Product Description

Alternative Medicine Review, March 2006 by Mario Roxas

Herbal Medicine of the American Southwest by Charles W. Kane, published in January 2006, highlights the wealth of medicinal plants residing in just one corner of our vast national landscape.

This text covers over 210 western plants within 100 distinct plant profiles, from Acacia to Yucca. Each profile is identified by what the author calls its main common name. This is followed by the plant's Latin family name, its current Latin binomial, and any other common names. The profile is further broken down into segments such as description, distribution, chemistry, medicinal uses, indications, collection, preparation and dosage, and cautions.

Kane's writing style is simple and easy to follow. Drawing from over 15 years of experience in the field, he equips the reader with practical information that can be readily applied, while at the same time lending insights that can only come from someone with a true passion for, and intimate knowledge of, botanical medicines.

Herbal Medicine of the American Southwest serves as a decent field guide as well. In addition to the text, the book contains 80 detailed paintings by Frank S. Rose and over 250 photos of the plants covered in the book, allowing for easy recognition on site.

Although the name focuses on plants in the southwest, many may be found throughout North America. Such familiar names include dandelion, horsetail, juniper, and verbena. Thus, the medicinal plants in this book go well beyond the geographical borders of its title.

For anyone interested in botanical medicine, Herbal Medicine of the American Southwest is a valuable addition to your library.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #774250 in Books
• Published on: 2006-01-05
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 407 pages

Review
The plant monographs are a combination of folk medicine, well-researched scientific findings, and conclusions found in the latest scientific journals. The bibliography is arranged clearly and neatly. I particularly like the way in which the author lists references separately for each plant, making it easy and accessible for the reader who may choose to do further research on an individual plant. The author s photography is also commendable. Included in this compilation are 252 excellent color photos, which will make field identification of the plants nearly effortless. As an extra special bonus, the book is additionally illustrated with mesmerizing watercolor prints painted by Frank S. Rose, a veteran artist and signature member of the Southern Arizona Watercolor Guild and Western Federation of Watercolor Societies. -- HerbalGram, 2007

Kane explains how to dry the plants and to make teas and tinctures. He includes a glossary, an extensive bibliography -- Book News, Spring 2006

Kane, an herbalist, operates the Tucson Clinic of Botanical Medicine where he uses medicinal plants in his private practice. -- Albuquerque Journal, January 15, 2006

The author has a functional belief in self-healing; the approach here is to offer nonpharmaceutical alternatives to standard medical therapeutics -- The Bloomsbury Review, January/February 2006

As a working model of a modern herbal, the value of this book transcends both the limits of its geographic scope and its focus on nondomestic plant species. It should be of interest to lay readers and scientists alike, consumers and practitioners of herbal medicine, ethnobotanists, pharmacognosists, policy-makers, regulators and those interested in the utilization of wild medicinal plant species. -- Phytomedicine, 2006

Succinct practical indications and usage profiles of over 200 mostly SW desert plants by a herbalist who walks his talk. -- --Jonathan Treasure's Herbal Bookworm, April 2006

About the Author
Active in the field for over 20 years, Charles Kane continues to write, teach, and see patients. Committed to helping people through the usage of medicinal plants, he is well regarded for his no nonsense approach in a field known for the opposite. Kane has also written Herbal Medicine: Trends and Traditions. He is a veteran of the war on terrorism and lives in southern Arizona.

Customer Reviews

A very definitive and notable study of the plants it features
Herbal Medicine Of The American Southwest: A Guide To The Identification, Collection, Preparation, And Use Of Medicinal And Edible Plants Of The Southwestern United States by practicing herbalist Charles W. Kane (Tucson Clinic of Botanical Medicine) and featuring elegant and accurate illustrations by Frank S. Rose is the "user-friendly" and easy to use guide perfect for exactly what is described in the title. Herbal Medicine Of The American Southwest informs the reader of how to find the plant, how to prepare it, what it can be used for, what side effects may occur, and what resources might be necessary to further define the plant, giving the overall book a very definitive and notable study of the plants it features. Herbal Medicine Of The American Southwest is highly recommended to all naturalists living in the southwest of America, as well as organic studies students, however especially recommended to all inhabitants of the featured area.

Very good reference
This is an excellent reference book. It is a little dry and the pictures were all in the center rather than with the plant descriptions. I'm sure that was done to save on printing costs--the pictures are on high glossy paper and there are photos as well as phenomenal drawings by Frank Rose. The photos and drawings are probably the best I've ever seen in this type of book. Instead of cross-referencing the pictures to the descriptions the photos are alphabetized making making finding the picture very easy.

The book is well-written and an excellent reference especially for anyone living in the southwest. When the author does tell personal stories about experiences with the plants, (finding them or using them) they are very good. I wish more of these personal notes were in the book because they were enjoyable, but I suppose there was only so much paper.

perfect for an herbal student
this is an excellent book for newcomers to wildcrafting and medicne processing. the excellent pictures follow up with the medica info for each plant. these plants are easily found with the right description/photos both of which are detailed in this book. thank you Mr. Kane.