wealth of information...but a little too hippie-dippy for me
This book seems to be "the authority" on this topic, however, I would NOT have bought it had I known that...
1) ...the hippie-dippy thing was so prevelant. Ok. So anyone who is looking for a book about making their own herbal preparations is a bit of a hippie anyway, but the new-agey spiritual practices and views promoted compromise the integrity of the book. Because I don't really plan on communicating with the plants I harvest, as the book recommends. It felt as much a spiritual textbook as herbal preparation texbook. I have several "herbaly" books, but this leans a little more "fruitcake" than the rest. Knowledgeable and experienced fruitcake, but fruitcake nonetheless.
2) ...the amount of information was much more than I, a hobbyist, could possibly ever use. For those pursuing herbal medicine more seriously, the abundance of specific information is fantastic. I typically enjoy "too much information", but this was one time I found the info and amount of detail difficult to wade through. And the design/layout didn't help. Do not consider this book as a "simple overview" on the subject.
3) ...the book had no specific information on several of the herbs I had wanted to use. There are 35 most commonly used herbs that are featured for preparation and use. The simplification is largely appreciated...unless the herbs you want to use are not on the list. That said, the list of 35 did contain the majority of herbs I had wanted to prepare.
So yes, this book has (almost) all the information you'd want on preparing your own herbal medicines, which would normally have earned it five stars. But the flaws I mentioned reduce its value significantly, and for that I do not plan to keep it in my collection.
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