Table of Contents

Foreword by Stephen Harrod Buhner

Introduction
Scientific Justification for Holistic Medicine

1 The Extracellular Matrix
The Primal Organ System

2 What Is Going On in There?
Water, Light, Warmth, Oxidation, Chemistry, and Electricity

3 The Ground Substance
Architecture of the Matrix

4 The Matrix and Wound Healing
Template for Healing Matrix Injury

5 Inhabitants of the Matrix
Cells, Tissues, and Organs

6 The In-Mix-Out of the Matrix
Basis for Holistic Treatment

Conclusion

Appendix
Homeostasis: Balance in the Matrix

References

Index

About the Author

Matthew Wood has been a practicing herbalist for more than 35 years. An internationally known author and lecturer in the fi eld, he holds a master of science degree in herbal medicine from the Scottish School of Herbal Medicine and is a professional member of the American Herbalists Guild. The author of several books, including The Earthwise Herbal and The Book of Herbal Wisdom, he lives in Spring Valley, Wisconsin.

Reviews

“Brilliant! A substantial and important addition to our understanding of the human body, chronic disease, and herbal medicine.”
*Stephen Harrod Buhner, author of Sacred Plant Medicine*

“Matthew Wood is among the most respected and well-known herbalists of our era and is the author of several brilliant textbooks on herbal medicine. Holistic Medicine and the Extracellular Matrix is his opus and masterpiece. Exceptionally well written and impeccably researched, this book debunks the popular theory that cells of the body function as independent units existing independently of one another. Instead, he meticulously reveals in easy-to-understand terms the implications of the extracellular matrix, the inner ocean in which the cells exist, and how this simple switch hugely impacts our understanding of healing. This book is a must-read for anyone interested in health, healing, and medicine.”
*Rosemary Gladstar, herbalist and author of Planting the Future*

“Holistic Medicine and the Extracellular Matrix is a deep examination of the scientific justification of concepts discussed in traditional systems of medicine for millennia--that the human organism is a living wholeness unto itself, not a compilation of unintelligent biochemical and cellular machinery. This groundbreaking text reveals the truth of how our bodies function at a fundamental level and how we can rejuvenate our health on all levels with natural, holistic approaches to healing. It’s akin to the discovery of the heliocentric model of our solar system but for the understanding and practice of holistic medicine . . . truly revolutionary.”
*Sajah Popham, author of Evolutionary Herbalism*

“Matthew Wood’s book turns biomedical physiology on its head and presents a science-based holistic perspective on how and why herbs really work. His finest book yet!”
*Robert Dale Rogers, RH (AHG), author of Rogers’ School of Herbal Medicine*

“In his groundbreaking book, Holistic Medicine and the Extracellular Matrix, Matthew Wood brings us a more balanced scientific perspective and further proves the basic tenet of holism while condemning reductionism as a model for how biological systems work. A revolutionary work poised to overthrow the conceptual foundation of modern science and its therapeutic models and drug therapies, this book directs treatment toward the individual as a whole and blows the lid off a ‘onesize-fits-all’ approach to modern pharmacology and compares our situation to that of Galileo and the Church. I recommend this book for all students of herbalism, holistic medicine, and the curative arts.”
*Thea Summer Deer, clinical herbalist and author of Wisdom of the Plant Devas*

“Matthew Wood’s brilliant new book definitively establishes the scientific basis of holistic healing. Wood shows how optimal health--homeostasis--is in the extracellular matrix, the fundamental basis of alternative medicine. Drugs circumvent the self-regulation of our bodies and are creating more diabetes, cardiovascular distress, and cancer, yet holistic therapies improve the cellular environment and our bodies’ balance. I especially admire this book because Wood brings in Arthur Firstenberg’s research on the intensifying electromagnetic frequencies as the cause of much modern disease. The extracellular matrix that transports our bodily fluids is very sensitive to these frequencies that may be causing the huge rise in inflammation today. This is a must-read for herbalists, acupuncturists, chiropractors, energy therapists, bodyworkers, and anyone directing their own path to healing.”
*Barbara Hand Clow, author of Astrology and the Rising of Kundalini*

"Matthew Wood’s presentation of Holistic Medicine and the Extracellular Matrix brings into focus a number of concepts in alternative ways of thinking about health. While the book does not provide all the answers, it rather asks the questions we might have about human health and disease. The author proposes new angles, a different perspective (his key word) and a whole array of ideas about the microbiome and the cellular terrain. Matthew Wood’s herbals and reference books on Western herbalism are exceptional."
*Herbology East and West*