Book Review - Plants That Cure - Princeton University Press

     When I first started to work, there was an old fellow in the office close to retirement, and I developed a particularly good relationship with him. He was noteworthy for his love of cigars (yes, back then you could smoke them in the office), and for a large aloe plant he had on his credenza. It seemed that if you had an ailment of any kind, from a cut to a headache, he would pare a little from the plant and apply it appropriately. He had absolute faith in the curative properties of aloe, and that was my introduction to medicinal plants.
     In the intervening years I have learned quite a bit more about the irreplaceable value plants provide for humans and I find Plants That Cure to be a sterling compendium of all that is relevant.

     The authors bring impressive credentials to the work. Elizabeth A. Dauncey is a plant toxicologist, and Melanie-Jayne R. Howes is a pharmacist and chartered chemist, who leads research in phytochemistry and pharmacognosy at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew; surely one of the most vaunted institutions of plant science in all the world.
     The book contains an extensive coverage of the natural history of plants, and their relevance to specific human conditions, and their role in furnishing medicines that provide cures. There is a good deal of oral knowledge associated with the curative value of plants, not all of which should be dismissed - and knowledge gleaned from indigenous peoples, especially in rain forests around the world, has been proven accurate time and again. This work pays homage to this tradition, but detailed knowledge based on sound science is provided too.
     It is instructive, perhaps, to review the chapter titles to appreciate the scope of the work.

Chapter 1 - The Botanical Medicine Chest

Chapter 2 - Strong at Heart

Chapter 3 - Calming the Nerves

Chapter 4 - In Sickness and in Health

Chapter 5 - Supporting the Organs and Glands

Chapter 6 - Coughs and Sneezes

Chapter 7 - Easing Movement

Chapter 8 - Healthy on the Outside

Chapter 9 - Influencing the Reproductive System

Chapter 10 - Fighting Cancer

      A glossary is provided and the book is illustrated throughout with a wonderful array of artwork and photographs. The entire layout and visual presentation makes it a joy to use, and the text is highly informative.

     Fires in the rain forests of the world, both anthropogenic and as a consequence of a warming planet are a cause for great concern. There is consensus among scientists that we have barely scratched the surface of the riches of these great forests, and that a great deal is yet undiscovered. We would be prudent indeed to safeguard and protect these ecosystems, not only for their current and future medicinal uses, but they are also the very lungs of the planet.

      The book is not intended as a tool of self diagnosis, rather it acts as a means to further your understanding of the derivation of many of the medicines you may be taking. If you are sick, go to see your doctor, but benefit also from a more encompassing knowledge of what it is helping you to stay well.

     This book will both delight and inform. You will come back to it time and again.

Plants That Cure: Plants as a Source for Medicines, from Pharmaceuticals to Herbal Remedies

Elizabeth A. Dauncey and Melanie-Jayne R. Howes

Hardcover - US$29.95 - 9780691200187 - 224 pages - 250 colour photos, 45 colour and 50 black-and-white illustration - 8.5 in. x 11 in.

Publication date: 03 March 2020