HERB - Re: Caitlyn's place to start learning

[Gaylin Walli]

Ulrike wrote to Caitlyn saying:

>These are only 3 of many herbal books on the market, but they've served me
>well in the basics of growing, preparing and using herbals in my everyday
>life.

Ulrike is correct.

I would add this caveat...the books that are on the bargain book tables, be
they
at large or small bookstores, are NOT good places to start in your quest for
herbal information. The vast majority of them are little more than listings of
plants and names. Sometimes they include pictures, though not always. And
if they contian any historical information it is typically very much
abbreviate.
Safety information, if any is included at all, is usually abbreviated an under-
described, offering no real description other than "don't. it's poisonous".

This is, of course, my opinion only. There is a reason those books are $x
(insert your bargain price here; for us in Michigan, it's around $5 US).
If you are buying to increase your library, consider purchasing good and
comprehensive books from the start. These will cost you more money
initially, but I believe they will save you money in the long run. You won't
end up getting to a certain point in your education and realizing "little of
this information is worthwhile; all these bargain books say exactly the same
thing."

I avoid bargain table books because I invariably have a kind relative or
friend who picks it up for me as an inexpensive gift for birthdays or holidays.

Not that long ago we had a thread on this list oncerning the top 5 books that
were considered essential to anyone's herbal library. If you'd like and if
the rest of the list members aren't adverse, I would be happy to repost that
list for you (though it will be more than 5 books long because everyone
had slightly differing opinions).

Jasmine
Iasmin de Cordoba
gwalli at infoengine.com
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