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Medicine Grove is a comprehensive herbal, with listings for every common herb and many wild plants of North America. It includes descriptions of the part of the plant used, notes on preparation, lists of symptoms alleviated by the herb, and common effects. But Medicine Grove goes further, with chapters on gathering and growing wild herbs, using herbs in shamanic ceremonies or as plant allies in the wilderness, and birth, death, and dreaming herbs. Cruden combines her own first-hand experiences with a profound knowledge of indigenous traditions, enabling the reader to bring herbal lore into his or her own practice. She explains which herbs are best for seasonal ceremonies, smudging, and making offerings, and tells how to purify a sacred space. She covers topics such as vision quests, consciousness-altering, and the special connections between certain herbs and totem animals.

Medicine Grove brings the concept of an herbal into sacred territory, offering guidelines for incorporating herbs into one's spiritual life, based on the author's lifetime of work with Native American practices.

Loren Cruden leads shamanic workshops and sweat lodge ceremonies throughout the Northwest. She is the author of The Spirit of Place, Coyote's Council Fire, and Compass of the Heart. She lives on First Thought Mountain in Washington State.

"To anyone interested in the spiritual aspect of herbs, Medicine Grove will be a revelation to read. Cruden's ideas are fresh and appealing, and though she adapts them from the indigenous attitudes toward the plant world, she shows us how to incorporate them in our modern lives."
Barbara MacPherson, The Herb Quarterly

"Whatever kind of shamanic herbalism you're into, this book can help you refine your craft and strengthen your alliance with herbs."
Paula Amero, Magical Blend