The Herb Book: The Most Complete Catalog of Herbs Ever Published (Dover Cookbooks)

My book came creased at the binding (as if someone flipped through it already) and looking slightly used already with creased cover etc. I'm a bit disappointed because this is the first time I got something 'sold by amazon' that is not the quality it's suppose to be in (new). Also the price on the back of the book is $8.95... I paid $9.95. I'm not going to send it back despite all this because it's too much hassle, and I guess it would eventually get worn like this as I use it anyway. :(Despite the disappointing quality it arrived in, this is a great reference book. To give you a general idea, here's a brief overview of the contents.Part I consists of:- an intro to plants and plant names- a glossary of botanical terms- brief section on growing or gathering an keeping herbs- brief descriptions of how to use herbs (making tinctures, syrups etc.)- a nice index of medicinal effects and herbs that give those effects- herbs listed according to organs and body conditions.Part II consists of the plants and descriptions along with nice simple line drawings.Part III is a very nice touch. It covers some interesting topics such as:- the legend and lore behind some of the plants- scents- dyes in plants (with a cool chart of what plants create what color to dye cloths, mostly wool)- plants for drinking (herbal teas, juices, alcoholic beverages)- a section on diet, briefly describing some key minerals and vitamins and what plants contain them- natural cosmetics (geranium leaves for cleansing oily skin?)- a few recipes- plants and astrology- other cool bits of info.It feels almost like a farmer's almanac but with only plant related wisdom.If your interested in herbs in any way, get this.

There is a lot of information packed into this 623 page book! I like the way it is organized. I like the list of plants for various conditions. The herb section is missing some that I would like to have referenced, such as Chasteberry & Yucca and doesn't specify the differenct uses for Dandelion root vs leaves as well as I'd like. It has a formula for health section that is a nice-to-have. It has a description of teas and spices. It talks about vitamins and minerals, protein, enzymes, and hormones which I found very helpful as a reference for a book I am writing. Each herb has a BRIEF plant description, properties & uses, and preparation and dosage for syrups, tinctures, infusions, etc. I feel it is lacking some of the important warnings and cautions of some herbs, like how licorice should be avoided in people with high blood sugar and high BP, but it does have some cautions on certain herbs such as rosemary and nutmeg. For a new herbalist or for a sole herbal book it does not have enough information, but for a reference guide along with other herb books, which is all I wanted it for, it was well worth what I paid.I was annoyed with the delivery time on this book. It took them over a week to ship it.

Good source of information but kindle doesn't allow you to select individual pages

The main reason I didnt give it 5 stars is because I only have read 3 books on the subject.I bought it about 2 years ago, browsed thru it once then let it gather dust. I picked it up about a year ago and have probably referenced it 1 to 2 times a week, since. I guess I had to figure out how to use it. Or figure out that since it gives you all of the possible benefits/negatives of a particular herb, I could be much more precise in choosing the correct herb, staying away from a herb that might give me what I want, but also create another problem.I also like that you can either start from the actual herb first to see what it helps, or start from a general condition that you want to improve on and find the herbs that fit or find a specific condition and the herbs that work for that.Also, if you are into finding herbs in the wilde, which I'm not, I couldnt imagine a better book for you.

I've had 4-5 copies of the paperback, but this hard copy is absolutely superb. The hardback is larger, and on much better paper - which means the print is crisp and easy to read. My copy was signed by the author in 1974 - and it's still in excellent condition, while all of my paperback copies are yellowed and brittle, falling apart. If you're looking for the best all-around herbal reference book, get the hard copy issue of "The Herb Book" - it's the best you will find. (I've got more than 40 herbal reference books and this is the best!)It covers not just medicinal uses, but culinary, fragrance, craft, dyes, - and also has a section on basic botony, cross references for common and latin name, and much more.

To find this book back in print and in hard cover and larger text sizes a blessed by to me...was my boss ble for health for years..used info on plant used to dye wool etc.in back years ago...copy I have carried around for years a paperback in targets..print in that hard to read now with eye problems

it is pretty complete and usefulthe thing I like about it is that it goes at the subject from different approaches ... from symptoms, from herbs themselves, from how to use them, etc ...for instance, several herb books I have will only list herbs themselves and then explain their uses etc ... what if I have a symptom and want to look up known herbs that covers those? I will have to look thru all herbs to find the ones that will deal with the symptom I am concerned with?only thing I don't like is briefness of coverage of subjects ... but then if I use this as a starter and from there go into other books, knowing which ones I need to check on further if needed ... a lot of time is saved

John Lust's The Herb Book was my first herb book in the 70's. It is so dog eared and disintegrated that I had it stored in a ziplock bag because I still referenced it. I finally bought a new one, and the print is so much larger than my old one and easier to read. So glad I got this new one!

I first bought a copy of this book in the 1970's. Whilst not the 'prettiest' of books, there is a huge amount of valuable detail in the descriptions. This copy is a gift and I hope the recipient will enjoy it as much as I have over the years

A herbal book dealing with a wide range of herbs, many without Illustrations, and so not very useful. My sister reckons that its the best book on Herbs, but I disagree. I've seen better. However it's OK.

Incredible the detail and the coverage of this book, amazingly current and really informative, an excellent guide and reference that needs to be kept close by at all times

Good book but I would prefer it with colored pictures. I really don't like it black and white. It is not true colour of plants.Thank you for delivery.

Excellent book full of herbs i did not know off Great Buy