A Peterson Field Guide to Western Medicinal Plants and Herbs

by Christopher Hobbs, Steven Foster, Roger Tory Peterson (Editor)

Overview

This guide is the most complete work ever written on the medicinal plants of western North America. It offers the best information in the world on the current popular and traditional uses of the nearly 500 species covered, much of it available for the first time. More than 530 color photographs illustrate the plants and their flowers, leaves, and fruits. The descriptive text combines scientific, ethnobotanical, and cross-cultural information, making this field guide unique. An index to medical topics is helpful for quickly locating information on specific ailments. Symbols next to the plant descriptions provide quick visual warnings for poisonous and allergenic plants. Organized by flower color for fast identification, this guide is an essential aid to appreciating native plants and the wild areas they inhabit.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780395838068
Publisher:	Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
Publication date:	04/18/2002
Series:	Peterson Field Guides Series
Pages:	464
Sales rank:	49,477
Product dimensions:	4.50(w) x 7.25(h) x 1.20(d)

About the Author

With more than 40 years of experience in the herbal field, Steven Foster is author, co-author, and photographer of seventeen books. He lives in Eureka Springs Arkansas, in the heart of the medicinal plant-rich Ozarks.

Roger Tory Peterson, one of the world's greatest naturalists, received every major award for ornithology, natural science, and conservation as well as numerous honorary degrees, medals, and citations, including the Presidential Medal of Freedom. The Peterson Identification System has been called the greatest invention since binoculars. These editions include updated material by Michael O'Brien, Paul Lehman, Bill Thompson III, Michael DiGiorgio, Larry Rosche, and Jeffrey A. Gordon.

Read an Excerpt

Miscellaneous Showy Flowers BUNCHBERRY Leaves, roots, berries Cornus canadensis L. Dogwood Family

Low-growing, spreading perennial, 3–8 in., often forming large colonies. Oval leaves in whorls of 6 beneath showy “flowers” (bracts); veins arch from leaf base toward tip; margins entire. Small, greenish white flowers tightly clustered above 4 large, white, petallike bracts; May–July. Fruit scarlet, single-seeded. Where found: Moist, cool forests, meadows, bogs. Alaska to Idaho, Mont. south to N.M., nw. Calif. eastern N. America. Uses: American Indians toasted the leaves, then sprinkled the powder on sores. Berries were a snack source, dried and stored for winter; also chewed to treat insanity. Leaf tea drunk as a strong laxative and to treat paralysis. The Paiutes mashed and strained the roots and used the liquid as a wash for sore eyes. Tea of the whole plant was taken for coughs, fevers, and tuberculosis. Tea from roots, leaves, and berries was drunk for fits. A root tea was given to babies for colic. Bark tea drunk for body pains.

ICE-PLANT, SEA FIG Leaves Mesembryanthemum crystallinum L. Carpet Weed Family

Multibranched, bumpy-stemmed perennial, spreading along ground; to 24 in. high. Leaves succulent, alternate, flat, ovate to spoon-shaped; margins wavy. Flowers stalkless in leaf axils, showy, white to red- tinged, with many stamens and 5 linear petals; Mar.–Oct. Bumpy fruit opening when moist. Where found: Saline soils near coast, bluffs, disturbed sites, coastal sage scrub. Along the cen. and s. coast of Calif. to Ariz.; Baja Calif., Mexico; S. America, Mediterranean. Alien (South Africa). Uses: Historically, physicians used leaf juice to soothe inflammation of the mucous membranes of the respiratory or urinary system; to treat painful or difficult urination and involuntary urination. In Europe the fresh juice has been used to treat water retention and painful urination and to soothe lung inflammation. Related species: M. edule L. (Carpobrotus edulis [L.] N. E. Br.), or Hottentot Fig, a common escape in California, is used externally in S. Africa for burns and thrush and internally for dysentery. Warning: High in oxalates, potentially toxic in high doses, especially in flower and fruit.

CANADA VIOLET Whole plant Viola canadensis L. Violet Family Perennial with short, thick rhizome and slender stolons; to 10 in. Leaves heart-shaped or oval on long stalks; tips pointed; margins toothed. Flowers solitary from leaf axils. Petals white above, purple beneath, yellow-centered; bottom petal dark-lined, spurred; side petals hairy at base; Apr.–July. Pod splitting into 3 valves. Where found: Moist to dry woods. Ore. to ne. Wash., Idaho, Utah, Ariz. Rockies from Mont. to N.M.; eastern N. America. Uses: Native Americans used a root tea for pains in the bladder region. Externally, a poultice was used to treat skin abrasions and boils. In European traditions violet species were listed as soothing and softening for coughs and colds, urinary tract ailments, and skin conditions. Warning: Roots of most if not all violet species may induce vomiting.

Copyright © 2002 by Steven Foster and Christopher Hobbs. Reprinted by permission of Houghton Mifflin Company.

Table of Contents

Preface v Acknowledgments xiii How to Use This Book 1 General Organization 1 Identifying Plants 2 Uses 7 Warnings 10 Conservation and Harvesting 10 A Final Word of Caution 13 White or Whitish Flowers 17 Yellow Flowers 96 Orange Flowers 150 Pink to Red Flowers 154 Violet to Blue Flowers 186 Green to Brown Flowers 222 Shrubs 250 Trees 323 Woody Vines 365 Ferns and Fern Allies 371 Grasses and Grasslike Plants 380 Glossary 389 Photo Credits 396 References 398 Life List 404 Index to Plants 415 Index to Medical Topics 433

Editorial Reviews

In this backpack-sized guide, two herbalists describe the traditional medicinal uses and properties (some toxic) of about 500 plants growing in the Western US. Includes color photos, a glossary, and a plant checklist for noting flowering/fruiting dates. Indexed by plant and medical topic. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)