Plant species are being lost before we recognize their potential as sources of new medicines. This is equally true for the plants close to home. New Jersey (NJ) is extraordinarily rich in plant resources. This vol. describes 500 place species found in NJ & in nearby areas that have been used medicinally. Lists plants by family &, within each family, by genus & species, to underscore the close relationships among medicinally valuable species. Each entry discusses both the natural history & the historical & modern medicinal uses of the plant: scientific & common names, description, habitat, geographic range, & preparations & applications in Native Amer., European, African, & Asian herbal traditions. Most species are illus. with line drawings. Glossary.
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Editorial Reviews
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"Dr. Still, a descendent of a prominent New Jersey herbalist, has compiled a comprehensive, very usable, and accurate source book-a must for anyone interested in the medicinal plants of northeastern North America. This is a labor of love by a professional plant scientist, who collects medicinal plants, grows them in his own garden, prepares them for use, and teaches a popular course on the subject." -- Eugene H. Varney, Rutgers University
From the Back Cover
Scientists have warned that the destruction of the world's rain forests may mean that plant species are being lost before we recognize their potential as sources of new medicines. This is equally true for the plants much closer to home. New Jersey, while heavily industrialized and densely populated, is extraordinarily rich in plant resources. Botany and Healing: Medicinal Plants of New Jersey and the Region describes nearly five hundred species of plants found in the Garden State and in nearby areas that have been used medicinally.
Cecil Still lists plants by family and, within each family, by genus and species, to underscore the close relationships among medicinally valuable species. This arrangement is familiar to every botanist and easy for the natural history and the historical and modern medicinal uses of the plant: scientific and common names, description, habitat, geographic range, and preparations and applications in Native American, European, African, and Asian herbal traditions. Most species are illustrated with Still's line drawings. The book also contains a helpful index (with cross-references by usage, common or scientific name), a glossary of terms, and a list of resources for further reading.
Botany and Healing explains the history and present status of the uses of herbal medicines, explains what makes a plant medicinal (or poisonous), how herbal medicines are prepared for use, and why they should be used only with great caution.
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4.0 out of 5 stars
Interesting reference but not for practical use,
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This review is from: Botany and Healing: Medicinal Plants of New Jersey and the Region (Paperback)
Cecil Still's compilation of 112 medicinal plants that can be found in New Jersey is an interesting identifier with a historical look at these plants. While no specific information is provided on growing or preparing these individual plants, Still does provide botanical descriptions, illustrations and common names for identification purposes. Most interesting are the short historical sketches of how these plants cured, soothed, or intoxicated. The majority of historical information is based on Amerindian uses but, when appropriate, Chinese medicine is also discussed. The introduction and section titled Medicinal Plants and their Preparation provides basic and mostly historical information on how to prepare plants for medicinal use but is in no way a guide and, in fact, Still provides many cautionary warnings both in the introduction as well as within plant descriptions, particularly when the plant has been determined to be poisonous or deadly upon consumption. Botany and Healing is an interesting reference guide worth a look but it will not provide much practical knowledge for the herb or medicinal plant gardener.
4.0 out of 5 stars
An Excellent Book,
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This review is from: Botany and Healing: Medicinal Plants of New Jersey and the Region (Paperback)
I live in Indian Mills, a small town in the New Jersey Pine Barrens -- not far from where James Still was born. I really enjoyed reading this book. Anyone interested in herbal medicine who lives in Northeast U.S. should buy a copy and keep it for reference.
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