Finalist for 2009 The Council on Botanical & Horticultural Libraries Literature Award!A Comprehensive Guide Addressing Safety, Efficacy, and Suitability About a quarter of all the medicines we use come from rainforest plants and more than 1,400 varieties of tropical plants are being investigated as potential cures for cancer. Curare comes from

Still considered the definitive work on medicinal herbs and their uses after two decades, the Handbook of Medicinal Herbs has undergone a long-anticipated revision. In the second edition, world-renowned ethnobotanist James A. Duke provides up-to-date data on over 800 of the world's most important medicinal plant species. The book contains mo

At a time when interest in herbs and natural medicine has never been higher, the second edition of this essential guide shows how to identify more than 500 healing plants. 300+ color photos.

Provides information on the characteristics, common names, geographic distribution, and medical uses of a wide range of wild plants

The Amazonian Ethnobotanical Dictionary presents an exciting new rainforest book, designed and conceived in the rainforest and dedicated to its preservation.The book contains concise accounts of the various uses to which prominent Amazonian plants are put by the local rainforest inhabitants. Although emphasis is placed on plant foods and forest medicines, there is also commentary on other relevant applications, including natural artifacts, house construction, natural pesticides, and ornamental and fodder plants. More than 1,000 species are covered and over 200 illustrated. An index to Spanish and English names leads to the scientific name, and the index to plants provides its medicinal application. There are even suggestions on how to eat palm grubs and how to make an Amazonian salad dressing. All royalties from the book are donated to the Amazonian Center for Environmental Education and Research (ACEER) in order to continue its preservation of one of the world's most diverse forests.

This exquisitely detailed, full-color field guide provides the identification details and practical information needed to find and properly use many of the medicinal plants and wild plant foods that provide chemicals necessary for optimum health and disease prevention. The book takes the user from simple and familiar plants to ones that are less common and more difficult to identify. Each of the 122 plant entries includes a color photograph, plant description, and location. Plants are grouped according to how common or rare they are, as well as to where they are found: prairies, woodlands, mountains, deserts, and wetlands. Relevant facts about each plant include toxicity, historical uses, modern uses, as well as wildlife/veterinary uses. Additional information featured in this extraordinary field guide: explanations of how each plant affects the human body; cultural and ethnic uses of medicinal herbs and cooking spices; other creatures who consume the plants; a list of most recommended garden herbs; web site resources, and much more.

'The Rough Guide to Peru' is a comprehensive handbook for the independent traveller that provides entertaining coverage of all the sights, detailed listings of the best places to stay and eat, and practical advice for outdoor pursuits.