Description

Quote:A concise natural history and illustrated guide to the world’s most beneficial plants, including new scientific information on their properties; new and old recipes for herbal tonics, wine and cosmetics; and the “doctrine of signatures”  which holds that a plant’s shape signals its use and value to man.Quote:Herbalism is the earliest known medicine, as well as the most natural and instinctive. Even ailing animals search out plants that have healing properties. Today, despite the scorn of orthodoxmedicine, many people are increasingly interested in the ancient, gentle cures as a substitute for synthetic drugs that may work fast but often at the expense of the body’s own defenses and sometimes with undesirable side effects. Besides listing the medicinal uses of common herbs, David Conway, himself a life-long practitioner, explores the astrological associations of certain plants, thesymbolism of flowers, and the doctrine of signatures, which holds that a plant’s shape signals the way the plant should be used. In discussing laboratory experiments that have confirmed the validity of ancient herbal lore, Conway describes the case of the doctor who discovered digitalin upon hearing that a farmer’s wife had successfully treated dropsy with foxglove tea, a centuries-old herbal heart tonic. In all, over a hundred common plants to be found in many parts of the world are illustrated and described, with emphasis on their applicability to specified ailments. Some intriguing tonics and stimulants are included, as well as recipes for herbal wines and cosmetics. This is a book that is valuable not only for its botanical and therapeutic information. Even more important, The Magic ofHerbs makes available a body of knowledge that, since the rise of post-Renaissance medical chemistry, has been largely forgotten, but is today the subject of a sharp revival of interest.*scanned by me kaizokuhimeI actually had intended this for TO since they had other things by this guy, but that ship sailed unfortunately . if they don’t actually have it and someone wants to upload it over there in my stead, feel free just be sure to mention it’s one of my crappy scanning jobs