I have been interested in herbs and what they can be used for, cooking and medicinally, since I was a child. It started with a chart in the back of my mother’s Betty Crocker Cookbook.

Unfortunately, every time I tried to delve more deeply into herbs and spices, I would quickly become overwhelmed and set it aside for another time. Until now. Ruth Blanding’s book was just the right amount of information for me—picking her favorite medicinal herbs and plants along with her succinct info about them rather than trying to tell me about all the possibilities was perfect for me.

Ruth Blanding

Then, following that, she offers a few recipes for teas, tinctures, balms and the like and what they can be specifically used for so that I could easily focus on what is right for me. I also loved that she would repeat her cautions about which herbs mixed badly with prescription medicines, and which weren’t right for pregnant or lactating women, that type of thing.

She ends the book with a list of her favorite books; resources, including websites, and a bibliography. An added bonus is the many colorful photos. I am now considering taking a class on herbal medicine and getting to know more about what I can grow or source myself.