Indian Herbalogy of North America

Rating:
Summary: Informative, but not at all what I expected
Review: Growing up in the way-out country of Missouri, I spent a lot of time outside in the woods, getting to know the different plants and animals that live there. This eventually gave rise to an interest in natural medicine, and in harvesting and preparing my own herbs from the property I lived on. All the texts I could find, though, were based in the plants and knowledge indigenous to either Europe or Asia. I was delighted to come on a copy of Alma Hutchens' _Indian Herbalogy of North America_ a couple years back, thinking it would be a catalog of the plants I found growing in my own back yard, and throughout the back roads of America that I love to explore. However, the book has quite a bit of information about the herbal medicine of other cultures (Russia, Western Europe, and China, in particular), so much that it crowds the Indian lore out--which, of course, was what I really wanted. It's not a bad book, in general terms, and would make a pretty solid kernel for a new collection of herbal medicine books, but I don't recommend this as a resource for people interested specifically in Native American treatment of disease or use of herbs for health maintenance.

Rating:
Summary: Informative, but not at all what I expected
Review: Growing up in the way-out country of Missouri, I spent a lot of time outside in the woods, getting to know the different plants and animals that live there. This eventually gave rise to an interest in natural medicine, and in harvesting and preparing my own herbs from the property I lived on. All the texts I could find, though, were based in the plants and knowledge indigenous to either Europe or Asia. I was delighted to come on a copy of Alma Hutchens' _Indian Herbalogy of North America_ a couple years back, thinking it would be a catalog of the plants I found growing in my own back yard, and throughout the back roads of America that I love to explore. However, the book has quite a bit of information about the herbal medicine of other cultures (Russia, Western Europe, and China, in particular), so much that it crowds the Indian lore out--which, of course, was what I really wanted. It's not a bad book, in general terms, and would make a pretty solid kernel for a new collection of herbal medicine books, but I don't recommend this as a resource for people interested specifically in Native American treatment of disease or use of herbs for health maintenance.

Rating:
Summary: Cross-cultural Herbal Guide
Review: Indian Herbalogy of North America by Alma R. Hutchens is a helpful reference book for those desiring a greater understanding of cross-cultural applications of herbs. The title is somewhat misleading because though there is an emphasis on Native American herbalism there is also a great deal of information regarding Russian herbology and folklore.

Rating:
Summary: Cross-cultural Herbal Guide
Review: Indian Herbalogy of North America by Alma R. Hutchens is a helpful reference book for those desiring a greater understanding of cross-cultural applications of herbs. The title is somewhat misleading because though there is an emphasis on Native American herbalism there is also a great deal of information regarding Russian herbology and folklore.

Rating:
Summary: Excellent!
Review: No where else can I find as much info on the herbs she features as in this book. Very informative and perfect for anyone who is interested in herbal healing and in starting their own herbal business. You can get lots of ideas from this book.

Rating:
Summary: The best reference for how to actually make these potions
Review: This book is indexed by plants and by diseases. It gives descriptions of habitat so you can go and find them in the wild. It is the only book i have read to date that actually tells how to make the ointments or tea and a history of how it has been used in many cultures. It gives side effects and wonderful detailed plant sketches. Easy to read