Free Downloads A Modern Herbal (Volume 1, A-H): The Medicinal, Culinary, Cosmetic And Economic Properties, Cultivation And Folk-Lore Of Herbs, Grasses, Fungi, Shrubs & Trees With Their Modern Scientific Uses
"There is not one page of this enchanting book which does not contain something to interest the common reader as well as the serious student. Regarded simply as a history of flowers, it adds to the joys of the country." — B. E. Todd, Spectator.If you want to know how pleurisy root, lungwort, and abscess root got their names, how poison ivy used to treat rheumatism, or how garlic guarded against the Bubonic Plague, consult A Modern Herbal. This 20th-century version of the medieval Herbal is as rich in scientific fact and folklore as its predecessors and is equally encyclopedic in coverage. From aconite to zedoary, not an herb, grass, fungus, shrub or tree is overlooked; and strange and wonderful discoveries about even the most common of plants await the reader.Traditionally, an herbal combined the folk beliefs and tales about plants, the medicinal properties (and parts used) of the herbs, and their botanical classification. But Mrs. Grieve has extended and enlarged the tradition; her coverage of asafetida, bearberry, broom, chamomile, chickweed, dandelion, dock, elecampane, almond, eyebright, fenugreek, moss, fern, figwort, gentian, Hart's tongue, indigo, acacia, jaborandi, kava kava, lavender, pimpernel, rhubarb, squill, sage, thyme, sarsaparilla, unicorn root, valerian, woundwort, yew, etc. — more than 800 varieties in all — includes in addition methods of cultivation; the chemical constituents, dosages, and preparations of extracts and tinctures, unknown to earlier herbalists; possible economic and cosmetic properties, and detailed illustrations, from root to bud, of 161 plants.Of the many exceptional plants covered in Herbal, perhaps the most fascinating are the poisonous varieties — hemlock, poison oak, aconite, etc. — whose poisons, in certain cases, serve medical purposes and whose antidotes (if known) are given in detail. And of the many unique features, perhaps the most interesting are the hundreds of recipes and instructions for making ointments, lotions, sauces, wines, and fruit brandies like bilberry and carrot jam, elderberry and mint vinegar, sagina sauce, and cucumber lotion for sunburn; and the hundreds of prescriptions for tonics and liniments for bronchitis, arthritis, dropsy, jaundice, nervous tension, skin disease, and other ailments. 96 plates, 161 illustrations.
Paperback: 512 pages
Publisher: Dover Publications; Revised ed. edition (June 1, 1971)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0486227987
ISBN-13: 978-0486227986
Product Dimensions: 6.1 x 1.1 x 9.1 inches
Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars See all reviews (71 customer reviews)
Best Sellers Rank: #45,323 in Books (See Top 100 in Books) #21 in Books > Crafts, Hobbies & Home > Gardening & Landscape Design > Herbs #22 in Books > Reference > Encyclopedias & Subject Guides > Mythology & Folklore #27 in Books > Reference > Encyclopedias & Subject Guides > Literature
The name sounds good. You are looking for today's information on herbs. After all, only the latest and greatest will do. And, here it is on Mountain Valley Growers recommended book site. What could be better? Not much! But, this is not a book hot off the presses. This two volume encyclopedia goes back 60 years, when two women put their individual skills together to create a work that should be on every herb gardeners shelf. The writer Maud Grieve and her faithful editor Hilda Leyel created a work that has not been duplicated since. We use this book at least once a week here. Each plants many common names are listed as well as the part used and its habitat. They give us a growth description, talk about the chemical components of each herb and advise us on the medicinal action of these components and how they are used. If other species of the same genus are used that is included. Every time I pick these books up I learn something new and I have been reading and studying herbs for 20 years. Two of my favorite sections are on lavender and hops. See for yourself why.
This "Modern" Herbal is anything but, and thank god for that. A lay herbalist for many years, I've thumbed through countless books that censor themselves for fear of legal action. Their listings for certain "toxic" herbs saying nothing more than two sentences on how a particular herb should be avoided at all costs.In A Modern Herbal, we get a peek at a pre-litigious era, where herbs were used and studied with caution, but certainly not discarded entirely.I particularly enjoy cross-referencing herbs I enjoy (melissa, st. john's wort) in both this book and modern books (Susun Weed, Michael Tierra, et al) to get a fresh perspective on the tried and true.Beyond the wealth of information, I've also enjoyed the writing style. I've read passages out loud to my sweetheart for a good chuckle.
