Southwest Medicinal Plants: Identify, Harvest and Use 112 Wild Herbs for Health and Wellness

by John Slattery

An indispensable guide to identifying, harvesting, and using medicinal plants in the Southwest. Southwest Medicinal Plants combines two big trends: foraging and natural medicine. This comprehensive guide is accessible to everyone, from beginners seeking reliable advice to experienced practitioners on the hunt for new information. Readers will find plant profiles, color photographs, step-by-step instructions for essential herbal remedies, and seasonal foraging tips. Southwest Medicinal Plants is for readers in southern California, Arizona, New Mexico, western and central Texas, Oklahoma, southern Colorado, southern Utah, and southern Nevada. AUTHOR: John Slattery is a forager and bioregional herbalist. He founded the artisanal herbal products company, Desert Tortoise Botanicals, after completing a clinical herbalist training at the Southwest School of Botanical Medicine and has since maintained a practice as an herbalist in Tucson, Arizona.

• ISBN13: 9781604699111
• Publish Date: 4 February 2020
• Publish Status: Active
• Publish Country: US
• Imprint: Timber Press
• Format: Paperback
• Pages: 392
• Language: English

Reviews

[annieb123]

Originally published on my blog: Nonstop Reader.

Southwest Medicinal Plants is a tutorial and wildcrafting guide and herbal for regional medicinal plants by John Slattery. Due out 4th Feb 2020 from Timber Press, it's 392 pages and will be available in paperback and ebook formats.

This is an accessible well written herbal guide to over 100 indigenous medicinal plants found in southwest North America, including Arizona, New Mexico, Southern California, Colorado, Nevada, Utah, Oklahoma, and parts of Texas. The author is an experienced wildcrafter and herbalist and writes well and confidently. The nomenclature he uses is precise for clarity, safety, and identification. It's clear in the text that the author really feels a connection to the natural world and his respect and love shine through. The intro covers the widely disparate terrain contained the southwest along with safety and caution, responsible collecting, and wildcrafting through the seasons. Tools and supplies are covered in the text and are (mostly) easily accessible and will be on hand already for most readers or can be sourced at minimal cost. There are simple recipes/guides for different preparation methods as well, such as tinctures, infusions, etc.

The bulk of the book contains an herbal type listing of the plants arranged alphabetically. The plant name is followed by species specifics, medicinal parts used, a descriptive paragraph, wildcrafting tips, where and when to harvest, and other info. Specific recipes are listed in a colored sidebar. Each also contains several clear photos showing different aspects of growth, habit, and seasonal appearance.

Useful book, well written and illustrated. Five stars.

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.