[.ca] Dictionary Of Modern Herbalism (ISBN 0892812389)

the best book on herbalism for the general reader:
A wonderful balance of readability and depth, this book is the first book I recommend to those interested in incorporating herbal medicines. I suspected when I ordered the book that the dictionary format would make the book a useful basic reference, but otherwise rather a dry read. How wrong I was. The ample bold-typed cross-references mean there is an infinite variety of reading paths, allowing for easy digestion of the information in manageable chunks. This is best illustrated with anexample. Looking up "migraines" to see if I could so something to help my wife, I found just over half a page of information, starting with types of migraine and possible causes. Mills went on to discuss the differences between "hot" migraines and "cold" migraines and how this distinction will affect the choice of treatment. I determined from this information that my wife's migraines are of the "hot" type. Mills states that "bitter" and "relaxant" or "sedative"remedies are most likely to be of benefit. Following the reference to "bitter" remedies, I found more than a page of information including a list of 24 herbs that fit into this category, many of them with their own entries elsewhere in the book... At first glance, this may seem to be a long-winded way of finding the information you need, but it's actually surprisingly quick. More to the point, by negotiating your own reading path you actually arrive at a deeper understanding than ispossible with better-known texts, where usually a single prescription is given for each named disease and it's usually impossible to judge why the author chose a particular herb in preference to another. Going back to the "bitters" entry, bold-typed terms here include volatile oils, alkaloids, anorexia, dyspepsia, fever management, food allergies, gall-bladder disease, liver disease, hypoglycaemia, diabetes, adaptogenic, peptic ulcers, and tonic. Following any of these links leads in turnto unexpected discoveries. In my view, this book dispels the notion that the general reader needs lots of pictures and colour to maintain interest. However, those who differ with me on this point may like to buy David Hoffman's "The Complete Illustrated Holistic Herbal", which, in addition to these enhancements and its more traditional organization, includes a section on growing herbs. Veterans of the Dictionary, however, may find Hoffman's book a little less than satisfying as regardsthe depth of the explanations. Those wanting to take their study to a deeper level may like to get the more expensive and scholarly Principles and Practice of Phytotherapy: Modern Herbal Medicine by Simon Mills and Kerry Bone.