Reviewed by annieb123 on
Southeast Medicinal Plants is a tutorial and wildcrafting guide and herbal for regional medicinal plants by CoreyPine Shane. Due out 9th Nov 2021 from Workman Publishing on their Timber Press imprint, it's 304 pages and will be available in paperback and ebook formats.
This is an accessible well written herbal guide to 106 indigenous medicinal plants found in southeast North America, from the PA/MD border all the way down to Eastern TX. The author is an experienced wildcrafter and herbalist and writes precisely and well on the subject. The nomenclature he uses is correct and 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 southeast 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. Each entry contains a highlighted text box with herbal preparations: simple recipes/guides for different uses, 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, usage cautions, and other info. Specific recipes are listed in a colored text box. 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.
Reading updates
- Started reading
- 19 September, 2021: Finished reading
- 19 September, 2021: Reviewed