The book is a call to rethink how we live and what we can learn from the past
We are trying to find a way back to connect with nature more than ever before, imbibing ancient practices that made way for a more sustainable way of living. In a similar effort, award-winning author Kapka Kassabova undertakes a journey to Mesta – one one of the oldest rivers in the southern Balkans – to understand humankind’s relationship with nature through the surrounding forests and mountains of Mesta. And more importantly, through the people residing in them.
In the book Elixir: In the Valley at the End of Time, Kassabova documents her experiences and interactions with the people, the plant gatherers, mystics, healers as they pass on their knowledge about wild plants and the ancient practice of herbalism to her. She explores why certain folk traditions that have been largely lost elsewhere in Europe persist in the area.
Elixir shows us how nature is the medicine we are all looking for. It is one of those books that changes something inside you, almost taking you on an internal journey through the accounts of the external world. It is a call to rethink how we live and what we can learn from the past to live a better future.