What if your daily walk through the city could be a prescription?
The trees lining your street, the wildflowers in a neglected courtyard, the moss on a shaded wall — these aren’t just scenery. They make up a living, breathing pharmacy that quietly shapes how city dwellers feel, breathe, and heal.
In Healing and Edible Plants for Urban Wellness, physician and PhD in Medical Sciences Dr. Sergei Shevtsov takes you below the pavement and into the air you breathe to reveal the hidden biology of the city. You’ll discover how urban plants release volatile compounds that calm the nervous system, how the soil microbiome and the human holobiome are quietly linked, and why the aerobiome of a single park can change the way you feel within minutes. The book also considers practical examples of how courtyards, balconies, parks, school grounds, rooftops, and pedestrian corridors can become living therapeutic environments.
But this is more than a book about appreciating nature. It’s a practical guide to working with it. You’ll learn how to:
Turn forgotten urban spaces into edible, healing landscapes through foodscaping and ecotherapyUnderstand the science behind phytoremediation — how plants clean polluted soil, water, and airRecognize the BVOCs and phytoncides that make a forest walk so restorativeDesign eco-trails and green corridors suited to your climateJoin the growing movement of citizen science, bioblitzes, and community-led urban greeningGrounded in real ecology yet written for curious readers, this book bridges urban planning, public health, and everyday wellbeing. Whether you’re a city resident, a gardener, an urban planner, or simply someone who feels better after time among green things, you’ll never look at your neighborhood the same way again.
The wild medicine of the city is already growing all around you. This book shows you how to see it — and use it.
