Tom Brown's Guide to Wild Edible and Medicinal Plants (Field Guide) (Paperback)

by Tom Brown (Author) "Many people think that survivalists and herbalists are not unlike a swarm of locusts swooping down on the landscape and devouring everything..." (more)
Key Phrases: trailside nibble, small palmful, milder teas, Stalking Wolf, United States, New Jersey (more...)

Product Details

• Paperback: 256 pages
• Publisher: Berkley Trade (December 15, 1986)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0425100634
• ISBN-13: 978-0425100639
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 6 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars See all reviews (19 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #19,745 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

34 of 34 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars An unusual plant guide, September 7, 2004

By	M. Coppedge (North Carolina) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This book differs greatly from other edible-plant guides. First, it has no pictures of plants: neither drawings, nor illustrations or photographs. If you want to use this guide, you definitely need a second book that shows what the plants look like. Second, it is not about a technical description of plants but about their spiritual value. The author discusses every plant according to its "personality," which is a detailed account of his personal experience with the plant, childhood memories related to the plant, and teachings he got from an Apache elder. We then learn how the plant can be used as food and as medicine. In either case, the author shows clearly how the plant should be harvested, cooked, eaten, stored, prepared and prescribed. He also points to possible dangers if a particular plant can be easily confused with a toxic plant, or when a plant could trigger reactions in allergic people.

Although the spiritual approach may not appeal to everyone, this book is quite informative and in many ways better than the purely descriptive guides. It concentrates on about 45 plants you will find in meadows, fields, and (if you like weeds) in your backyard.

17 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Plant information not found elsewhere, January 17, 2001

By	Doug Kramer "[e-mail]" (Edmonton, Alberta, Canada) - See all my reviews

In this Tom Brown, Jr. Field Guide, the reader is connected to plants in ways not explored in more scientific field guides. Mr. Brown shares stories, feelings and energies connected to various plants. In addition, there are medicinal and edible uses you WILL NOT find in other guides. These uses come from the Native American traditions so thoroughly explored by Grandfather Stalking Wolf and Tom Brown, Jr. himself. If you are a wild plant enthusiast, add this book to your library. If you have read Tom Brown, don't pass this one up.

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great for the info it has, but not an identification and classification book, February 18, 2006

By	Richard A. Hicks (Panama City, FL) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This book is written from the standpoint of someone who needs to use plants either for survival or bush medicine. It is not the best or most accurate filed guide for identifying or classifying plants. I found it best to use this book in conjunction with an Audubon field guide. The Audubon filed guide will give you a picture and a better description of the plant that you are looking for, Tom Brown's book tells you what to do with the plant when you find it.

Tom browns book is the more important part of this equation, what good is knowing what a plant looks like without knowing what it is used for? So, I recommend using a different field guide for finding a certain plant, and then using Tom Brown's guide and practice making the medicinal applications and teas that he has. This book was not designed to take the place of a standard photographic field guide. It is designed to be used first in conjunction with a standard field guide until you know the plant and can identify it, then the illustrations and such are only to jog your memory in the field if you are looking for a certain remedy plant but its been a while since you messed with it.