Customer Reviews

The Honest Herbal

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From the evidence presented in this book, Varro Tyler is the Eeyore (or Jiminy Cricket?) of modern herbalists. His reviews of herbs range from lukewarm to scathing. For example, echinacea squeaks by regarded only as "a plant drug that is deserving of continued attention by scientists and clinicians." Chickweed, on the other hand, receives such a bad review that you wonder if Tyler himself was ever personally injured by it. (In his review, he calls it a "weed," a four-letter word to most herbalists.) Generally, his writing is clinical and unsanguine. To his credit, he does present evidence that separates effective herbs from lesser ones, and most importantly, from dangerous ones. By his own admittance, he errs on the side of safety and conservatism -- too much. Equipped only with Tyler's book, a beginning herbalist would consider the healing power of plants with a skepticism and dependence on clinical data far too austere for the realm of herbalism. This is not the place to start such study, but it is a good adjunct and a devil's advocate for the naive and wide-eyed experienced herbalist.

The book is well written, easy to read, and it identifies what has been learned through repeatable scientific means about many herbal substances. In each case the active ingredients are identified, how they work within the body, and what they can be expected to do or not do. Suggestions about dosages are also given, as well as warnings when the substances have been shown to have negative side effects. He presents no axe to grind, does not attack anyone, but only presents the results of medical research into herbs in a clearly accessible format. The book has plenty of references for additional reading, and I found it to be excellent.

This is the most dishonest books on herbs I have ever seen, and I don't believe I will ever see anything to top it - unless Tyler exerts himself again, that is. He writes things like 'Self-treatment with hawthorn is neither advocated nor condoned', when hawthorn is one of the most benign plants there is; another of the truly unlikely statements is 'Unfortunately, ginseng remains a medical enigma with no proven efficacy for humans.' - this from a professor of pharmacognosy, the study of plant constituents? Tyler must not have thought a lot when he wrote this book, and he must have used his head even less when he proofread it. No, truly, leave this book where it belongs - on the shelf of the publisher's warehouse. Go buy a good book about herbs instead - you'll find there's a lot of them, but Tyler's aren't it.

So much bullshit about the use and effectiveness of herbal remedies exists that it's wonder how any sane person can use herbs as self-medication. This is probably the only book that offers a researched summary on the scientific studies into herbs and their effects. Well referenced, easy to read (even to a layman like myself) and debunks so many myths that most herb fans will be surprised. If you buy this, be sure to get the updated 1995