The Complete Medicinal Herbal: A Practical Guide to the Healing Properties of Herbs, with More Than 250 Remedies for Common Ailments

** Note: My review is based on the Australian version of this book. "The Complete Guide Medicinal Herbal By Penelope Ody - An A-Z of over 120 medicinal herbs for all Australians." *** This is my favourite beginner's book. Not because it is basic, as it is not but because of its easy page -per-herb layout. Although there is terminology that may yet be foreign to the beginner the wording used throughout this publication is easy to follow and very personable. Leading with an historic introduction Penelopy Ody gives the reader some background into the origins of herbal medicine. Each herb is discussed in terms of its historical background, parts used and applications. There are full-colour photographs to help the reader identify various parts of each plant. This book does not contain some of the herbs you might find in Mrs Grieve's A Modern Herbal but it is a more than adequate source of information particularly for the home user. Unlike some other herbals, Ms Ody includes small sections dedicated to the lesser known herbal lore of Ayurvedic Herbs out of India, Australian bush herbs, South American rainforest remedies and even some types of funghi . Approximately two thirds of the book is herb lore, the remaining third shows the reader what to do with this newly acquired knowledge. Using easy to follow photographs the author takes the reader from harvesting and drying to the techniques involved in making the various remedies. There are basic formulas which can be adapted to many recipes. Charmingly, although the quantities given are standardised, the measurements are provided in metric as well as kitchen utensil equivalent. For example, 62.5mls is given to equal 1 sherry glass whereas 150mls is the same as one tea cup. The section on home remedies goes into the nitty gritty of treating common ailments, suggesting combinations of herbs appropriate for each condition and cautioning the use of some herbs in certain situations. It is fabulous to see a herbal that addresses some issues unique to Australia, includes some of our native bush remedies, is written in non US English and most importantly it contains a comprehensive list of Australian and New Zealand address list of organisations and practitioners. Now the bad news, I have looked high and low to find copies of this book. There are some used copies available on Amazon but I can't find new ones. They may be out there, but even the publishers' website does not feature it in their search engine. Before you howl with disappointment though, there are other versions of the same book. I ended up buying the American version which is almost identical. I have noticed a few exclusions in the herb department, such as Khella and Galangal but then the use of Khella is restricted in Australia anyway. There are over 130 herbs in this version probably based on the use of Native American remedies in the US. Of course there are not the lists of Australian/NZ contacts that I mentioned.

Great information and very large clear pictures.

Oh I was so excited to get this! I had heard so much about The Complete Medicinal Herbal by Penelope Ody that I had to order it for myself. This amazing book is a library in itself! Filled with beautiful color photographs of all the herbal plants and their parts so you can easily identify plants;along with the uses of each part of the plant;how to make tonics;the history of herbal medicines;making essential oils;making poultices,creams and so much more! You'll find more than 250 remedies for common ailments;and how to make a herbal first aid kit! This really is the bible of herbal medicine! Once thought to be considered a sign of those who practiced witchcraft,more and more of those in the professional field of healing are turning back to once again using medicinal herbs. A skill highly regarded in the Eastern cultures,medicinal herbs have continued to grow in popularity since the 1960's here in the US. I don't think you'll find anyone more knowledgeable in herbal medicines than Penelope Ody who has studied in China and England and practices as a professional medical herbalist in England and writes for several publications on the subject. I highly recommend this book for your home library or preparedness library. It's a necessity for all of us who desire to be prepared for any emergency. Learn to identify the best plants and which plants to grow in your garden to have on hand for your family's specific needs. This is a treasure!

Great illustrations/pics! Lots of detailed info. Due to this book being 30ish years old, there is just some outdated info such as calling for ingredients like Petroleum jelly or paraffin wax in salves and ointments recipes, which we now know is not a great option for health. Beeswax, coconut oils, etc, are much better options. Other than this, the knowledge in this book is awesome and easy to find what you’re looking for. I would recommend. As a side note, I originally bought a book from Amazon under this same title and author, thinking they just updated the cover during a reprint. That was not the case. The inside pages were NOTHING like the original print and I believe it was an Ai copy. Shown in my photo, the book on the top is the original and what you get. The book on the bottom is the counterfeit copy that was ordered from a different seller.

Has lots of useful stuff in it. Love the way it's set up. Wish it had more recipes and stuff in it though. Like for detoxing treating parasites, and toxins

When I was in middle school I discovered this book at our school library and fell totally in love with it. Not only is it packed with great and practical information, whoever designed the layout did an absolutely fantastic job. The photography paired with simple descriptions of different parts of the shown herbs is a treat to your eye as you learn more about this marvelous plants. I loved the book so much that when another girl at my school developed interest in it as well, it turned into a war or sorts over who got to check it out. Now an adult, I purchased my own copy to keep forever! Even if you aren't interested in learning how to make tinctures or ointments, this book is just a great read and a treat to the eye!

I was in the market place for a book that would tell me what herbs I should plant in my medicine garden I was planning. This book fit the bill! It is very detailed. It goes over the different herbs, how you can prepare them, what part of the herb you can use for different reasons. Also in the book of the book it has a break down of different aliments and what herbs you can use. It tells you what herbs to keep away from small children and pregnant women and what herbs not to mix together. i am glad that I purchased this book as I feel like I have a better knowledge of medicinal herbs and I am better prepared to plan my garden now.

I love how each plant is broken down into different stages of like from fresh flowers to dried flowers to how looks as a tincture. I love it. This is the reason I wanted this book. So I could see the different stages. I would recommend this older version over the more recent. I have them both and I was quite disappointed in the more recent version because it didn't have the break down of the plants like the older version does. I'm happy now that I have found the older version. I'll keep them both because the new version added a few extra things that isn't in the older version.