The Essential Herbs Handbook is no larger than an adult hand, a handbook in the truest sense of the word.
The Essential Herbs Handbook : More than 100 herbs for well-being, healing, and happiness / by Leslie Bremness. London: Duncan Baird Publishers, 2009. ISBN 978-84483-801-17. 289 p., illustrations in color; Glossary, Bibliography, Index.
The Essential Herbs Handbook by Leslie Bremness is a valuable edition to your knowledge of herbs, reporting on the variety and superiority of herbs for health and well-being, rather than proposing medicinal substances in cases of illness and poor health. Its message is simple and clear, its pages offer practical guidance on herbal usage, internally, externally and beyond–to advice on planting, even household cleaning and air freshening. Consulting this book may change your lifestyle, especially with respect to eating and drinking habits. The Essential Herbs Handbook follows the format of most herbal handbooks, delineating the “World of Herbs” (Part One) and giving herbal use history, both worldwide and in the Western tradition, with methods of preparation in such formulations as essential oils and flower essences, oils and vinegars. Advice on planting design, propagation, harvesting and drying give a sense of the requirements involved in growing and preparing these natural substances relied on by humans for food, perfumes and medicines for many thousands of years.
“Part Two: A Guide to Herbs” is devoted to categories of herbal action. Bremness offers nine sections grouped according to the herbs’ most prized benefits. The sections are: “Invigorators and stimulants”, “Brain tonics”, “Immune enhancers”, “Protective herbs”, “Body tonics”, “Cleansing herbs”, “Relaxing herbs”, “Romantic Aphrodisiacs” and herbs for “Lifting the Spirit”. Each section is preceded by a discussion of the herbs’ expected actions, citing representative herbs and the rationale for their inclusion. Note that in looking at the herb selections, patterns are seen. For example Yarrow, Hyssop, Lovage, Parsley and Dandelion all yield a Cleansing action through their leaves. While Cayenne, Cinnamon, Lemon, Orange, Peppermint, and Ginger, all taken daily as spice or flavor additives in food, represent Invigorating and Stimulant actions in the body. It is interesting that brain tonics, immune enhancers, protective herbs and body tonics comprise almost half of the 105 herbs featured here. Each herb’s monograph consists of a two page-spread, including a crisply focused color photograph of the part of the plant used. For example, Milk Thistle is shown by its flowering head, as the major parts used are the seeds, sometimes the leaves. Author Bremness includes medicinal herbs from Asia, Africa, Australia, North and South America, and Europe in those categories, giving Readers a wide range of herbs to choose.
Formatted clearly and concisely, each herbal entry gives eight aspects of the medicinal herb. These are a paragraph introducing the herb, and the following sections: Growing and harvesting, the Plant Type (followed by its physical description, Native Habitat and Parts used), Lore and traditional uses, Enhancing the mind and spirit, Caring for your body, Core benefits, and Preparations. Each section allocates clear instructions for reaping the benefits of these herbs; and with the introductory paragraph, a bit of biology or chemistry as it relates to the herb’s properties, and notes from Lore and traditional uses, the text delivers a layer of information that’s ethnobotanical in nature. Precautions are given as avoidance instructions at the end of introductory paragraphs.
A Reader’s objective here is to distinguish among herbal medicines by choosing a specific category of herbs. Making the right choice is essential. And the requirement for a particular herbal action, such as a brain versus a body-tonic, an immune-enhancer versus a cleansing herb, calls for the expert discernment of an herbalist. However by choosing a brain tonic instead of a relaxant, the user may still benefit from its appropriate use. In this book, an array of herbs is accessible to the earnest. Perhaps the goal is to try the herbs and to realize value in selecting herbs over single supplements or substances. By consulting the Index, the Reader can approach this handbook with a given complaint, alphabetically: both bodily conditions are listed as well as herbal common names. In the Glossary, the Reader will find terms describing gardening, a few herbal actions, the word “climate”, etc., all on two pages. Bremness’ Bibliography reflects a choice of sources expected for world traditions in herbal medicine. Her selections include works by Andrew Chevalier, Ted Kaptchuk, Bremness’s formerly published herbals, and those on Ayurvedic and Chinese indigenous medicines.
A Reader may find the Glossary weak, due to its incompleteness on any one sub-topic of the book. Yet Bremness’s compilation of factual evidence of medicinal and botanical qualities is inspiring, even if it becomes obvious that finer distinctions may be necessary. For more depth on the herbs, their usage, dosage and precautions, consult one of the sources in the Bibliography, or compare with other works on tonics previously given in this blog.
Finally, The Essential Herbs Handbook : More than 100 herbs for well-being, healing, and happiness / by Leslie Bremness represents a new trend in herbals. It defines well-being as avoidance of disease. It states that by consuming the healing substances in herbs, humans can protect themselves against compromises in health and being well. Its purpose is preventative, and to increase consciousness regarding the benefits of long neglected food or nutritive value in herbs.
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