Pacific Northwest. To follow Sajah and Whitney’s work, visit www.evolutionaryherbalism.com and their podcast, The Plant Path.

Table of Contents

Dedication vii

Foreword xiii

Acknowledgments xvii

Introduction: Ancient Teachings for a New Paradigm of Plant Medicine 1

Part I The Light of Nature

1 Natura Sophia 23

2 Gnosis Cardiaca 35

3 Synderesis Botanica 57

Part II Energetic Architecture

4 The Cosmology of Nature 85

5 The Five Elements 109

6 The Three Principles 125

7 The Seven Planets 145

Part III Universal Herbalism

8 The Principles of Vitalism 163

9 The Holistic Person 177

10 The Elemental Human 201

11 The Triune Human 223

12 The Celestial Human 229

13 The Holistic Plant 263

14 The Elemental Plant 293

15 The Triune Plant 319

16 The Celestial Plant 329

17 The Energetic Architecture of People and Plants 369

Part IV Transformational Medicine

18 Therapeutic Strategies: Tending the Inner Cosmos 385

19 Spagyrics: The Art of Spiritual Pharmacy 401

20 Initiatic Medicine and the Archetypal Landscape 445

Part V Know Thyself

21 From Trauma to Transformation 475

22 Walking the Plant Path through the Inner Forest 483

Notes 489

Index 499

About The Author 523

Editorial Reviews

This is no simple compendium of herbal recipes and cures, but a book that digs deeply, exploring the roots of humanity’s spiritual and physical illness and the amazing power of plants to heal. Evolutionary Herbalism masterfully blends the metaphors of science, metaphysics, medical astrology, and alchemy into a deeply insightful journey that takes us to the very heart and soul of herbalism and provides a holistic model for understanding people and plants.”
—Rosemary Gladstar, author of Rosemary Gladstar's Medicinal Herbs: A Beginner's Guide
 
“Well researched at the scholarly level, Evolutionary Herbalism includes the author’s own profound experiential knowledge of the subject. Pushing the boundary of modern herbal medicine, this book provides us with a new vision of the herbal realm teeming with life and intelligence that will work with us as a partner and powerful ally once we understand how to initiate that contact. Sajah Popham provides us with a wealth of hard-won tips and guidance to open that wider vista of the herbal realm.”
—Robert Allen Bartlett, author of Real Alchemy: A Primer of Practical Alchemy
 
“Sajah Popham has written an intelligent and genuine book in which his deep caring for the world and the suffering of people shines through. Evolutionary Herbalism is a wide-ranging, synergistic exploration of multiple systems of traditional herbal healing.”
—Stephen Harrod Buhner, author of Plant Intelligence and the Imaginal Realm

“Sajah Popham powerfully presents a holistic model of plant medicine that weaves traditional knowledge, science, and an integration of the heart and mind to guide you toward transformational health.”
—Rosalee de la Forêt, author of Alchemy of Herbs: Transform Everyday Ingredients into Foods and Remedies That Heal 
 
“Popham crystallizes complex healing traditions and modalities, simplifying and making them palatable. Practical tips abound on merging observations of the human and differentiating to match the plant to that human, whether in relation to astrology, elements, principles, holism, or whichever concept is being shared. Chapters are infused with Popham’s own delightful herb profiles. His humor grounds the education shared, creating a sense of ordinary, necessary knowledge. Essential for serious practitioners.”
—Margi Flint, RH, author of The Practicing Herbalist
 
“Popham’s evolutionary approach to herbalism provides a detailed blueprint to guide aspiring herbalists as well as those already walking the Green Path in the bringing together of plants and humans to inspire wholeness and affect healing. Firmly grounded in ancient wisdom and expertly distilled by the author before being recombined with his own clinical experiences, Evolutionary Herbalism offers medicine for transforming the root of our individual and cultural dis-ease.”
—Scott Kloos, author of Pacific Northwest Medicinal Plants: Identify, Harvest, and Use 120 Wild Herbs for Health and Wellness 
 
“An incredibly beautiful weaving of herbal and esoteric traditions creating a rich tapestry of what author Sajah Popham calls Universal Herbalism. This is a comprehensive study of not only the principles of various modalities but also the patterns inherent within them and how they intersect with each other. This is a must-read for anyone looking to have a comprehensive understanding of the expansive nature of healing and how to move into a new herbalism.”
—Pam Montgomery, author of Plant Spirit Healing and founder of Organization of Nature’s Evolutionaries (ONE)
 
“A tireless confederacy of dedicated souls strive to preserve and pass forward our collective herbal, alchemical, and astrological knowledge. Within each generation a few pioneers arise to forge new schools or mediate divergent approaches. Sajah Popham has achieved a remarkably synthetic paradigm, integrating previous historic stages of herbal practice with his profound understanding of energetic systems, Eastern and Western.”
—Judith Hill, producer of the Renaissance Medicine Conference and author of Medical Astrology: A Guide to Planetary Pathology

From the Publisher