Sylvia’s newest book, Botanica Poetica, expands the repertoire of her unique, healing poetry to include verses about 111 herbal remedies. In the spirit of Medica Poetica, her pioneering first book, the new volume gently guides the reader to familiarity with the basics of when an herbal remedy might be appropriate and how to prepare and use them.

Following the tradition of previous Poetica Press books, Botanica Poetica is hardbound in a rich blue cloth cover and includes a ribbon bookmark.

Click here to see some sample poems from Botanica Poetica, or read on to see some comments from reviewers:

“This special book will appeal to many. An enjoyable means of study for those learning herbal medicine, playful yet meaningful synopses of herbs already befriended by the botanical practioner, this book will also charm any lover of plants and poetry.”

-- Gloria Schwartz, ND, from the Foreword.

“The author draws from some of the authoritative contemporary literature for some of the plants' properties, so both folkloric and modern scientifically documented uses are put to verse...Several copies of this book are certainly worth having – on the coffee table, for the backpack, bathroom, wherever one reads. A truly excellent gift for the Holidays!”

-- Mark Blumenthal
Founder & Executive Director
American Botanical Council

“Tired of trying to decipher obscure scientific language in herbal clinical trials? Take a break with some herbal poetry to refresh your spirit. I initially approached this book with some skepticism, but that vanished after reading the first poem, and has not returned after reading twenty more.

The style and rhyming is humorous, but the content is quite solid. I’ve never before seen a bibliography in a poetry book, but Chatroux has one, and it includes some of my favorite herbal reference books. She’s done her homework on every single herb, and somehow managed to synthesize the key information about each of the 111 herbs into verse. Most include, in addition to primary uses, information on adverse effects, energetics, or species names. The poems amaze my students and make them laugh. Me too. The poems are interspersed with old woodcuts of the plants. This book makes a wonderful gift for you favorite herbalist or student.

      A Review in Verse

The rhymes are funny, poignant too
her research thorough, the content's true.
One things sure, her poetry
is a lot more fun than chemistry.

Chatroux, a Family Pactice physician who incorporates natural therapies, had plenty of practice before turning to the subject of herbal materia medica for her poetry. She’s previous done volumes on homeopathy (Materia Poetica: Homeopathy in Verse) and pathology (Medica Poetica: Malady in Verse), each with the same skillful light verse combined with solid content.

--Paul Bergner
Editor: Medical Herbalism Journal http://medherb.com
Director: North American Institute of Medical Herbalism http://naimh.com