Encyclopedia of Herbs and Their Uses

by Deni Brown

This encyclopedia of herbs describes over 1,000 herbs, found both in the wild and in cultivation, accompained by the author's own photographs. As well as comprehensive advice on the cultivation and harvesting of herbs, the encyclopedia also gives an account of their various uses in cookery and medicine.

Genres: Gardening, Nonfiction, Reference, Herbs, Plants, Health, Medicine

424 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1995

Reviews

[Justin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Quite exhaustive, but not as well organized as other books. Personally I like my herbals to have an actions section and a constituents section. This book has only the former and its written in paragraph form rather than just listing action names.

This is a good herbal to get if you can afford only one, but I'd rather have a few easier to grok books that are less exhaustive.

[Ruric Amhari · Rating 4 out of 5]

Gorgeously illustrated and informative encyclopedia. Split into 6 mains sections.

1. History & current: history of herbs, list of major herbals, plant classifications & restrictions.
2. Designing a herb garden: number of designs and plantinmg lists illustrated with colour sketches.
3. Using herbs: culinary, medicinal and cosmetic uses
4. Herbs in the wild: info on herbs used in different countries around the world
5. Herb catalogue: first part is A-Z illustrated with colour photos and key to parts of plant used, uses, hardines. Second part text only and expands on info given in keys under photos.
6. Cultivating herbs: how to choose, grow, propagate and harvest.

[Matriarchy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I got this a few days ago in a Goodwill bin for 25 cents. The more I look at it, the happier I am to have found it. I like the balance of photos and text. I like the orientation to gardening, since that is my focus, more than herbal medicine.

[Christina]

Weeding my gardening books. This is a big, heavy book, listing over 1000 plants with color photos of each. There's also general information on designing an herb garden, and the history and usage of herbs. I bought it as a gardening reference, but the listings don't include information on cultivation (sun, when to plant, soil type, etc.)

Still, this seems a useful reference and is beautifully designed.

Verdict: Keep.

[Jeffrey · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked this encyclopedia, it was different than the other Herb Encyclopedia I have and provided more information on each herb. It doesn't have large photos or drawings, those are rather small, but the information is abundant. It helped with my project, though, and I found out what I needed, so it was quite useful.

[M. Blakelylaw · Rating 5 out of 5]

I inherited this book from my aunt, the inveterate gardener. Not only is it a lovely coffee-table type book, it is also contains a wealth of knowledge for the kitchen and medicine cabinet.

[Cherie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Wish this had more photos; lots of different info, a real encyclopedia for sure. Can't be your only herb book, but it's a pretty big one.

[Cassidy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really informative. Great reference book to keep around the house.

[Tina · Rating 5 out of 5]

A brilliant reference book.

[Steve Clark]

Edition: 1st edition