Customer Reviews

Edible and Medicinal Plants of the West

5 star:		(15)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I bought this book as a Christmas present for my dad, and he hasn't put it down since he got it. The detailed descriptions of habitat, appearance, and usefulness of each plant are supplemented by great color pictures, as well as instructions for avoiding dangerous look-alikes. I would highly recommend this book for hikers, backpackers, woodsmen, and anyone else that spends a lot of time outdoors.

This book is a good beginning book on edible and medicinal plants of the west. The pictures are excellent and really help in identify species. The only complaint I have with this book is that it is missing some important edible plant sources, and it is also could be more detailed in methods of cooking and eating the plants.

Full color photographs of every plant in the book, along with very complete, if brief, descriptions of characteristics and properties. The book itself is compact and easy to carry with you into the field, which is the ONLY place to truly study the subject matter. Enjoy this gem!

As a first time buyer of a book such as this, I will have to say I am not an expert on this topic. I have done a lot of research though before I bought this book. When I received the book it was better then I expected. The pictures are real photos and thats a BIG help. The information is to the point and without a bunch of "filler" or meaningless rambling. One thing I liked is that it also gives the growing season of all the plants. It also gives several look alike plants to avoid and that are poisonous.

This book has descriptions of edible and medicinal species but scant information about the chemical constituents of medicinal varieties, little or no information on medicinal preparation, and only cursory notes on food use and preparation. It's not practical as an identification manual since it has no keys and organizes all species alphabetically rather than taxonomically. Furthermore, the writing is dull and too often opinionated with little or no support for the author's positions concerning sustainable foraging and the dangers of toxic medicinals. The reader is frequently told "Don't mess with this plant" or admonished not to pick it without being told exactly why or given citations for further reading. If Mushrooms Demystified sets the standard for highly informative, surprisingly entertaining, and down right useful guide books, this book fails to come even remotely close to that standard. That aside, if you plan on seriously learning to identify and ingest wild edibles, you might want this book in your library.

The pictures are great for identifying plants. It gives a good decription for the habitat that the plants live in and also has warnings of look a like plants. This book is a great addition for anyone interested in plants.

I have to give Tilford credit for preparing a great book. Don't let the title of this book fool you into thinking that it will only be useful for the western U.S. or Canada. This book would be a great addition to any forager or herbalist in the U.S. or Canada because at least 50% of the plants found in this book can be found in the east. The pictures are crisp and because of his knowledge of herbal medicine he offers thorough insight on warnings about plants where other authors lack. Has a great introduction and the plants are organized alphabetically by common name...not standard practice but is probably more useful for the amateur botanist. His index provides quick access for those more familiar with scientific names. Two major parts in this book "Edible and Medicinal Plants" and "Toxic Plants and Advanced Medicines". Each plant account has common and scientific names of the plant and its family followed by the defining characters. The bloom period, habitat range, edibility , look-alike plants, medicinal uses and any warnings are also included. The "Toxic Plants and Advanced Medicines" section contains 21 species and is very informative. Contains a brief but useful glossary and his "Bibliography and Recommended Reading" looks like it has some useful books to investigate.

I know little about foraging. The only other plant foraging books I've owned are by Euell Gibbons. Gibbons is a very entertaining author, but his books are not specific to my region, and they contain sketches not photos. Photographs are far superior to sketches. The downside is that the glossy paper required for photos is heavier. For you backpackers, this book is 8.5x5.5 inches and weighs a hefty 15.6 ounces. I weighed it myself. I give the book four stars instead of five because the plants are not categorized but in alphabetical order which makes looking up a plant much more difficult.

This book is essentially a reference by common name for edible and medicinal plants of the west. The conversational writing style and convenient size guarantee this book will go with you.

This book is exactly what I was looking for. It has very clear well taken photographs (not sketches). Clear descriptions of each and every herb. Slightly large for a "field guide" but thats ok as this isnt what that is. Its a perfect reference book. I was not aware of just how many local plants are actually used!! I pull some of these out of my garden or lawn regularly and now I know that I can pull them and then use them. I would and have recommended it to many people.