Herbs, Partners in Life: A Guide to Cooking, Gardening, and Healing with Wild and Cultivated Plants

Adele Dawson's "Herbs: Partners in Life" is a great garden companion. There is much detail on the art of gardening, cooking, and healing with wild plants. It serves itself up as a great read and a source for quick information. I liked Dawson's voice. She conveyed much reverence--not only for the plants, but for the reader as well. I enjoyed the well-placed historical anecdotes, and came away feeling enriched. One of my favorite stories centers around the 17th century pastor, Cotton Mather. During his time, if a woman was caught dabbling with herbs, she was accused of witchcraft and often hung or burned at the stake. However, Pastor Mather praised the 'gentlewoman' that kept a closet of 'harmless' herbs. He, himself, encouraged his congregation to chew on the 'Bible leaf' herb, costmary, because it had a stimulant effect and was often the only thing that would keep his listeners awake through his lengthy, and dare I say boring, sermons. "Herbs: Partners in Life" brims with beautiful and detailed illustrations of each herb and flowering plant. Dawson also provides natural remedies for a spectrum of ailments from high blood pressure to bronchitis, with simple instructions and the occasional song or blessing. Make "Herbs: Partners in Life" your partner in the garden, and start using wild plants to enhance your quality of life. [..]

This book is a classic and referenced in many other great herbal books. Here is the Table of Contents:Why Should We Use Herbs?Identification of HerbsWhere to Get HerbsWhat Shall We Do With These Herbs?Herbalists Mentioned in Part IISalute SpringSummer: Gourmet GardeningAutumn: Battening DownWinter: Season of TisanesArmchair HerbalistThe History of HerbsHoney and VinegarAppendix: Alphabetical List of HerbsAppendix: The Language of HerbalistsAppendix: List of Vitamins and Their EffectsAppendix: Sources of Herb Seed and PlantsBibliographyIt is nice how she breaks up the book into seasons. Her writing style is friendly and wise. You feel like you are sitting in her kitchen and she is transfering much of her knowledge. Very enjoyable.