The Untold History of Healing

Plant Lore and Medicinal Magic from the Stone Age to Present

By: Wolf D. Storl

Narrated by: Ulf Bjorklund

This captivating history of medicine traces healing practices from the Stone Age to modern times, highlighting ancient knowledge and plant-based treatments.

This absorbing history of medicine takes the reader on a sweeping journey, revealing that Western medicine has its origins not only in the academic tradition of doctors and pharmacists, but in the healing lore of Paleolithic hunters and gatherers, herding nomads, and the early sedentary farmers.

Anthropologist and ethnobotanist Wolf D. Storl vividly describes the many ways that ancient peoples have used the plants in their immediate environment, along with handed-down knowledge and traditions, to treat the variety of ailments they encountered in daily life.

Great book!

I will definitely be sharing this and rereading! I’m considering buying a hard copy to keep for emergency use.

Valuable context for modernity and well researched

I have listened and re listened to this book dozens of times. It gives context to healing, consciousness and the current state of the pharmaceutical industrial complex. It shines a light on the Church’s role in suppressing our innate wisdom and connection to nature in order to manipulate and control. Not for anyone with a sterile mind…definetely more of a mystical romp than a text book. I also happen to appreciate Ulf’s narration too, I finds it soothing and clever.

Fantastic information

Not only is this a history of healing, but a history of shamanism and religion, especially Chrianity, in all its cruel and superstitious forms. Then, the takeover of natural herbalism by pharmaceutical companies and the dehumanizing of medicine by the hospital industry. He also covers the history of human food intake and how processed food is the cause of many of our ailments.

Want to love it but its too hard to listen too

The information in this book is amazing and the author is so knowledgeable but it is very hard to listen too. The book needs a good edit to make it suitable for reading aloud, it doesn't flow well and it is all over the place with lots of notes. The narrator talks way too fast, I some times turn books up to 1.5 speed, I wanted to turn this one down. It probably reads fine in print and is a valuable source of information if you are studying/interested in the history of healing, definitely worth it if you can handle the bad narration. It is not a relaxing listen, you have to be quite alert and actively listening.

not what I was expecting when it said anthropology

I've only just started it and it seems to be less an anthropology book and more a bashing modern medicine and science kind of book. I regret not finding reviews before wasting a credit on it. I would really like my credit back.