Product Description

In this groundbreaking study, 100 different wild plants(including many common weeds)from the Minnesota-Wisconsin area are carefully monographed as to their edibility and/or healing potential. Forty-eight pages of plates containing 171 full-color photos are included to complement the detailed physical descriptions that are provided in the text, often showing the plant in several stages of growth or zooming in on particular features. In addition, several thousand references are made from over 800 bibliographic items (largely consisting of scientific and ethnobotanical studies) in order to buttress the extensive textual information on the edible and medicinal facets of the plants. Rounded out with a glossary, several appendices (including a guide to making herbal extracts at home and a detailed classification of the plants by physiological functions), and a 21-page comprehensive index, this first-of-its-kind study for the upper Midwestern states is sure to become a classic!

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #1643149 in Books
• Published on: 2001-10-01
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 426 pages

Review
Conservative, erudite, and most interesting....I like what I see! -- Jim Duke, Ph.D., author of The Green Pharmacy, Rodale Press.

Of great value to the beginner as well as the advanced wild-plant student. -- Edelene Wood, President, National Wild Foods Association

Very thorough in its presentation and content. The style is technical enough and yet pleasantly colloquial. -- Francois Couplan, Ph.D., ethnobotanist, author of The Encyclopedia of Edible Plants of North America and 25 other books on plants

About the Author
Matthew Alfs, M.H. is a naturalist and herbalist who has been trained in a variety of healing traditions, including modern Western phytotherapy, Amerindian plant medicine, the herbal therapeutics of America's Eclectic physicians of the late 1800s and early 1900s, and Oriental medicine. A graduate of Wild Rose College of Natural Healing, he is a nationally recognized educator in the field of western herbology, being a frequently invited lecturer and teacher at colleges, universities, hospitals, and other institutions. In addition, his lively outdoor workshops on wild plants, now in their sixth year, are eagerly awaited by many Minnesotans and Wisconsinites each summer. A seasoned herbal practitioner, Mr. Alfs is in great demand for his healing expertise. He also serves as a natural-products coordinator for a major university. Memberships include the American Herbalists Guild, the American Botanical Council, and the American Herb Association.

Customer Reviews

Editor, Medical Herbalism journal
Excellent, not limited to Minn and Wis. An excellent overview of 100 plants from the Prairies and forests of the upper midwest. In-depth review of historical uses balanced with the author's own clinical experience and practical how-to informaiton. Good safety data and recommendations. Most of these plants grow around me in Colorado, and everywhere in the 1500 miles to the authors home, so the book's title is too limited.

The Answer Book
I wouldn't say this is the one and only book you'll ever need. But it certainly is a GREAT addition to anyone's herbal library. It's relatively easy to use, because the plants are listed in alphabetical order by their common names. The food qualities and health benefits of the plants are thorough and informative, as well as their habitat and visual description. Points of interest are easy to find and there is a listing of plants that are good for certain illnesses. Plus short descriptions of how to use and prepare them.

This book is very scientific and seems to cover it all in an up-to-date fashion. But if you're not familiar with terms in botany and biology you'll find this book a little difficult to understand. It has a good glossary but a dictionary is still handy at times.
None the less the book has true to life color photos, which are the best I've seen for wild plant identification. Considerably this just may be the answer book for this topic. It's defiantly worth the price, if you desire to take wild herb collecting seriously.

A truly impressive compendium of information
A disclaimer at the beginning of Edible & Medicinal Wild Plants Of Minnesota & Wisconsin warns that some wild plants are toxic or even deadly; though the author Matthew Alfs has made every effort to completely describe safe ways to recognize, harvest, and prepare edible wild plants, they cannot be held liable for any adverse effects. With that sober caution in mind, Edible & Medicinal Wild Plants Of Minnesota & Wisconsin is a truly impressive compendium of information and lore about the art of foraging. A beautiful section of color photographs aptly illustrates the many species of edible plants discussed and described herein. User-friendly introductions to using wild plants for food and health benefits are written in clear, concise text easily accessible to the lay reader. A glossary, exhaustive list of references and comprehensive index round out this superbly presented and very highly recommended guide.