Your Herb Shop

Product Description

Practised for centuries in civilizations around the world, this book on herbal medicine aims to show readers about the healing properties of herbs. It contains an illustrated A-Z profiling over 120 medicinal herbs and their traditional uses. A home remedies section explains how to make and administer herbal remedies for a wide range of disorders, from colds to stomach ulcers and contains ideas for a herbal first aid kit.

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Product Details

Publisher	Dorling Kindersley Publishers Ltd
ISBN	075130025X
Number Of Pages	192
Format	Hardcover
Author	Penelope Ody
EAN	9780751300253
Label	Dorling Kindersley Publishers Ltd
Edition	First Edition
Studio	Dorling Kindersley Publishers Ltd
Title	Complete Medicinal Herbal (Natural care)
Publication Date	1993-04-15
Manufacturer	Dorling Kindersley Publishers Ltd

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Customer Reviews

Fantastic for the beginner

Review by Anke Bialas, 2010-03-19

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Note: My review is based on the Australian version of this book. "The Complete Guide Medicinal Herbal By Penelope Ody - An A-Z of over 120 medicinal herbs for all Australians."
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This is my favourite beginner's book. Not because it is basic, as it is not but because of its easy page -per-herb layout. Although there is terminology that may yet be foreign to the beginner the wording used throughout this publication is easy to follow and very personable.

Leading with an historic introduction Penelopy Ody gives the reader some background into the origins of herbal medicine. Each herb is discussed in terms of its historical background, parts used and applications. There are full-colour photographs to help the reader identify various parts of each plant. This book does not contain some of the herbs you might find in Mrs Grieve's A Modern Herbal but it is a more than adequate source of information particularly for the home user. Unlike some other herbals, Ms Ody includes small sections dedicated to the lesser known herbal lore of Ayurvedic Herbs out of India, Australian bush herbs, South American rainforest remedies and even some types of funghi .

Approximately two thirds of the book is herb lore, the remaining third shows the reader what to do with this newly acquired knowledge. Using easy to follow photographs the author takes the reader from harvesting and drying to the techniques involved in making the various remedies. There are basic formulas which can be adapted to many recipes. Charmingly, although the quantities given are standardised, the measurements are provided in metric as well as kitchen utensil equivalent. For example, 62.5mls is given to equal 1 sherry glass whereas 150mls is the same as one tea cup. The section on home remedies goes into the nitty gritty of treating common ailments, suggesting combinations of herbs appropriate for each condition and cautioning the use of some herbs in certain situations.

It is fabulous to see a herbal that addresses some issues unique to Australia, includes some of our native bush remedies, is written in non US English and most importantly it contains a comprehensive list of Australian and New Zealand address list of organisations and practitioners.

Now the bad news, I have looked high and low to find copies of this book. There are some used copies available on Amazon but I can't find new ones. They may be out there, but even the publishers' website does not feature it in their search engine. Before you howl with disappointment though, there are other versions of the same book. I ended up buying the American version which is almost identical. I have noticed a few exclusions in the herb department, such as Khella and Galangal but then the use of Khella is restricted in Australia anyway. There are over 130 herbs in this version probably based on the use of Native American remedies in the US. Of course there are not the lists of Australian/NZ contacts that I mentioned.

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Household Necessity

Review by K. F. Rafferty, 2009-10-01

I bought my first copy of this book several years ago and went to Amazon.com when I needed another one. By golly they didn't let me down, but then when have they ever? Never that's when.
I needed it for a wedding gift. The bride was thrilled. She had looked at my copy several times and loved it, so I could think of no better gift for her, since she would be moving to the other side of the country.
Every household should have a copy of this. It give simple, easy, possible remedies to try before you go looking for complicated drugs. At a time when more and more people are turning to "holistic medicine" this is a good place for the medically uneducated to start. Many friends have benefited from the wise lessons on its' pages. Try it, you'll love it.

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the complete medicinal herbal

Review by Jorge L. Poupart, 2009-07-11

for me it was just what i needed as a beginner,
lots of color pictures uses of plants leaves and much more.........

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Indispensable for the armchair herbalist

Review by L. Jonte, 2008-02-10

Indispensable for the armchair herbalist

I just bought my second copy of The Complete Medicinal Herbal (my first was lost) and am so happy to have it back again!

Ms. Ody certainly knows her herb uses and she shares that knowledge in a straightforward, understandable manner. The images are plentiful and make plant identification easy. Luckily, while this book is currently out of print, it can often be found used, for an affordable price.

Be you an armchair herbalist, a writer in need of common sense reference or just curious, this book is well worth the having.

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Complete Medicinal Herbal a complete guide to the healing properties of herbs

Review by Black Star, 2007-02-16

I use this book often. The illustrations are great and clarifies
which parts of the herb to use. The instuctions covering how to prepare assorted concoctions is essential.

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