The Heart and Its Healing Plants

“Until recently Western science saw the heart as a very sophisticated pump. Over the past 30 years research has shown the heart is much more, with significant endocrine and nervous system function. Ancient cultures perceived that the heart was the source of life, emotions, bravery, the self, and spirit. Wolf D. Storl’s The Heart and Its Healing Plants is a unique book that bridges cultures, centuries, myth, and science to expand our knowledge of the heart and the plants that can be used to heal broken hearts literally, figuratively, and ceremonially as well.” * David Winston, RH(AHG), author of Adaptogens: Herbs for Strength, Stamina, and Stress Relief *“What happens when we cross one of the most original, deep-thinking, spiritual minds of the era with one of the most complicated, least understood, important organs in the body? We get an amazing book by Wolf D. Storl on the heart, holism medicine, and herbalism. But amazing is too limiting a word. What we have here is a foundation for all future holistic work on these subjects. We want to know the deep, ancient, indigenous stories of the plants as well as the most modern pharmacology. We want to plumb the depths of the human heart in its every facet. That’s what we have here.” * Matthew Wood, author of Holistic Medicine and the Extracellular Matrix *Besides being a materia medica of useful plants for heart conditions, this book also explores the underlying psychological and spiritual causes of heart ailments. Storl views the heart as an eternal organ, connected to the universe and the divine. He calls for a return to nature’s own biorhythm and to the pulses of life and joy that can be found by reconnecting to the natural world. By paying attention to dreams, the cycles of the seasons, and to the sun and moon, we can heal the heart of our being and find calm, love, and peace in the eye of life’s storm. This is a valuable book that will help us to navigate our stressed, fast-paced, and mechanized modern lifestyle.” * Ellen Evert Hopman, author of Secret Medicines from Your Garden, A Druid’s Herbal for the Sacr *“A masterful synthesis of spirituality and science that is relevant to everyone who has a heart. Storl traces herbalism from its deep roots in the European herbal tradition and the vision of Hildegard to the modern use of cardioactive plants and their chemistry in cardiology. Now we need the same quality and depth of scholarship applied to all our organs!” * David Hoffmann, FNIMH, RH, author of Medical Herbalism and The Herbal Handbook *“The Heart and Its Healing Plants gets to the core of heart health by addressing the history, folklore, spirit, science, and emotional factors that affect the cardiovascular system. It weaves a fascinating look at the deepest aspects of healing the heart from many world cultures over a span of centuries.” * Brigitte Mars, AHG, author of The Sexual Herbal, Addiction-Free Naturally, and Natural Remedies for *“Wolf D. Storl presents a holistic view of common heart illnesses. He does not only deal with their physical causes but also tackles the harmful psychic attitudes and misdirected life goals that enable diseases. This is a great book to understand, prevent, and cure heart disease.” * Christopher Vasey, N.D., author of Natural Antibiotics and Antivirals and The Acid-Alkaline Diet for *

Wolf D. Storl, Ph.D., is a cultural anthropologist and ethnobotanist who has taught at Kent State University as well as in Vienna, Berne, and Benares. He is coauthor of Witchcraft Medicine and author of more than 30 books on indigenous culture and ethnobotany in German and several in English. He lives in Germany.