Customer Reviews

The Book of Magical Herbs: Herbal History, Mystery, & Folklore

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This IS a magical, beautiful book in every way! It is a delight to the eyes with its lush, haunting photographs of herbs and clever drawings that enhance the text. And what a wealth of intriguing information is found between its violet covers! Its pages are filled with the interesting histories of herbs, the mythology, folklore, old wives tales and symbolism associated with them. There are recipes for magic and protective charms, as well as for more usual culinary and medicinal uses. Even the dust cover is magical. Enhanced by a beautiful photograph of borage on the front and chive blossoms on the back, its paper has a buttery soft, wonderfully tactile feeling. The only way this volume could be improved is if by some magic the aroma of the herbs could waft from its pages as they are turned

This IS a magical, beautiful book in every way! It is a delight to the eyes with its lush, haunting photographs of herbs and clever drawings that enhance the text. And what a wealth of intriguing information is found between its violet covers! Its pages are filled with the interesting histories, the mythology, folklore, old wives tales and symbolism associated with them. There are recipes for magic and protective charms, as well as for more usual culinary and medicinal uses. Even the dust cover is magical. Enhanced by a beautiful photograph of borage on the front and chive blossoms on the back, its paper has a buttery soft, wonderfully tactile feeling. The only way this volume could be improved is if by some magic the aroma of the herbs could waft from its pages as they are turned.

This was my very first herb book ,I got it as a birthday present when I was fourteen, and I still use it even after all these years. The book contains information about various (mostly European) beliefs and lore about common herbs found most herb gardens.
There are also various uses and recipes on each herb. For example with Yarrow: one would hang a bunch over a newborn baby to keep witches and bad fairies away. There is also a recipe for a yarrow "cold cure" brew.
The book in my opinion does however have a somewhat of a Christian tilt to it ~ which I actually prefer to say a wiccan tilted one, as I find those overly European with nothing for me to relate to. This book, with it's Christian and pre-Chirstian histories and uses, I feel closer match my own syncretized traditions, but that's just my opinion.
All-in-All this is an excellent light resource on herbal lore,and a great coffee table book. 5 stars

Herbs are magical & you can learn so many things about herbs in this wonderful book. It can be read like a novel, the photos are beautiful, there are lots of graphics, poetry, quotes, recipes & so much more! Its small size makes it easy to access. This is a great gift for everybody!

While by no means a complete guide to herbs and their magickal properties, this book gives scads of information on over 25 hers that you'll most likely recognize by name. Broken into categories such as "Sacred Protection", "Love and "Death" and "Healing and Comfort" under each herb, there are reecipes and ideas for how to use each herb for the designated purpose.

I really enjoyed reading this, and it's absolutely beautiful. If you're looking for comprehensive information, however, another book might be a better choice.