If yesterday’s documentary list gave you a new lens through which to view health and wellness, today’s post might just shift your foundation.
Books are portals—and these? These are sacred keys.
Some cracked me wide open. Others affirmed what I knew intuitively but hadn’t yet put into words. All of them have shaped the way I parent, heal, nourish, and resist.
Today, I’m sharing 30 powerful books that every conscious parent, herbal enthusiast, truth seeker, and holistic healer should know about—whether they’re on your shelf, in your library queue, or simply in your awareness.
These works explore vaccine injuries, food politics, herbal medicine, systemic oppression in healthcare, autism support, and the radical reclaiming of Black wellness, ancestral wisdom, and bodily sovereignty.
Books That Reshaped My Understanding of Healing, Health, and History
1. African Holistic Health by Dr. Llaila Afrika
A foundational guide to natural healing from an African-centered perspective. This classic covers everything from detoxification to disease prevention and mental health.
2. Nutricide: The Nutritional Destruction of the Black Race by Dr. Llaila Afrika
A powerful exposé on how the U.S. food system was weaponized against Black communities. Eye-opening and deeply affirming.
3. Holistic Self-Diagnosis by Dr. Llaila Afrika
Learn to assess your body, symptoms, and internal balance using ancient African healing techniques—reviving lost wisdom for today’s world.
4. Medical Apartheid by Harriet A. Washington
A chilling but essential account of medical experimentation on Black Americans. Required reading for understanding medical racism and informed consent.
5. The Lost Book of Herbal Remedies by Nicole Apelian
A visual herbal encyclopedia featuring 800+ plant remedies with full-color photos. Perfect for beginners and seasoned herbalists alike.
6. Sacred Woman by Queen Afua
A transformative journey into womb healing, spiritual alignment, and divine feminine wellness rooted in African traditions.
7. Heal Thyself for Health and Longevity by Queen Afua
A wellness blueprint for anyone seeking to eat, move, and live with intention, balance, and ancestral connection.
8. Uniquely Human: A Different Way of Seeing Autism by Dr. Barry Prizant
Reframes autism as a different—but not disordered—way of being. A compassionate guide for parents, educators, and allies.
9. The Omnivore’s Dilemma by Michael Pollan
Unpacks the journey of food from farm to table, exploring sustainability, factory farming, and our lost connection to the land.
10. The Vaccine-Friendly Plan by Dr. Paul Thomas
A pediatrician’s guide to a modified vaccine schedule, emphasizing transparency, informed consent, and holistic child wellness.
11. How to Raise a Healthy Child in Spite of Your Doctor by Dr. Robert Mendelsohn
A whistleblowing pediatrician challenges conventional medicine and empowers parents to trust their instincts.
12. Dissolving Illusions by Dr. Suzanne Humphries & Roman Bystrianyk
Reveals historical truths about vaccine efficacy, highlighting the role of sanitation and nutrition in disease prevention.
13. Anatomy of an Epidemic by Robert Whitaker
Critiques the rise of psychiatric medications and asks: are we healing or creating chronic mental illness?
14. The Body Keeps the Score by Dr. Bessel van der Kolk
A profound look at how trauma imprints on the body—and how true healing involves the nervous system.
15. Braiding Sweetgrass by Robin Wall Kimmerer
A poetic and grounded call to live in reciprocity with nature. A balm for the soul and an ode to Indigenous plant wisdom.
16. Plants of the Gods by Richard Evans Schultes
Explore the sacred use of psychoactive plants across Indigenous cultures. Ethnobotany at its most magical.
17. Herbs for Children’s Health by Rosemary Gladstar
Gentle, safe, and effective herbal remedies for little ones. A must-have for any herbal mama.
18. Herbal Healing for Women by Rosemary Gladstar
From menstruation to menopause, this guide offers nourishing plant allies for every stage of womanhood.
19. Botany in a Day by Thomas J. Elpel
An intuitive plant identification book that simplifies learning herbal families and wild foraging.
20. Vaccine Epidemic edited by Louise Kuo Habakus
An anthology exploring vaccination ethics, mandates, and the fight for medical freedom.
21. Waking the Tiger by Peter A. Levine
Introduces somatic trauma healing and the idea that we can heal without reliving our pain.
22. When the Body Says No by Dr. Gabor Maté
Explores the deep connection between suppressed emotions and chronic illness. Essential for trauma-informed healing.
23. The Jungle by Upton Sinclair
A fictionalized but fact-based account of the horrors of the meatpacking industry and the exploitation of immigrant labor.
24. Encyclopedia of Herbal Medicine by Andrew Chevallier
A visually rich and comprehensive herbal reference guide—ideal for building your home apothecary.
25. Back to Eden by Jethro Kloss
A classic natural healing guide blending Christian values, whole food nutrition, and herbal medicine.
26. Pushed: The Painful Truth About Childbirth and Modern Maternity Care by Jennifer Block
Investigates how birthing has been medicalized and disempowered in Western healthcare.
27. Reclaiming Childbirth as a Rite of Passage by Rachel Reed
A reclamation of birth as sacred, powerful, and intuitive—blending ancient tradition with modern midwifery.
28. Eugenic Nation by Alexandra Minna Stern
Uncovers how eugenics shaped American healthcare and public policy, with disturbing ties to reproductive injustice.
29. The Herbalist’s Healing Kitchen by Devon Young
Where food meets medicine. Herbal recipes, nourishing meals, and rituals for holistic home wellness.
30. Revolutionary Mothering edited by Alexis Pauline Gumbs
An inspiring anthology on radical love, parenting, survival, and mothering as resistance.
Your Invitation
Pick one.
Order it from a local bookstore, borrow it from a library, or find a used copy online.
Read one chapter.
Let it sit with you. Let it challenge you. Let it transform you.
Because every page you turn becomes part of your power.
Tomorrow, we go digital—exploring 30 websites, communities, and articles that can activate your healing journey even further.
You don’t have to agree with everything you read.
But you deserve to know what’s out there.
You deserve access.
With radical love and knowledge,
Daria
House of SZO
A family-rooted wellness journey in love, healing, and purpose.
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