Encyclopedia of Herbal Medicine (DK Natural Health)

I've bought many copies of this wonderfully readable and easy to understand book, as it is such a beautifully illustrated and comprehensive introduction to Herbal Medicine. When friends and relatives have shown interest in learning more about my field, this book has always been my 1st choice as an introduction for them. Chevallier gives just enough scientific research to back up his claims but sadly does not reference these well, which limits this books usability for students. However, Chevallier is established enough to stand as a reference himself having earned the accolade of "Fellow" of the National Institute of Medical Herbalists, founded in 1864. The comprehensive and detailed illustrations throughout serve as an invaluable aid to recognising and identifying many of the plants which are included, and the section "Herbal Remedies for Home Use" makes the knowledge accessible to everyone who cares to try some simple remedies. Thoroughly recommended and excellent value for money too.

This book is brilliant. I purchased it for my chemical / remedy loving husband and was thrilled with the content and detail contained within the book. If you are interested in herbal medicines or natural cures this book is for you. The photographs and detail are incredible. I can not recommend this book enough.

A high quality and informative encyclopedia, excellent for anyone wishing to understand herbal medicine, whether you just want to grow herbs, or use them this book will help.

a great serious introduction to herbal medicine where you can try home remedies on common ailments

This book is beautifully illustrated. This doesnt distract from the fact that it is also very practical to use. Full of sound advice.I love it and know that it will be in my possesion for a long long time and may eventualy be handed down through the family, who are all interested in herbal medicine.

One of the best books I have purchased. If you want to learn how to make your own meds, or pick me ups, then this is a brilliant book to buy.

Good general book

great!

This book. Oh my gosh, this freaking book. It is beyond worth the money with the wealth of knowledge that's in it. It talks about the different plants used not only as herbal medicine but also as food. It talks about the history and folklore of some. It's super user-friendly, even for someone such as myself who isn't all that knowledgeable about herbs. It is more than just a handy reference because you can just go to the back of the book, and pick an ailment that is listed and it'll refer you to the different herbs and you can see each herb and their warnings. It gives so much detail into the origin of different types of herbal medicine and it even has how to actually make herbal remedies! I mean, it literally tells you ratios on how to make a tincture or decoction (which I literally only thought was a thing on The Witcher series because that's the only place I'd heard of it before) and even goes on about making a poultice and a few other things. Some things listed it doesn't talk about how to make as a remedy but more of how to use them, such as essential oils. It tells how it's made and there are the suggested usages. Some of the mentioning of essential oils are suggested as using neat, as in, without a carrier oil but that's not such a good idea for regular use. If you are going with regular use for essential oils, I suggest a carrier oil. I don't remember where I read it but I saw something that said you could potentially build up a tolerance to a plant by using a neat oil regularly and you could have a sort of allergic reaction. That was literally my only problem with this book. It's absolutely fantastic! Oh, one more thing, it even has a picture and list of what a basic herbalist's first aid kit should be! I love this so much! Amazing book!

I absolutely LOVE this book! I've had it for several years, and have given numerous copies away to friends and family including my own family doctor. My father was the one to first come across it in one of those discount book stores many years ago, and once I saw it I was hooked. It is thourough and well written, and the lay-out is fantastic. It is so easy to read. Some of the reviews have complained about the fact that it is an alphabetical listing of plants/herbs as opposed to ailments/diseases, but this is what makes it great in my opinion. Often a particular plant has several therapeutic benefits, so it is nicer to read about one plant at a time (and less confusing, in my opinion). I disagree that it is difficult to find things, as the index also contains the common names of the plants as well as an index of ailments. Towards the back of the book there are ailment groups such as women's health problems and pregnancy, Cold & Flu, Allergies/hayfever, Digestive ailments/nausea, Respiratory ailments, and more, where you have a bunch of the most useful herbs for each group of ailments listed. It's also a great book to sit down and flip through when you have a minute to read or rest. You can flip it open to a random page and read all about that particular plant. It's all very facinating and useful information. I use this book all the time. Whenever someone complains of pain or discomfort, I look it up in my trusted Herbal Encyclopedia and see if there's anything around the house I can use. Some of the herbs I use more regularily are Camomile for stomach cramping, ground Ginger and Tumeric for nausea or stomach pain, Cardamon for gas, abdominal discomfort or if I need to burp, Rosemary for energy, Lemon juice in warm water for an internal shower of the digestive system.... to mention a few. I also see a naturopath and take quite a few herbal mixes and supplements due to CFS, and being able to come home and look up why I'm taking each and every thing is great, and helps with compliance. I'm actually looking for some new herbal books, as this one of course doesn't contain every possible medicinal plant (thought it comes close), but I haven't found one that comes close to this one. Highly recommend it to anyone. Especially great if you have children as it is a great reference guide when someone isn't feeling well. Why use synthetic drugs when there is an effective yet gentle natural alternative! A total joy to read and always useful! Definitely 5 stars.

Very informative with pictures. Reading the encyclopedia with my family to learn how we can make home remedies for medicine.

I love this book! Nice quality, very thorough and well planned, beautiful illustrations and images.

I use this book regularly to help me to find uses for plants that I have already identified. Some of the more common plants only have one photo and since some plants can be used at different stages in its lifecycle and they look different during the different stages of their lifecycle. For example a dandelion looks different when the flower is in bloom than it does when it is giving off seeds. Ideally you need one book to identify the plants and this book to tell you how to use them. There is also a section of the book with "less commonly used" herbs and plants that most don't even have a photo. Like I said its great if you already know what the plant is either because you planted it yourself you have had it identified to be absolutely certain that you have identified the plant. If you are unsure of the plant you need to refer to another book for the exact identification. Once you have identified the plant then you can use this book to create ointments, tinctures, essential oils, to use for herbal healing. Who knew marigolds had so many medicinal purposes!!