Book Review: The Apothecary of Belonging by Alexis J. Cunningfolk

Disclosure: Some of the links below are affiliate links, meaning, at no additional cost to you, I will earn a commission if you click through and make a purchase. I received a free copy of this deck in exchange for an honest review.

I cannot begin to express how excited I was when I was asked to review The Apothecary of Belonging: Seasonal Rituals & Practical Herbalism by Alexis J. Cunningfolk. For those who are not familiar, Alexis is the talented author behind the blog Worts & Cunning, a resource I frequently consult when creating my own herbal remedies. In fact, it is one of her series, now turned book, that inspired me to write my own series of seasonal plant allies and herbal remedies for the seasonal transitions. I loved her approach to plant magic and herbalism, and felt, as a long-time hobbyist, I too could contribute to the ever-growing knowledge of plant magic and medicinal uses. The Apothecary of Belonging follows the same format as her blog series, which makes it easy, once you have completed the introductory reading, to search for information on plant allies, seasonal recipes, and rituals, making this a great sourcebook. And just like her blog, The Apothecary of Belonging is an Earth-centered, intersectional approach to plant medicine, with a nice dose of witchcraft thrown in. This book is probably one of the most unique approaches to herbal medicine on the market, combining cross-cultural plant knowledge with magical practice. This creates an eccentric, yet holistic, herbal practice that treats the mind, body, and soul simultaneously.

The Apothecary of Belonging is divided into four parts, with the longest part being Part I: The Seasons. Cunningfolk begins, however, with a deep dive into how and why you should work with plant allies, and that herbalism should be more than just taking. By approaching plants and the Earth with respect and reverence, you build a sustainable practice that benefits your entire well-being and helps repair our relationship with nature. I wholeheartedly agree with Cunningfolk's approach and believe more witches and non-witches alike would benefit from reconnecting with the land we live on. Ingenious medicine has been trying to teach us white folk this for centuries. It is high time we listened to them.

This section ends with creating an "Oracle of Belonging," which is referenced several times in later sections. Cunningfolk includes similar oracles on her blog to help you get to know yourself and your needs. Cunningfolk describes an oracle as a road map, referencing ancient texts, pictographs, and cave paintings as examples for humans navigating life. I am not going to lie, I found this chapter to be the hardest for me to understand, but I don't think this is a failing of Cunningfolk's, but instead my inability to connect her description to a visual. This is a time when I really could have used a picture example in the text to help guide me in the creation and use of my own. I have an excellent imagination, but I could not put the two together this time. I tried searching Worts & Cunning for more explanation, but was unable to find anything of note.

Other than that, the rest of the book is very straightforward, beautifully written, and incredibly informative. Part 2: The Seasons is the heart of the book, where Cunningfolk describes each season's lessons, plant allies to work with, seasonal recipes, rituals, and rites, as well as an oracle and moon ritual that corresponds to the season. Just as the seasons represent different life stages, Cunningfolk includes plants to work with during each life phase, from pregnancy to elderhood. This is by far my favorite section, and one that I will return to often.

I strongly encourage you to pick up The Apothecary of Belonging and read it in its entirety before coming back to it during seasonal work. This is a book you have to take your time with to truly appreciate and integrate the wealth of information Cunningfolk has to offer. And while the book largely focuses on the individual, there are plenty of suggestions for community building, which I love!! I think the community aspect of herbalism is lost in many Western practices. Sure, we use herbalism to heal ourselves, but the knowledge can and should be used to heal our communities. I hope the Cunningfolk writes another book where she expands upon herbalism as community because I believe she is the best person for the job, and it is something we need right now.

The Apothecary of Belonging ends with a wonderful appendixes that discusses standard dosages, a guide to remedy making, and contraindications of the plants mentioned in the text. While I loved every single second of this book, it is important to use it in conjunction with other herbalism books, such as The Complete Herbs Sourcebook by David Hoffman, The Herbalist's Guide: How to Build and Use Your Own Apothecary by Mary Colvin, RH, or Be Your Own Shaman: A Field Guide to Utilize 101 of the World's Most Healing Plants by Jane Barlow Christensen.

I highly recommend picking up a copy of The Apothecary of Belonging: Seasonal Rituals & Practical Herbalism by Alexis J. Cunningfolk. I hope that you enjoy it as much as I did!

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