Growing Plant Medicine vol 2, book

Growing Plant Medicine, Vol. 2, is a substantial and deeply practical reference. It completes the extensive medicinal herb-growing work begun in Volume 1 by Richo Cech. This volume covers plant families from Ho–Z and includes hundreds of medicinal, aromatic, ethnobotanical, and useful species. The book delivers a high level of detail, all grounded in real-world cultivation experience.

This book stands out because it bridges the gap between a botanical reference, a field-growing manual, and an herbal grower’s encyclopedia. Richo Cech draws on decades of hands-on experience, rather than offering summaries or simplified gardening advice. He actively propagates, trials, harvests, processes, and observes medicinal plants. As a result, the book feels both technical and deeply connected to the living nature of plants.

The book’s structure is one of its greatest strengths.

Botanical grouping of plant families helps readers understand relationships between species and recognise wider growing patterns, propagation similarities, and family traits.

Each family overview appears first, followed by species-specific monographs. These monographs cover climate suitability, plant size, flower colour, native distribution, habitat preferences, and descriptions of root and foliage. They also include cultivation methods and growth habits from seedling to maturity.

One of the most valuable aspects of the book is its emphasis on practical cultivation. It includes detailed instructions for growing from seed and cuttings, container growing, field production, harvesting, drying, and processing medicinal herbs. This transforms the book from a passive reference into a true working manual for growers, herbalists, seed savers, nursery operators, and serious home gardeners.

Volume 2 also contains a wealth of technical reference material rarely found in gardening books. Drying ratio charts for about 500 species help growers understand fresh-to-dry conversion rates. Seed-per-gram charts for over 300 species assist with propagation planning, seed storage, and production calculations. The extensive plant index, which contains more than 1,000 species, further reinforces the book’s role as a long-term reference rather than a casual read.

Another reason the series is so respected is its tone. Despite the depth of information, the writing remains approachable and grounded in hands-on experience. Richo Cech writes with the voice of a grower who genuinely understands the rhythms, frustrations, successes, and beauty of medicinal plant cultivation.

Together with Volume 1, this book forms one of the most thorough modern references on medicinal herb cultivation. Many growers return to it over the years, not just to identify plants, but to learn how to cultivate, understand, and work with them successfully.