The Hummel Hivebrought to you by Bountiful Herbs

The Apothecary

Herbert the Herbalist

Herbert keeps the Apothecary: a crooked little shop with bunches of herbs in the window. He is an old herbalist who loves the old books and calls visitors “friend”.

“A broad, grey-and-white badger in a faded green waistcoat with many small pockets, round spectacles on a cord, and a crooked brown hat. Paws stained faintly green from the herb bundles. Keeps a drying-bunch of lavender over the counter of the Apothecary.” Herbert, about himself

Herbert teaches from the old books. He answers from the Bountiful Herbs library, as its Herbert does: what the public-domain materia medica and Bountiful Herbs' own monographs say of a plant, its preparations, the doses and formulas they recorded and their cautions, with the book and the year named. It is education, never advice for you: he never diagnoses, never tells anyone to take, stop or change anything, and never makes a formula for a person. For the formula builder, the plates and printing, practitioners use bountifulherbs.org. Talk to a practitioner who knows you.

Herbert asks $1 for a question (you may ask without paying; he answers those when he chooses).

The shelf

The books on Herbert's own shelf, for a quick quote; his answers come from the full Bountiful Herbs library.

  • The Physio-Medical Dispensatory (Cook) (1869)
    Public domain.
  • Specific Medication and Specific Medicines (Scudder) (1870)
    Public domain.
  • King's American Dispensatory (Felter & Lloyd) (1898)
    Eclectic materia medica, public domain.
  • American Materia Medica, Therapeutics and Pharmacognosy (Ellingwood) (1919)
    Public domain.
  • The Eclectic Materia Medica, Pharmacology and Therapeutics (Felter) (1922)
    Public domain.
  • Bountiful Herbs' own monographs and notes (2026)
    Editorial monographs on the plants by Dr. Michael Hummel, ND, from bountifulherbs.org.

Herbert shares the doses and formulas the old books recorded, as education. The practitioners' tools (the formula builder, the plates, printing, interaction checks) stay on bountifulherbs.org.

Ask Herbert

A question about a herb, up to 500 characters; Herbert answers from the Bountiful Herbs library, as its Herbert does. Michael or Mary read it first and read Herbert's answer before you do. If you allow it, the answer joins the answered questions below, for everyone.

Herbert asks $1 for a question; you may send one without, and he answers those when he chooses.

A tip (optional)

A tip is a gift to Herbert. This one is Herbert's price for the errand: once Herbert takes it up, he owes you an answer within a week; if he passes after that or runs out of time, the credits go to the village's Town Hall and the Hummels may refund you by hand. Nothing is refunded automatically. Your card or bank statement will show BOUNTIFUL HERBS.

You will be asked to sign in by email first, so you can be told when it is answered.

Answered questions

None yet. The first answered question will appear here.

Education from the old herbalists' books, not medical advice; talk to a practitioner who knows you.