Natural healing information with herbs or products advice.

I'm interested in learning more about natural remedies and healing. If anyone knows of any books that would provide useful information that they have personal experience with, I'm interested!!
I'm also looking into where to buy natural products--oils, herbs, etc., to go along with the information provided in the books. I live in a small town, so reliable internet sites are a good option, as well as any other stores anyone knows about that I might be able to find.

The book titled "Herbs of the Earth, A Self-Teaching Guide to Healing Remedies", by Mary Carse is an excellent resource. Chapter by chapter, you will learn about herbs, A-Z, and self test at the end of each chapter. The knowledge you gain is tremendous, along with appropriate warnings. You will learn how to make teas, tinctures, plasters and poultices, syrups, vinegars, herbal oils, along with HOW to use these products. The recommended dosage for infants, children and adults is listed in this book.

I used to work in an herbal / vitamin supplement store while I was in college. The herbs and vitamins for the most part are generally of low quality. Meaning the herbs have been over processed to maintain freshness (weakening their strength), the minerals are not usually multi keylated (low absorption) and often mixed together with the wrong minerals, and the vitamins are of low quality.
Here are some tips to know when buying the products. First of all be aware that some herbs are over harvested and in serious decline in their habitat (like black cohosh). Its better to buy farm raised herbs not wild, but these herbs lack compared to the wild grown. Tinctured fresh herbs are strongest and most easily absorbed. Dried herbs are the weakest and usually the cheapest. Look into local medicinal plant books in your area and learn how to make your own tinctures. I've cured arthritis, bleeding ulcers, tendonitis, high blood pressure, excessive menstrual cramps, urinary inflammation/infection, through wild herbs.

Minerals that are multi keylated and in liquid form are most easily absorbed. ie we cannot go out and start chewing on some copper to get copper; we need to absorb copper through an edible plant that has lots of copper in it. The more plants that a mineral is keylated with the higher chance of absorption. Also, little known fact here; Zinc does not absorb well with other minerals at the same time. Take Zinc separately from other minerals.