This is Volume I (A-H) of a two part paperback version of Mrs. Grieve's book. The text is tiny and it is a REFERENCE book -- but one that can prove useful for those interested in learning more about the many uses of herbs. If you're a serious herbalist, this is the dictionary.Many herbs (leaves, roots, fruits) were used for medicinal purposes by traditional people, and plant extracts still make up a large share of the inventory of modern pharmacies. Owing to a virtual monopoly on plant sources, big pharmaceutical companies charge the average customer $$ (mucho dinero) for plant extracts our grandparents cultivated and harvested from their kitchen gardens for relatively little or no cost.If you have the space, you might grow some herbs --especially those used for food. Also, farmer's markets and community food co-ops are good sources. Although I live in an urban area, a food co-op 5 blocks away carries many of the holistic medicines and herbal remedies I use--at much less cost than I would incur at the local grocery or health food store. Check it out!
If you just have a love of herbs and plants or are a serious student of herbal lore and research you need these books. (both volumns I & II)I don't know how many times I have been pulling my hair out, from trying to find a specific herb and what its either used for or what it was used for, only to end up with going to one of the two volumns by Maud Grieve and finding them. Silly me, for not checking with these two books first when I started getting stumped. The research done in the books is extensive, some of the medicinal uses are outdated, or the plants aren't used anymore. For a set of books to last and be reprinted, and still be in print after 50+ years is astounding. Ok its astounding to me, you might not be so astounded, just slightly impressed. Not only do you get the plant descriptions within these books, the plants that are poisonious are marked as such. Virtually everything you might think you need to know about a specific plant is here. Exceptions being the modern research. One great thing I have found though is, once you have located the elusive plant of your desire, it makes it 100% easier to track down its modern uses if there are any. If you don't have these books, regardless of your interest in plants, you should. The price is wonderful, the information fantastic.
I have several shelves of herbal books in my den, and I have to say that none are as complete and informative as this two-book set by Maud Grieve. As a relatively new student to phytotherapy (herbal therapy), I am finding these books to be the reference that I go back to again and again for the most comprehensive information. These books not only describe the medicinal uses, chemical compositions and harvesting techniques of the herbs, but also the useage history and everyday (aka non-medicinal) recipes and useages. It should be noted, however, that these books are from England, and the focus of harvesting locale is often unrelated to my own North American terrain. As well, they are several years old and may not reflect the most up-to-date studies. Nonetheless, I would HIGHLY recommend this set to anyone who has even a cursory interest in the herbal area, as an integral part of your reference library!
A Modern Herbal (Volume 1, A-H): The Medicinal, Culinary, Cosmetic and Economic Properties, Cultivation and Folk-Lore of Herbs, Grasses, Fungi, Shrubs & Trees with Their Modern Scientific Uses Cultivating Edible Fungi: International Symposium on Scientific and Technical Aspects of Cultivating Edible Fungi (Developments in Crop Science) The Beginner's Guide to Medicinal Plants: Everything You Need to Know About the Healing Properties of Plants & Herbs, How to Grow and Harvest Them Fungi: Mushrooms, Toadstools, Molds, Yeasts, and Other Fungi (Class of Their Own (Paperback)) Papermaking with Plants: Creative Recipes and Projects Using Herbs, Flowers, Grasses, and Leaves Medicinal Plants of the Desert and Canyon West: A Guide to Identifying, Preparing, and Using Traditional Medicinal Plants Found in the Deserts and Canyons of the West and Southwest Medicinal Plants of North America: A Field Guide (Falcon Guide Medicinal Plants of North America) Medicinal Plants of the American Southwest (Herbal Medicine of the American Southwest) Herbal Antibiotics Secrets: How to Use Herbal Medicine to Prevent, Treat ,and Heal Illness Naturally Wicca Herbal Magic: A Beginner's Guide to Practicing Wiccan Herbal Magic, with Simple Herb Spells Peterson Field Guide to Medicinal Plants and Herbs of Eastern and Central North America, Third Edition (Peterson Field Guides) Medicinal Mushrooms: An Exploration of Tradition, Healing, & Culture (Herbs and Health Series) Handbook of Medicinal Herbs, Second Edition The Organic Medicinal Herb Farmer: The Ultimate Guide to Producing High-Quality Herbs on a Market Scale Aspects of Philippine Culture: Pre-history of the Philippines; Architecture in the Philippines; Music of the Philippines; Muslim Folk Art in the Philippines; Mountain Folk Art; Folk Festivals of the Philippines; Contemporary Painting of the Philippines Herbal Kitchen, The: 50 Easy-to-Find Herbs and Over 250 Recipes to Bring Lasting Health to You and Your Family The Ultimate Practical Guide to Pruning and Training: How to Prune and Train Trees, Shrubs, Hedges, Topiary, Tree and Soft Fruit, Climbers and Roses A Field Guide to Trees and Shrubs: Northeastern and north-central United States and southeastern and south-centralCanada (Peterson Field Guides) Flower Finder: A Guide to the Identification of Spring Wild Flowers and Flower Families East of the Rockies and North of the Smokies, Exclusive of Trees and Shrubs (Nature Study Guides) The Art of Creative Pruning: Inventive Ideas for Training and Shaping Trees and Shrubs (Hardback) - Common
