In the summer of 2022, over a year after our first book Ashkenazi Herbalism was published, my aunt sent me a recording she made back in 1981 that contained an interview my aunt conducted with her mother, my grandmother. One unexpected revelation involved an early twentieth century folk healer, a mysterious malady, several family members and three plant ingredients, one of which was grated carrot. We retell this story along with many others in our upcoming book, Woven Roots: Recovering the Healing Plant Traditions of Jews and Their Neighbors in Eastern Europe, published by North Atlantic Books, June 3, 2025. Preorders are available at bookshop.org, thriftbooks.com and other places where books are sold.
photo credit of carrot in bloom and root: Bayerische StaatsBiliothek, Germany
