The virtues of this guide to herbal medicine lie in its utter simplicity, clarity of presentation, and grounding in the earth. Practicing herbalist Wardwell aims to provide a basic manual for the beginner. In part 1 she chooses and elaborates on 25 common, safe, easy-to-grow herbs, rather than confusing the reader with comprehensiveness. Instructional chapters cover how to recognize, gather, and store plants and how to select quality ingredients and equipment. Part 2 gives detailed steps in the preparation of various remedies: tinctures, herbal oils and salves, medicinal wines and vinegars, and syrups and lozenges. Part 3 lists the components of a basic herbal medicine chest, gives guidelines for blending herbs, and provides an AZ list of symptoms (e.g., headache, chapped skin) and their herbal treatment. The book's promised index will be needed to locate information in this symptom list because of the often poorly chosen entry words. Sprinkled throughout the book are Native American teaching stories that illustrate Wardwell's theme of humans' ties to plants and the earth. Penny Spokes
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