CRC Ethnobotany Desk Reference

Rating:
Summary: single text survery of medicinal plants
Review: An excellent encyclopedic database of the reported ethno-pharmacological and medicinal applications of a vast array of medicinal plants. Medical and dental problem organization provided in index, with the listing of the common and taxonomical names for plants, reported medical/dental applications within purported cultural and regional environments. No plant drawings or pictures available for cross reference but this publication remains an excellent "one text" reference for a rapid review of known world wide medicinal plants.

Rating:
Summary: Big book, essential resource, but VERY short on words
Review: I'm not unhappy that I bought this book, however it wasn't what I expected.

This is NOT a book with anecdotes or stories or any sort of written description about any plant. It is instead a massive database dump of thousands of plants along with a standard mini-suite of information for each of them: other names, where found, what its used for, etc. This information is presented in a non-reading friendly, compact manner.

This is strictly a reference book and not intended for actual reading or browsing. It is valuable for conducting research IN CONJUNCTION WITH OTHER RESOURCES - the web, other texts, etc. I could see it being used effectively as a cross reference for finding leads/keywords to be used to track down more information about a given plant/malady/location, etc. elsewhere.

Indispensable, but not standalone.

Rating:
Summary: Big book, essential resource, but VERY short on words
Review: I'm not unhappy that I bought this book, however it wasn't what I expected.

This is NOT a book with anecdotes or stories or any sort of written description about any plant. It is instead a massive database dump of thousands of plants along with a standard mini-suite of information for each of them: other names, where found, what its used for, etc. This information is presented in a non-reading friendly, compact manner.

This is strictly a reference book and not intended for actual reading or browsing. It is valuable for conducting research IN CONJUNCTION WITH OTHER RESOURCES - the web, other texts, etc. I could see it being used effectively as a cross reference for finding leads/keywords to be used to track down more information about a given plant/malady/location, etc. elsewhere.

Indispensable, but not standalone.