Native American Ethnobotany

by Daniel E. Moerman

An extraordinary compilation of the plants used by North American native peoples for medicine, food, fiber, dye, and a host of other things. Anthropologist Daniel E. Moerman has devoted 25 years to the task of gathering together the accumulated ethnobotanical knowledge on more than 4000 plants. More than 44,000 uses for these plants by various tribes are documented here. This is undoubtedly the most massive ethnobotanical survey ever undertaken, preserving an enormous store of information for the future.

Genres: Nature, Nonfiction, Plants, Anthropology, Native American, Science, History

927 pages, Hardcover

First published August 1, 1998

Reviews

[Audrey · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have yet to go through the entire thing, but I have been using it to look up things like uses of different pine trees, what parts were used etc. This book is so thorough. I just love it. It doesn't have any images, but it doesn't need any. You have the latin names right there so you can look up your plant somewhere else before coming to this book. There are online databases a plenty for this purpose. I know I will use this book all the time. I don't know how I have lived without it until now.
For anyone who is seriously interested in ethnobotany, this book would be at the top of my list for recommendations, along with a few others for identification and some with more native uses and recipes.

MY favorites are:
For ID: Edible Wild plants: A North American Field guide to over 200 Natural foods.
Also, I use Plants.usda.gov, Foraging Texas (I live in Oklahoma), and the university of Michigan has a good one as well- http://herb.umd.umich.edu

Native uses and recipes: Native Harvests, Wild plants of the Prairie, and for recipes mainly Billy Joe Tatum's wild foods cookbook and field
guide.

Mushrooms: Mushrooms demystified.

Oklahoma specific for ID only: Field guide to Oklahoma plants and Forest trees of Oklahoma

Keep in mind, some of these are specific to the mid-west.

[Dolores Pompa · Rating 5 out of 5]

The best and largest of its kind. The only other reference is an online database. I recognize many of these home remedies in own own tribal culture. Highly recommend researching this in place of synethetic medications.

[Deborah Martin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderfully researched and nicely indexed. It's on my 'permanent reference' shelf.

[Susie Westerman-dunn · Rating 5 out of 5]

This , I would venture to say is one of the most important reference books anyone can have for studying wild edible and medicinal plants. The most informative book I know of.

[Matthew Thyer · Rating 4 out of 5]

So far a favorite ethnobotany. Comparatively extensive-comprehensive information about many of the plants I'm most interested in, but lacking drawing or images which makes identification from this tome somewhat more difficult.

Also, its so large that it would be ridiculous to take on the trail with you. But if you need information about the how or why of a plant in Colorado or the Rocky Mountain region this is the book for you.

[Christin Smith · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an incredible compilation of information on how various American Indian tribes used the native plants for food, medicine and other purposes. It has indices that allow you to search by plant name, tribe, and use of the plant.

[Jason Courtney · Rating 5 out of 5]

A hardcover database of ethnobotanical uses of North American plants. Incredible.

[Asit]

Will read before trip to india this summer.

[Christopher Packard · Rating 5 out of 5]

Easily the best book on the subject. It's based off a database of other sources so it lacks detail, however, what it lacks in detail it makes up for in thoroughness.

[Beth · Rating 5 out of 5]

Nice reference book.

[Aaron · Rating 5 out of 5]

As a Medicine Man in training, this book has been absolutely invaluable to my growth in learning about plants and there uses. It's a positively great reference book.

[Red · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really it's just a list of medicinal plants and what tribes/groups used them. Still, it's an amazing compilation of work

[Amanda · Rating 5 out of 5]

I haven't finished this book yet but it is very detailed and gives thousands of uses for hundreds of plants organized in different ways throughout the book.

[Nikola · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's the encyclopedia of ethnobotanical uses and is an absolute must have reference for anyone truly interested in the edible, medicinal, and utilitarian applications of plants