Favorites Collected Through the Years
I've been interested in herbs ever since my dear mother-in-law recovered from cancer using, I believe, an herbal remedy called "essiac." Through the years I've discovered the gentle yet effective power and experienced the power that comes from making your own medicines from the garden. I'm probably dating myself by listing some of these books, but I believe that knowledge never grows old.
Culpepper's Color Herbal
My first source for information is from "Culpeper's Color Herbal" based on the original "The Complete Herbal" published in 1649. He wanted to produce an herbal the commoner could use, based on local English herbs that were easily found. The version I use is published by Sterling Publishing Company in New York, 1983. It includes many colored illustrations of the herbs and modern medical uses of each plant. As you study herbs, you quickly see that many plants are recommended for the same ailments. What isn't as apparent is that only certain herbs might be available during each season, so a variety of options was important to the self healer. I highly recommend this book to any historical writers and herbalists.
Earl Mindell's Herb Bible was published in 1992. Mindell focuses on what he calls the "Hot Hundred" and brings in some great histMorical background information on each of these most popular and useful herbs. There are no pretty pictures in this book - just sage advice and an interestingly prophetic call to save our wild areas, which contain as yet unknown herbs.
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The Herb Book, by Arabella Boxer and Philippa Back, published in 1980. This is a lovely book that covers the history and uses of herbs, lists the popular herbs and gives great advice on gardening with herbs. I love the photos. There's an entire section on planning an herb garden under different terrains. It shares a broad view, international, on the uses of herbs. There are some great recipes.
The Pleasure of Herbs, by Phyillis Shaudys, 1988. Her subtitle is "A month-by-month Guide to Growing, Using and enj|oying herbs." This is a really fun book to refer to for a gradual, but none the less informational, introduction to herbs. There are some great personal care recipes for the winter months. The summer months concentrate on fresh culinary herbs. At the end you'll find "A brief Encyclopedia of Herbs" that makes an easy guide to the most popular species.
The Complete Medicinal Herbal, Penelope Ody, 1993. This is a great book for anyone interested in the medicinal uses of herbs. It gives complete instructions in the preparation and application of a wonderful variety of wild and domestic herbs. It's also a beautiful book with amazing photos. Definitely one of my favorites!
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