A Modern Herbal: The Medicinal, Culinary, Cosmetic, and Economic Properties, Cultivation, and Folklore of Herbs, Grasses, Fungi, Shrubs, and Trees with All Their Modern Scientific Uses

Could not read this book as it reeked of cat urine. Very disappointed in this book being able to be sold.

I was tickled to be able to find a hardback copy of this comprehensive collection of information on medicinal, culinary, cosmetic and economic herbs. It describes their properties, how to cultivate and even the folklore of each one and their modern uses. Originally this book was printed in two parts. I'm glad I found a copy with both in one. I have used this book many times for my own herbal preparations. This is not a book for a pleasure read but it is an excellent one for research for homeopathic cures. I feel that the price was worth it for this herbal. I'm glad I have it in my healer's library.

I've found tons of historical information and folklore in this book, that I've not come across in any other ethnobotanical resources. It's also nice to have some concrete usage instructions (dosages, preparations, etc) for many of the plants in the book -- this info is hard to come by. It's fun to read and packed with useful info. Great book to have in your library ...

I knew M. Grieve was going to be top-notch, but when I dazzeled my herb teacher with my materia medicas I was even more impressed! Excellent, excellent descriptions, information, history, etc. It's all here!

The name sounds good. You are looking for today's information on herbs. After all, only the latest and greatest will do. And, here it is on Mountain Valley Growers recommended book site. What could be better? Not much! But, this is not a book hot off the presses. This two volume encyclopedia goes back 60 years, when two women put their individual skills together to create a work that should be on every herb gardeners shelf. The writer Maud Grieve and her faithful editor Hilda Leyel created a work that has not been duplicated since. We use this book at least once a week here. Each plants many common names are listed as well as the part used and its habitat. They give us a growth description, talk about the chemical components of each herb and advise us on the medicinal action of these components and how they are used. If other species of the same genus are used that is included. Every time I pick these books up I learn something new and I have been reading and studying herbs for 20 years. Two of my favorite sections are on lavender and hops. See for yourself why.

If you just have a love of herbs and plants or are a serious student of herbal lore and research you need these books. (both volumns I & II) I don't know how many times I have been pulling my hair out, from trying to find a specific herb and what its either used for or what it was used for, only to end up with going to one of the two volumns by Maud Grieve and finding them. Silly me, for not checking with these two books first when I started getting stumped. The research done in the books is extensive, some of the medicinal uses are outdated, or the plants aren't used anymore. For a set of books to last and be reprinted, and still be in print after 50+ years is astounding. Ok its astounding to me, you might not be so astounded, just slightly impressed. Not only do you get the plant descriptions within these books, the plants that are poisonious are marked as such. Virtually everything you might think you need to know about a specific plant is here. Exceptions being the modern research. One great thing I have found though is, once you have located the elusive plant of your desire, it makes it 100% easier to track down its modern uses if there are any. If you don't have these books, regardless of your interest in plants, you should. The price is wonderful, the information fantastic.