Rodale's Illustrated Encyclopedia of Herbs

Rating:
Summary: best herbal guide there is
Review: And I've looked over quite a few

The illustrations and writing are very good and tasteful, and the information provided by the book are very valuable and interesting, and very very thorough. Each plant in the book has its attributes described, an illustration that gives you an idea of what it looks like, its history, its uses, and very thorough notes about propogation and cultivation. There are very interesting topic sections on dyes, fragrance, and so on.

The only complaint I might have is that they didn't include enough plant.

Rating:
Summary: best herbal guide there is
Review: And I've looked over quite a few

The illustrations and writing are very good and tasteful, and the information provided by the book are very valuable and interesting, and very very thorough. Each plant in the book has its attributes described, an illustration that gives you an idea of what it looks like, its history, its uses, and very thorough notes about propogation and cultivation. There are very interesting topic sections on dyes, fragrance, and so on.

The only complaint I might have is that they didn't include enough plant.

Rating:
Summary: Rodale's Illustrated Encyclopedia of Herbs
Review: Book arrived in just a few days and in very good shape. Most pleased with the service!

Rating:
Summary: Excellent reference for novice and experienced herbalists.
Review: Conservative, alphabetical reference for the most common, useful herbs. Includes history, safety, cultivation, medicinal, and culinary uses for each. Includes special chapters on healing, cooking and gardening with herbs as well as toxicity as compared to caffeine. Color and black & white pictures, highly recommended and often consulted; one of the best.

Rating:
Summary: The classic herb reference
Review: I am a professional horticulturist who provides advice to commercial growers. This is the first book I recommend to anyone who is considering growing herbs commercially. It has been around for a long time and revised a time or two. It is not perfect (the perfect herb book doesn't exist yet), but if you are building a herb library, this book deserves a place there.

Rating:
Summary: The classic herb reference
Review: I am a professional horticulturist who provides advice to commercial growers. This is the first book I recommend to anyone who is considering growing herbs commercially. It has been around for a long time and revised a time or two. It is not perfect (the perfect herb book doesn't exist yet), but if you are building a herb library, this book deserves a place there.

Rating:
Summary: Excellent resource....
Review: No matter how hard I search, I've yet to find the "perfect" book on herb use and herb growing. This book isn't perfect, but it does have some real strengths.

Rodale's ILLUSTRATED ENCYCLOPEDIA OF HERBS is organized in a strange way--everything, and I mean everything--falls into alphabetical order. For example, "Gardening with Herbs falls between "Foxgloves" and "Garlic" and "Growing Herbs" falls between "Grindellia" and "Hawthorn."

The book is printed on semi-gloss paper so it will stand up to use and not crumble in a few years. Each entry contains line drawing illustrations and a few sections of the book are highlighted with color photos.

The plant profiles are succinct, covering topics such as 'history', 'cultivation' and 'uses.' Many entries contain material from other sources such as Maud Grieves' A MODERN HERBAL Vols. 1-2. Some information is repeated without attribution or verification. I always find "They say" and "It is thought" offputting, while I appreciate direct citations of which there are many in this book.

THE ENCYCLOPEDIA covers some topics not readily found in other books. The most useful of these is a compendium discussing the "Dangers of Herbs" (located between "Dandelion" and "Deadly Nightshade." The editors have compiled the FDA listing of "tricky" herbs (could kill or cure depending on use) from PREVENTION magazine, as well as similar ratings from James Duke's CRC HANDBOOK OF MEDICINAL HERBS, Jean Rose's HERBS AND THINGS, and Varro Tyler's THE HONEST HERBAL. You realize on reading this section that everything is relative.

The biggest problem with the misuse of herbal remedies is the misclassification of plants by the practicioner. To be an herbal healer one simply must understand botany. The second biggest problem is conflicting information about what a plant will or will not do based on singular accounts (which could be the result of a misclassification of plants or a misapplication of the plant extract). The third problem is idiosyncratic plant and human interaction. One man's poison can be another man's elixer. As with synthetic drugs, each individual has a unique chemical compostion and the herb in question may or may not be effective, or in some cases may provoke an allergy. Of course, there are some herbs that are downright deadly as every mystery reader knows.

This wouldn't be a Rodale book with out a section on "Pests" and "Pest Control" or the synergistic and conflicting effects of various plant combinations in the garden. This information and the sections on poisonous attributes make the book worth it's cost. All I can say about plant combinations can be summed up to this...plant catnip. You'll have to read the book to find out which kind.

Rating:
Summary: Excellent resource....
Review: No matter how hard I search, I've yet to find the "perfect" book on herb use and herb growing. This book isn't perfect, but it does have some real strengths.

Rodale's ILLUSTRATED ENCYCLOPEDIA OF HERBS is organized in a strange way--everything, and I mean everything--falls into alphabetical order. For example, "Gardening with Herbs falls between "Foxgloves" and "Garlic" and "Growing Herbs" falls between "Grindellia" and "Hawthorn."

The book is printed on semi-gloss paper so it will stand up to use and not crumble in a few years. Each entry contains line drawing illustrations and a few sections of the book are highlighted with color photos.

The plant profiles are succinct, covering topics such as 'history', 'cultivation' and 'uses.' Many entries contain material from other sources such as Maud Grieves' A MODERN HERBAL Vols. 1-2. Some information is repeated without attribution or verification. I always find "They say" and "It is thought" offputting, while I appreciate direct citations of which there are many in this book.

THE ENCYCLOPEDIA covers some topics not readily found in other books. The most useful of these is a compendium discussing the "Dangers of Herbs" (located between "Dandelion" and "Deadly Nightshade." The editors have compiled the FDA listing of "tricky" herbs (could kill or cure depending on use) from PREVENTION magazine, as well as similar ratings from James Duke's CRC HANDBOOK OF MEDICINAL HERBS, Jean Rose's HERBS AND THINGS, and Varro Tyler's THE HONEST HERBAL. You realize on reading this section that everything is relative.

The biggest problem with the misuse of herbal remedies is the misclassification of plants by the practicioner. To be an herbal healer one simply must understand botany. The second biggest problem is conflicting information about what a plant will or will not do based on singular accounts (which could be the result of a misclassification of plants or a misapplication of the plant extract). The third problem is idiosyncratic plant and human interaction. One man's poison can be another man's elixer. As with synthetic drugs, each individual has a unique chemical compostion and the herb in question may or may not be effective, or in some cases may provoke an allergy. Of course, there are some herbs that are downright deadly as every mystery reader knows.

This wouldn't be a Rodale book with out a section on "Pests" and "Pest Control" or the synergistic and conflicting effects of various plant combinations in the garden. This information and the sections on poisonous attributes make the book worth it's cost. All I can say about plant combinations can be summed up to this...plant catnip. You'll have to read the book to find out which kind.

Rating:
Summary: My Bible
Review: Rodale's Illustrated Encyclopedia of Herbs is the best herb resource I have ever found, and that is saying a lot, since I own over twenty, and have checked many others out from my local library. It is thorough, interesting, more complete than any other text (no herb book can be complete - it would be thicker than a telephone book!), and always enjoyable to read. Reading it as a child was the initial inspiration for my love of herbology. Most entries start with stories about the plant, or a short talk about it's particular history. Some of those stories are better than most I see in print.
If I could, I would give this book a ten star rating. If you are starting out in this field, this is the place to start. This book is my bible

Rating:
Summary: best book on herbs i have found
Review: This book covers all the bases: harvesting, storing, cooking, sachets, medicinal uses.... on and on. I've used mine so much it is falling apart! I bought this book years ago for over $26 and it was worth it then! Its a steal now!