Any subject matter in particular?

FataMorgana

The link below lists several books on herbalism with the consumer ratings.

hth.

Sue

Here is a link that might be useful: Books herbalism at Amazon

Fatamorgana - Nothing to specific, anything herbalism/foraging would work.

Sue- I appreciate your post!

James a Duke seems like he has some very good books.. He is known for developing the Phytochemical and Ethnobotanical Databases at the USDA. I still have to get his books!

Thanks,
Joe

Some of my favorite Herbalism/Foraging books....

Foster & Duke's A Field Guide to Medicinal Plants and Herbs: Of Eastern and Central North America

Brill's Identifying and Harvesting Edible and Medicinal Plants in Wild (and Not So Wild) Places

Thayer's Nature's Garden: A Guide to Identifying, Harvesting, and Preparing Edible Wild Plants

Peterson's A Field Guide to Edible Wild Plants: Eastern and central North America

Moerman's Native American Ethnobotany - or the abridged version if looking for a more inexpensive book

Hutchens' A Handbook of Native American Herbs or her Indian Herbalogy of North America: The Definitive Guide to Native Medicinal Plants and Their Uses

Newcomb's Newcomb's Wildflower Guide

Since you are in the Toronto area, just north of me, you may also like Herrick's Iroquois Medical Botany. Look for the Ethnobotanical resources for other First Nation peoples that may be nearby as well.

FataMorgana

FataMorgana, you are the man! Thats why I post, to learn from others! Will check them books out!

Appreciate it,
Joe

Hahaha - "the man"....that's funny! Glad to help.

If you are looking to expand your library with any of these, I use the Foster & Duke book the most. Newcomb's is an identification key based upon flowers. I've used that one probably the second most though I now use it rarely since I come across few plants that I don't know. It's usefulness is highly dependent upon your identification skills.

Look to pick up pre-loved (ie used) copies to save yourself much cash. So many people are unloading their ink-and-paper books these days in lieu of e-copies that you should be able to find some good deals.

FataMorgana

Thanks for all your help Morgana! I apologize, shouldnt be so quick to assume gender.. Shall I say you are the women? Either way, your help is very much appreciated!

Joe

No offense was taken - actually, I had a good giggle. (I don't suppose a man would ever say they giggled, would they?)

From other posts I'm guessing that you are looking at wild plants for more than medicinal uses and you want to use them as foods. If so, you may wish to check out cookbooks like Kavasch's Native Harvests. The various wild cookbooks give some pretty good insights on how to use and prep such foods.

And I have to say this because stewardship is very important to me. There are many things that are edible or medicinal that should just be avoided in wildcrafting and foraging to help protect our ever increasing loss of native plant species and habitat. For example, spring beauties (Claytonia virginica) also called "fairy spuds" do have small edible corms. I mention them because in some parts of the country they are probably already blooming. It will be another month+ here before they bloom. But to dig them and eat them would kill the plant - in fact, killing a whole lot of plants to make any kind of meal. I have never seen that many of this plant to ever imagine eating them so. Just be sure to educate yourself well before gathering and do your best to protect our wild resources for future generations.

FataMorgana

Morgana, you are packed with information, thankyou! You don't have to worry about me ruining native plants or any plants for that matter.. Im just as concerned if not more concerned about sustaining plants... I actually propagate the plants... I go to great lengths to conserve plants...

Appreciate All the help,
Joe

If you folks have not heard of Better World Books, they are a terrific online used book store. Buy a book and they donate one somewhere where there is a literacy project. Donate books of your own and they will pay shipping costs. Large inventory, reasonable prices.

Enjoy!
Jan

Here is a link that might be useful: Better world books

Thanks Jan! Sounds like a good cause, I'll check it out...

Appreciate it,
Joe

i second joe's comment about fatamorgana, she always has good solid advice to share, much appreciated!

i copied and saved her book list, i live in a different part of north america but you never know where i might find myself one day....

cheers, kali

*grin* Thanks much! I do love sharing. If you like my writings, you may enjoy some of my blog articles. While I no longer actively write for this one, there are many articles from me here. I completely write the one I added to the links below and it is all on plants with a fair bit of herb content depending upon what I feel like writing. I hope you enjoy!

Sorry if the books have a east/central focus. It's where I live and what I know. There are many plants that do range across much of North America so there is some useful information even for people in the western parts of the continent.

The Moerman book though covers Native Nations from all across the continent, even Western ones. It is an excellent book and a necessary one if you are interested in the herbalism of Native Americans, the blend of Western and Native herbalism like that of the Thomsonian and Eclectic schools, and just the herbalism of the plants indigenous to where you live.

You may try Michael Moore's website, Southwest Botanical Medicine (if I'm remembering rightly). It's been a while since I visited the site and can't recall exactly, but I'm pretty sure there are suggestions of western US herb references on that site.

FataMorgana

Here is a link that might be useful: My blog - Our Green Neighbors

michael moore's site is swsbm.org, use it as a reference for medicine making all the time, lots of other good things on there too. his book on medicinal plants of the mountain west is excellent. am living in colorado now so am learning more high altitude, sw and desert plants now.

i like the usda plant database for north american plant info too.

i lived in the ozarks for 40 years so we probably know a lot of the same natives, the eastern u.s. and ozarks have overlapping plant assemblages.

will check out your article links, thanks again

Medicinal Wild Plants of the Prairie is a good read for those interested in herbal remedies used by Plains Indians and early settlers to the region.

Herbal Renaissance by Steven Foster is an evidence-based look at herbal medicine.

There's a recent edition of Tyler's Herbs of Choice that "combines the scientific aspects of herbal medicine, phytomedicine, and pharmacognosy with the modern clinical trials that support the rationale for using plant products in healthcare." (the publisher's description, but accurate based on my reading of an earlier edition).

Thanks Eric! I'll look into those books!

Appreciate it,
Joe

pubmed.org is another good source of info re studies done using herbs, supplements and rx meds. i'm there most everyday looking up something : )

I love Medicinal Herbs by Rosemary Gladstar. Matthew Wood also has a good book. I found this list of recommended books on HANE's website... there are a lot of good ones!

http://herbalacademyofne.com/resources/visit-our-friends/

i see steven foster's work mentioned, he's an ozark herbalist! a personal friend and lives quite near. his photographs are legendary in the medicinal field guide world and he knows a LOT about plant constituents. he founded the american botanical council (find them online) which is dedicated to herbal science. he is also a founding member of the american herbalist's guild, the only certifying body for professional herbalists in north america....i'm a member as well and grateful for the work he's done on my behalf. cheers to steven, he's quite a fellow!

http://www.methowvalleyherbs.com/p/books-for-herbalists.html

the herbal bookshelf!