Book Review: The Herb Book by John Lust

The Herb Book, by John Lust, is full of information concerning herbs. I have used this book many times to find advice on how to work with herbs and plants. Anything you would like to know about herbs is in this book, probably more.

The ISBN for this book is 0-553-26770-1. It was originally published in 1974. I own the paperback version which was published by Bantam Books. It was originally published by Benedict Lust Publications.

This book includes a 333 page section with detailed listings of about 2000 herbs, their uses, where they grow, etc. It also includes a history of herb study and use, a glossary of botanical terms, how to grow and dry and store herbs, how to prepare herbs for medicinal use, tea recipes, dying information. There is so much useful information in this book, anyone is sure to find what they need.

The author's writing style is very easy to understand. This contributes to the usefulness of the book. If the information is difficult to understand then it is useless. This is not the case with this book. The information is presented in an easy to use format.

Personally, I love this book. It is my main reference for medicinal herbal lore. It has large quantities of information and not much, if any, fluff or filler. It includes line drawings of many of the plants. Each listing includes the correct name of the herb, the common names, the scientific name, medicinal parts of the herb, a physical description of the herb, properties and uses, and preparation and dosage. Some of the entries include doses for different types of preparations, such as tinctures and teas, etc.

I really can't say enough good things about this book. I heartily recommend it to anyone who wants a reference on the medicinal properties of herbs. The recipes for herbal mixtures in the back of the book are invaluable. Not only does it give uses for natural remedies it also contains combinations which can be useful.