Juliette of the Herbs

Meet Juliette de Bairacli Levy, the original herb mother and a “new age Dr. Doolittle.” Born to privilege in England in 1912, Juliette wanted to become a veterinarian, but was disappointed when she went to a vet school that didn't teach actual healing. In an interesting career-development choice, she decided to travel the world, befriending gypsies, Bedouins, peasants, and Native Americans in an effort to learn their healing arts and live close to nature herself. As a result of this different-drummer ethos, she became the pioneer of holistic veterinary medicine and an herbal expert credited with inspiring the present day herbal movement. Along the way, she published many books on a variety of topics, including The Complete Herbal Handbook for the Dog and Cat, Common Herbs for Natural Health, Traveler's Joy, and The Secrets of Survival. She's also a world-renowned breeder of Afghan hounds and animal advocate. Combining narration, firsthand accounts, stills, video from conference proceedings, and (mostly) interviews with Juliette herself, this tape does a fine--if somewhat leisurely--job outlining its subject's life and career. I didn't find it the “beautifully filmed lyrical portrait” that the promo material promised (unless that's a code for “slow-moving and rose-colored"), but it gets the job done. Recommended primarily where interest in academic “herbalship” is high. Aud: H, C, P. (K. Glaser)