Herbal Teas (ISBN 0785813845)

Amazon.com Review:
Author Richard Craze--also a stress management consultant--has compiled an attractive, easy-to-read volume heralding the benefits of herbal teas. Do you suffer from migraine headaches? Try feverfew. Stressed out? Valerian, hops, passion flowers, or chamomile may help you relax. Try any one of more than 60 easy-to-follow recipes, many brewed to "increase the appetite, lubricate the intestines, increase resistance to infection, improve circulation, promote perspiration, soothe inflammation, and to strengthen the blood, bones, and tissues, as well as being gentle and natural laxatives." Included are a few specifically aimed at luring your kids away from soda pop and saccharin-laden sweet drinks. Arranged alphabetically, from agrimony to yarrow, this healthy, herbal guide includes information about uses, description, scientific background, preparations, taste and any known precautions. Accompanied throughout by color photographs of herbs and herbal drinks, this volume is a great basic guide for anyone seeking a relaxing, healthy alternative to caffeinated, sweetened, or artificially flavored drinks. From single ingredient, soothing teas, to winter warmers and summer coolers, there's a drink to satisfy every member of the family.

simple recipes to woo you away from manufactured herbal teas:
Buying an infuser tea-pot is one of the best things I've ever done. There is nothing more satisfying than making your own clear, refreshing teas with herbs you have grown yourself. Richard Craze's book is an excellent place to start, because it's very simple. Access to ingredients and the particular nature of my own personal taste are the two barriers I normally hit when reading herbal tea books, but Craze has put together a series of simple teas with accessible ingredients that are appealing to my own tastes. His teas are new to me and interesting. He strikes just the right balance between giving you information about herbs and introducing you to new brews, he doesn't overwhelm you with information as many books do, but lets the focus remain upon the teas that he has developed. This isn't a herbal, it doesn't have reams and reams of herbal and medicinal information, consider it more a source-book, to be used to encourage and inspire you to find the teas you like best and build from them.

Great "Coffee Table" Book:
This is a great coffee table book. It has lots of full color pictures - and it's easy to flip through. For a beginner in the world of tea - it offers good advice and really gets one motivated. It offers herb basics and some recipes, but if you're getting it for a resource book alone - don't do it. Still for the price it's an entertaining and easy to look at book - and fun even for the herbal tea lover with years of experience.