An exploration of the use of herbal medicine in reproductive health and how it can complement Western medicine in a time when women feel that their needs are not being adequately addressed

At the intersection of medicine, culture, and social science, Fertile Roots gives readers the information they need to take control of their health by reconnecting with our herbal heritage. Anthropologist Dr. Emily Donaldson highlights the ways herbs can and should be studied and incorporated into medical institutions so that women today can have the same bodily autonomy as those who have come before.

She highlights untold stories of women from diverse cultures who are using their knowledge of medicinal plants to control fertility including:

• women in Peru and Guatemala are using avocado seeds as a contraceptive,
• women in Rajasthan, India, who are turning to a traditional preparation of pandanus leaves to bring on menstruation when they’ve missed a period, and 
• women on an island near Bali, textile makers are ending unwanted pregnancies with the same herbs they use to dye cloth.

In America, women often stumble across these medicines on their own, with little guidance on how much to take or for how long. Too often, they forge ahead without professional assistance, sometimes with dire consequences. Fertile Roots offers insights from ethnobotanical research, herbalism, midwifery and traditional medicine to inform readers about where to find guidance and expertise on every aspect of women’s reproductive health.

For patients, doctors, midwives, and herbalists: everyone should be able to build a more personalized, private, safe, and fair model of care for women and babies.

An anthropologist looks at how women can educate themselves, take greater control of their health, and push back against a system that dismisses their needs and the full breadth of humanity’s medical expertise

What if we could improve women’s reproductive health by simply shifting our perspective?

In Fertile Roots, anthropologist Emily Donaldson offers a window onto the scientific, cross-cultural studies of medicinal plants that are already supporting women’s health around the world. Donaldson gives readers the tools and information they need to better navigate every aspect of women’s reproductive health.

As access to reproductive care continues to shrink in the U.S., women are stumbling across herbal medicines on their own, with little guidance on how or what to take. Too often, they forge ahead without consulting an expert or health care practitioner, leading in some cases to dire consequences.

Fertile Roots brings herbal, Indigenous, and traditional medicines and perspectives into direct conversation with clinical research on medicinal plants, illustrating all the expertise that mainstream Western medicine has long dismissed—to the detriment of women.

Donaldson shares insights from ethnobotanical research, herbalism, midwifery, and traditional medicine. Through untold stories from around the world, Donaldson reveals how women are using herbal medicines for contraception, fertility enhancement, premenstrual syndrome (PMS), morning sickness, postpartum health, miscarriage, abortion, and more.

Scientific research on the efficacy of herbal medicines may be sparse, but the evidence is clear. By working together to respect traditional healers and embrace herbs as a complement to Western medicine, patients, medical practitioners, midwives, and herbalists can improve health care and save lives.