In the past few years, I have become more interested in herbal remedies and essential oils. Although I have obtained a few good books from the essential oil sources concerning their products, I have also taken the time to investigate and cross-reference material from other sources. Hence, my purchase of MEDICINAL PLANTS by Ben-Erik van Wyk and Michael Wink. While Rodale's book on Herbs provided me with information about how to grow selected plants, and THE REFERENCE GUIDE FOR ESSENTIAL OILS by Connie and Alan Higley explained how to apply the oils - make infusions and/or nebulize oils, MEDICINAL PLANTS provides information about the botany of these plants as well as a history of their various applications within the framework of health systems such as `Aromatherapy', `Homeopathy', and traditional medicine -- Chinese, Ayurvedic, or something else.

You will sometimes hear it said, probably by disingenuous spokespersons for international Pharmaceutical and/or Petro-Chemical companies or their ilk, that nontraditional treatments such as the application of essential oils is dangerous because the most of the oils, herbs, etc. have not been "government tested". The truth is, most have been tested, just not perhaps by the US FDA (some have been "officially" tested, but many carry GRAS or "generally regarded as safe" ID, many have been found safe and efficacious in Europe or Canada). In addition, traditional medicines from China and India represent thousands of years of testing though trial and error and outcome. Some of these remedies are so old you will never discover their origin while the origins of others are well known. Lastly, not everything is known about many "modern" medicines which are generally subjected to shorter periods of inquiry before they are released for commerce.

Now, this does not mean you should use any old plant wily-nily. Of course not. And, these authors recommend you seek professional help in the form of a traditional healer before you apply a tincture, ointment, etc. made with a natural product. But books like this volume by a reputable European source are a good place to begin educating yourself. Some plants have known side effects and some can kill. "Fortunately", the authors write, "herbal drugs or botanical(s) have a large therapeutic window between the `effective' dose and the `toxic' dose."

Plants can be sources for vitamins and minerals, sports medicine, and food. It may surprise you to learn that many so-called "modern" medicines have a natural basis (aspirin and digitalis, to name but two). Perusing this book, I was surprised to see how many of these medicinal plants I grow in my own yard. This beautiful book includes about 325 pages of color photos and text depicting and describing various plants and plant parts with 1-2 entries per page. In the back you will find an index linking traditional medicines and ailments and a `Quick Guide to Commercialised Medicinal Plants" which will tell you among other things that `Modern Medicine' has appropriated a number of traditional plant sources for its own uses.

The collaborative effort of Ben-Erik Van Wyk and Michael Wink,Medicinal Plants Of The World isn't just another casual listing of plants and their homeopathic applications: it's an in-depth, scientifically accurate, superbly presented, seminal survey and guide to the best-known medicinal plants and describes over three hundred plants and relatives with short descriptions, geographic origins, therapeutic category, historical and modern uses, and active ingredients. Add 700 color photos to help identification and a checklist of the top 900 plants listed by scientific and common name and you have a reference that health care professionals will relish and refer to time and time again.