Page 15 - July Aug flipbook

Book Review
Pomo Power
One Family’s Herbal Heritage
Written by Susan McCarthy from interviews with Mary Ann Parks
Copyright 2013 Susan McCarthy Reviewed by Stacey Leigh Mohr
Pomo Power, and the herbal legacy of Mary Ann Park’s grandfather, local herbalist Martinus Anderson, are two of the best-kept secrets in Sonoma County. And this should not be!! Everyone should know about the beautiful, simple healing herbal wisdom that Grandpa Anderson passed down to his granddaughter, and which Mary Ann has, to the best of her ability, been sharing with the world.
Grandpa Anderson traveled the world studying and collecting herbs and indigenous
herbal wisdom from many countries, on just about every continent. He devoted his
life to learning about, researching, and testing herbal remedies for every ailment, and for health maintenance. He hung out and collaborated with such luminaries of his time as Jack LaLane’s mother, Luther Burbank, and Bernard Jenson, (holistic health and alternative medicine pioneer).
Grandpa Anderson passed his herbal wisdom on to his granddaughter, Mary Ann Parks, who, with the help of one of her grandfather’s dear friends, Ed Waltenspiel, started a company, Pomo Valley Herbs, to share her grandfather’s herbal remedies with the world.
Susan McCarthy met Mary Ann Parks over 25 years ago and has come to understand and treasure the valuable herbal knowledge that Grandpa Anderson amassed over a lifetime of study. She knew this knowledge should be written down and preserved for future generations, but she saw that Mary Ann had her hands full running a business and caring for her family. So Susan decided to collect that knowledge through interviews with Mary Ann. The result is an elegantly written book that beautifully captures and clearly communicates the herbal wisdom of Grandpa Anderson.
I have consulted herbalists and read many books and articles on herbs, and found the subject confusing, with many contradictory recommendations, and much variability between doses, uses, and individual sensitivities. How does one even go about choosing an herbalist or seeking herbal advice, when there are so many competing philosophies, herbal blends, and brands?
Pomo Power put all those worries and anxieties to rest for me. Grandpa Anderson’s remedies, how and why they work, and how to use them, doses, and more, are explained in a very clear, straightforward, simple way. Susan explains how to easily and simply figure out the proper dosage for YOU for each herb and herbal blend, how to gather herbs on your own, and how and when to take Pomo Valley herbal blends.
Grandpa Anderson believed that herbs and plants held the answer to all our ills, so his herbal blends are just dried herbs, nothing else. Susan clearly lays out his philosophy and how he came to understand how herbs act with the body and interact with each other, so you will understand, too.
If you have been confused and overwhelmed by the plethora of advice and herbal formulas available today, pick up a copy of Pomo Power. You’ll see how simple to understand and effective herbal remedies can be. Pomo Power is available at Amazon.com, or you can take a lovely drive out to Happy Place Health Center in the town of Bodega and pick up a copy from owner, Autumn Anderson, Grandpa Anderson’s great grandaughter. She also carries all the Pomo Valley herbs!
July/August 2015 15