Research Resources

When you begin researching a herb, it’s very easy to come across the same recycled information again and again. A better approach is to build your understanding from a few solid places – research databases, official monographs, journals, and a small collection of reliable books.

Used alongside the Academy’s teachings (your main resource), these help you form a more complete picture. Not just what a herb is used for, but how it has been understood traditionally, what has been studied, what remains unclear, and how it is viewed in modern practice.

Research databases and search tools

PubMed / MEDLINE
A free and very useful database for biomedical and clinical research. This is often the best place to see what has actually been studied. Try combining the herb name with terms like clinical trial, systematic review, or phytochemistry.
Link: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Cochrane Library
Known for its systematic reviews. Helpful when you want to understand the bigger picture of evidence rather than relying on individual studies.
Link: https://www.cochranelibrary.com

Google Scholar
A broad search tool that helps you find papers, books, theses, and citation trails. Not a source in itself, but very useful for tracking down original material.
Link: https://scholar.google.com

NAPRALERT
A more specialised database focusing on natural products, ethnobotany, and plant chemistry. A good one to explore once you’re ready to go a bit deeper.
Link: https://napralert.org

Official monographs and regulatory sources

WHO Monographs on Selected Medicinal Plants
Brings together safety, traditional use, and research in one place. A good starting point when you want a balanced overview of a herb.
Link: https://www.who.int/publications/i/item/9241545178

EMA – HMPC Herbal Monographs
Useful for understanding how herbal medicines are assessed in Europe – including traditional use, safety, and accepted indications.
Link: https://www.ema.europa.eu/en/human-regulatory-overview/herbal-medicinal-products/european-union-monographs-list-entries

MHRA (UK)
Helpful for the legal and regulatory side of herbal medicine in the UK, especially when thinking about making or selling products.
Link: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/medicines-herbal-and-homeopathic

Useful journals

HerbalGram
A respected publication covering medicinal plants, research summaries, and wider herbal topics. Good for context and staying connected to the field.
Link: https://www.herbalgram.org

Journal of Ethnopharmacology
Focuses on traditional uses of plants and how they relate to modern pharmacology. A useful bridge between old knowledge and research.
Link: https://www.sciencedirect.com/journal/journal-of-ethnopharmacology

Phytomedicine
Looks at the clinical use of plant medicines and how they work in the body.
Link: https://www.sciencedirect.com/journal/phytomedicine

Phytotherapy Research
Covers medicinal plant research, including pharmacology and clinical studies.
Link: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/10991573

Journal of Herbal Medicine
Focused on the practice and profession of herbal medicine, with clinically relevant material.
Link: https://www.sciencedirect.com/journal/journal-of-herbal-medicine

Books worth having on your shelf

A Herbal Book of Making and Taking – Christopher Hedley and Non Shaw
A grounded, practical book on growing, gathering, and preparing herbs. This was part of my own training, and it’s one I still return to. It really brings you back to the craft of working with plants.

The Earthwise Herbal, Volume I – Matthew Wood
A strong book for understanding herbal energetics and patterns in the body. It helps you move beyond memorising uses and towards recognising when a herb fits.

The Earthwise Herbal, Volume II – Matthew Wood
A companion to the first volume, expanding into more plants and deepening that same way of thinking about constitution and energetics.

Energetic Herbalism – Kat Maier
A thoughtful exploration of energetics and different ways of understanding plant action. Useful for broadening how you think about constitution and patterns.

Medical Herbalism – David Hoffmann
One of the core reference texts for modern Western herbal medicine. Detailed, reliable, and very useful for actions, constituents, and clinical application.

The Herbal Handbook – David Hoffmann
A more accessible companion text. Easier to dip into, especially in the early stages of learning.

Plant identification books

Harrap’s Wild Flowers – Simon Harrap
A very practical field guide for identifying wild flowers in Britain and Ireland. A good one if you prefer photos to drawings to support your identification.

The Wild Flower Key – Francis Rose (updated by Clare O’Reilly and Martine Collings)
A classic and incredibly useful for learning proper plant identification. This helps you move beyond guesswork and into careful observation.

A few practical thoughts on researching herbs

A helpful way to approach research is to work in layers. Start with a good herbal book so you understand the plant in a broader sense. Then check monographs for safety and accepted use. After that, explore research databases if you want to go deeper into studies and chemistry.

You will also notice that not everything lines up neatly. Traditional use, laboratory research, clinical trials, and regulation don’t always say the same thing. Part of becoming a herbalist is learning how to sit with that, and how to weigh different kinds of knowledge without rushing to simple answers.