Rating: 
Summary: Wow!
Review: I never knew how many over the counter medicines could be replaced by safer, herbal alternatives. This book is easy to read and has a great index where you can look up various ailments. The index takes you right to the page where it lists the herbs that can help you. The book also provides many different herbs that can be used for one ailment so you can have more options available to you. It also says how the herb is used and prepared. Excellent book for someone that wants to have well-rounded health-care. I can attest to some of those remedies in the book, they do work!
Rating:
Summary: Wow!
Review: I purchased this book not so long ago and I find the book to be very useful and the size of the book can fit into your bag. This is the book I will always carry with me wherever I go... :) A great buy. Lots of great informations on herbs..
Rating:
Summary: A must have for anybody who likes natural cures.
Review: I've had this book for over a year and I'm still excited by all the information I have found. I have helped friends out sucessfully with the information. This book would be my #1 reccomendation for anyone who wants to be healthy the natural way.
Rating:
Summary: A no-nonsense,nearly perfect handbook for a popular audience
Review: Since I began making and using herbal remedies in 1980 I have been very concerned at the lack of reliable information. Pop and self-help books on herbalism suffer from excessive vagueness (if they are conservative and the author is trying hard to avoid lawsuits) or irresponsible promulgation of superstition (if the author is clumsy, credulous, or ignorant). On the other hand, publications dealing with formal studies of bioactive compounds of plants tend to be inaccessible to the public. There have been very few books that I (as a Ph.D. student in botany as well as a bit of an herbalist) feel comfortable in recommending. This one is at the top of the list. Nobody can beat James Duke at comfortable pop-level communication combined with solid, informed good judgement. In this book he gives practical preparation and dosage suggestions -- something the too-careful books don't do. He also provides clear, definite cautions on drug interactions and side-effects. My only criticism of Duke's book is that he may be a bit too confident when he suggests combining several herbs at once to treat some conditions. Folklore and formal studies may provide reasonable dosage guides for individual herbs. But no single folklore or ancient system encompasses, at once, medicinal plants of South America, China, and Europe. Combining herbs that have not been traditonally used, nor clinically tested, in such combination, is not something I would advise to a general audience. Nevertheless I rate this book very highly. I don't know how many copies of the previous edition I bought to give to people: teenagers, undergraduate college students, my old hippy friends, my father, doctors, and various people who ask me about medical botany. We all owe Duke a great deal for his tremendous work and his true desire to help others. EVERYONE, without exception, who is interested in medical botany from a practical standpoint, should have this book.
Rating: 
Summary: THE POWER OF HERBS - A MUST HAVE BOOK
Review: The book is an excellent reference guide for those who believe in the power of herbs and healing. In alphabetical order, the book clearly presents a variety of medical conditions and the possible herb(s) to take for each. The book would have been deserving of a five-star rating had it provided the daily dosages in tablet form, but the dosages were given using the raw herb only, which, without question, is the best form if it is available. The problem is, at least in my little corner of the world, the chance of finding a raw herb or a supplier would be next to finding a needle in a haystack and extremely expensive if they could be found! Fortunately, most herbal tablets have the recommended dosage on the bottle but even that can vary from as little as one tablet a day to as many as twelve tablets. I think I would be very hesitant about taking twelve tablets a day of anything, especially on a long-term basis. It would have been helpful if the book had recommended accurate dosages for the tablet form, as well as the raw form. The book is well-written and most informative. I would caution readers about making their own herbal combinations though, unless they are knowledgeable on the subject. Just as some medicines should not be combined, the same applies to some herbs.
Rating:
Summary: Packed full of useful medicinal plant information & stories.
Review: This book is an excellent reference for anyone interested in herbal healing. It's easy to read and difficult to put down. The book is organized by disease states, instead of herbs and their uses like most herbal books. You can find multiple areas pertaining to each herb listed in the index. Dr. Duke, with his vast experience and botanical knowledge, created a fascinating book that includes many stories about various herbs and people that he has meet during his many travels and his work for the USDA. While some herbs have numerous studies about their ingredients and effects, Dr. Duke informs the reader about potentially useful herbs for conditions from Allergies to Yeast Infections. And if that wasn't enough, it includes a recap of Dr.Duke's life and how he came to learn and love plants. His knowledge of plants and their constituents is almost endless. Even well read herbalist can learn something from Dr.Duke.
Rating:
Summary: The one I turn to again and again...!
Review: This book is VERY useful for looking up which herbs to use for a given health condition (it's organized alphabetically by condition). If you have a cold, for example, and you want to know what to use to treat it, you can just look it up under "Colds and Flu", and bingo, there's all the info you need. (Many of the other herb books I have, while lovely to look at, require you to use the index and then peruse each individual plant listing that mentions a condition. This can be a pain!) Dr. Duke's folksy style of writing and his anecdotes interspersed in the text make it a pleasure to read. This is the book I recommend to friends who want to know which herbs to use-- it's a great read & a great reference!
Rating:
Summary: The one I turn to again and again...!
Review: This book is VERY useful for looking up which herbs to use for a given health condition (it's organized alphabetically by condition). If you have a cold, for example, and you want to know what to use to treat it, you can just look it up under "Colds and Flu", and bingo, there's all the info you need. (Many of the other herb books I have, while lovely to look at, require you to use the index and then peruse each individual plant listing that mentions a condition. This can be a pain!) Dr. Duke's folksy style of writing and his anecdotes interspersed in the text make it a pleasure to read. This is the book I recommend to friends who want to know which herbs to use-- it's a great read & a great reference!
Rating:
Summary: Outstanding!
Review: This is a gotta-have if your working with herbal remedies. I just can't say more than, its well worth the price, just buy it.
Rating:
Summary: AWESOME
Review: This is a great book to have. Don't have time to research, or find expensive items? This is the book to have. It is set up like any medical book, with ailments in alphabetical order. One thing I loved about this book is that he also list common cooking spices that one may add to recipes to give relief or help in certain situations! Well written by a senstive and informed author.
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