Herbs for All Seasons - Softcover

Written for the general reader, both books are guides to the growth and uses of herbs for culinary, medicinal, and cosmetic purposes. Food and gardening writer Freeman provides information on the cultivation, harvesting, and history of herbs in general. However, as in Mary Carse's Herbs of the Earth: A Self-Teaching Guide to Healing Remedies ( LJ 7/89), the major focus is on their uses as cures for a wide range of ailments. This self-help book contains routine material with chapters arranged by symptoms, a format that is sometimes difficult to use. Organized in nine sections according to use and alphabetically by herb, The Random House Book of Herbs , not intended as a self-treatment handbook, contains entries providing in-depth botanical information on the physical appearance, habitat, origin, growth, history, uses, modern scientific research, and directions for preparation. Similar in content to but lacking the logical format of Carol Ann Rizler's The Complete Book of Herbs, Spices, and Condiments: A-Z from Alfalfa to Yeast ( LJ 2/15/90), this well-written book merits attention because of the hundreds of beautiful, colored photographs.
- Marilyn Rosenthal, Nassau Community Coll. Lib., Garden City, N.Y.
Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc.

This comprehensive guide to herbs will intrigue the casual reader and delight the true enthusiast with its wealth of folklore and factual information. Freeman, a food and gardening writer, details the long and venerable history of the medicinal (and magical) use of herbs, p. 14 which many believe originated in ancient Egypt, Sumeria and China. One bit of herbal astrology stated that each part of the body was governed by a different planet, as were the herbs employed to treat ailments in the corresponding body parts. Freeman offers many home remedies along with sensible caveats ("bear in mind . . . that in taking botanicals, one is still dealing with chemicals") p. 44 . She provides a "kitchen cure" for the common cold and the herb feverfew as an antidote to migraine headaches; arthritis, she suggests, can be treated with dandelion and stinging nettle. Freeman even supplies tips for lowering cholesterol and high blood pressure. Included are food recipes where herbs are prominent, and herbal preparations for skin and hair care.
Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc.