Product Description
An extraordinary compilation of the plants used by North American native peoples for medicine, food, fiber, dye, and a host of other things. Anthropologist Daniel E. Moerman has devoted 25 years to the task of gathering together the accumulated ethnobotanical knowledge on more than 4000 plants. More than 44,000 uses for these plants by various tribes are documented here. This is undoubtedly the most massive ethnobotanical survey ever undertaken, preserving an enormous store of information for the future. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (12)

Fabulous reference book!
I can really appreciate this book because I know how much work went into creating it. Although I wish there was more detail about how the plants were used I'm able to cross reference other books to get the information I need. The layout of the book gives you the ability to attack a given plant inquiry from many different perspectives. For example, you can decide you want to know what a particular group of Native Americans did with a specific plant and look up the plant in the main body of the book (Catalog of Plants) and it will summarize the uses by the following categories: drug, food, fiber, dye & other. Then within each of these categories each group of Native American tribe is named with the uses if it applies to them. All of the uses are referenced to the literature (bibliography) giving you the ablity to obtain original articles if desired. From another perspective, you can have an interest in the Cherokee and go to the section "Index of Tribes" which will allow you to look up each of the many specific subcategories of the main categories mentioned above and get the use of specific plants such as under, Drug, the analgesic plant uses. It also contains a list of the tribes as well as their native regions which includes tribes from the U.S. (Alaska & Hawaii too), Canada, Greenland and some of Mexico (Northern). There is also an index of usages that is very handy. Each usage category will have an alphabetical list of plant genera followed by the tribe name(s) that used these genera. If you have any interest in Native American Ethnobotany then this book is of value and I highly recommend it for Native Americans, botanists, foragers and others interested in the disappearing knowledge of these amazing cultures.

Essential addition to ethnobotany library
As many of the previous reviews said, this book is an excellent reference. It is not a field guide, nor was it meant to be: the usage information is very brief, there are no pictures, or physical descriptions of the plants -- there are other books for that. Anyhow, the other reviews pretty much covered everything accurately ... highly, highly recommended.

It should also be pointed out that the information is available free online -- the author has a website called the Native American Ethnobotany Database (University Michigan Dearborn) -- http://herb.umd.umich.edu ... but the book is nice to have around, and has some information that is not on the site.

Best Single Source on Native American Uses of Plants
This is a big, solid hardcover volume that should be part of every library and university collection's plant and/or Native American reference sections. It is the absolute most thorough and comprehensive book on the subject, with cross-indexing and various ways to find the information you are looking for. I have an M.A. in Anthropology and am Native American myself (Ioway) and this book is an indispensable part of my personal library for both academic and personal use.

It is broken down into several sections, after the preface and acknowledgements.

"Plant Use by Native Americans" (pp. 11-28) gives overviews on the use of plants for drugs (medicines), foods, fibers and dyes, and other uses (hunting and fishing supplies (rods, lines, lures, traps, bows, arrows, spears, etc.), incense and fragrances, fuels, tools, and other uses. Interesting facts emerge such as more tribes used chokecherry as food (163 tribes) than corn (121 tribes), and the plant with the most medicinal uses was the common yarrow (355 uses)! The usages section covers the various sources of information and gives a list of the tribes and their locations.

"Organization of the Information" (pp. 29-32) discusses some of the issues involving the scientific and common plant names, both of which have varied over time and region, as well as ethnobotanical information.

The "Catalog of Plants" is the biggest part of the book (pp. 33-614), and it is arranged alphabetically by genus, with sublistings and specifics under the species. Then under each species, the use/s is/are given, as well as the tribe(s) which use it in those ways. For example, the chokecherry (Prunus virginiana) covers 4 pages in small print (pp. 444-448) of its many uses and the tribes across the U.S. who used it. After each use and tribe, the reference number in the original source is given. One example for chokecherry: "Cheyenne - Antidiarrheal - Unripened berries pulverized and used for diarrhea. (82:42)." Turning to the Bibliography, we find #82 is Jeff Hart's _Montana Plants and Early Peoples_, and checking page 42 of that book (which I also own and recommend) we find the passage there.

After the catalog of plants, there are sections on notes for certain entries, the bibliography of 206 sources, and FOUR useful indexes: two plant usage indexes (index of tribes and index of usages) and two plant name indexes (index of synonyms and index of common names).

The downsides? The print is fairly small, though the decent print quality makes it okay to read for my almost-50 year old eyes. If you are looking to learn how to identify plants, this is NOT the book to buy for that purpose. There are no photos or illustrations in this book. It is not a book that gives specifics on how the plants are mixed, gathered, applied, etc. For example, a plant's effectiveness is often tied to ceremonial and religious aspects that are not covered. There are details that can heal or harm if not absolutely correctly used that are not given. You need to buy field guides and plant keys for the area you are interested in to visually identify plants.

However, if you know the plants you are studying, and wish to have an encyclopedia-type reference to their uses in the various American Indian tribes and nations, you need this book. It's a little spendy because it is so big and is a hardcover, but I haven't regretted buying it and have used it often. It is really a lifetime reference source.

Excellent reference book
This is a great informational book.I couldn't wait to get it.The only thing lacking that would really be complete would be a pictorial key which I know is impossible for the amount of info .Everyone interested in botany, gardening or the ancient ways needs this book.

Native American Ethnobotany: A primordial survival guide to healthy sustainability.
This is a bible of plant uses that goes a LONG way! It doesn't include the dichotomic keys to identify the plant, but it tell you what has been done with them for the past millenia. Highly recommended. ... Read more

Product Description
An account of a Native American people s dynamic relationship with the natural worldThe Chumash people have lived in coastal California from San Luis Obispo to Santa Barbara for thousands of years. Their homeland is an area of uncommon biological richness and diversity, featuring over 1,500 species of plants. Their traditional foods, medicine, raw materials for making clothing, all kinds of tools and utensils, religious paraphernalia, and other items essential to existence were derived from the natural world; in one way or another, everything the Chumash people made involved plants. This painstakingly researched and scrupulously documented book, intended for the layperson interested in gaining a deeper understanding of a significant California Indian culture, reveals a landscape seen daily by thousands of people but understood by very few. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Great!
I love this book. it has a tons of great info on the chumash. Great for learning more on the chumash and there relations to plants. The info on plants in the book is great to. There are things in this book you could never learn from any other.

The book is not for IDing plants so do not get it for that. It is for learning more about the plants after IDing them.

Its a great book and if you are wanting to learn more on the plants in CA then its a must!

Harrington's ethnobotany of the Chumash
Jan Timbrook has produced a useful recounting of the ethnobotany found in John Harrington's notes.Harrington was an Anthropologist from the Smithsonian Institution who died in 1961.However, little effort has been made to correct Harrington's mistakes.The section on Datura is useful and reminds the reader of the importance of spirituality in Chumash healing.The section on white sage should have been expanded to help the reader learn the central importance of white sage in Chumash healing.Chumash and other people still use California plants in healing.These people should have been consulted more in writing the book.

James D Adams
Author with Cecilia Garcia of "Healing with medicinal plants of the west"
... Read more

Product Description
* The basic text and manual for this rapidly developing subject
* Provides a detailed overview, explaining in a non-technical style the concepts, methods, and skills used
* Re-issued to meet demand, in the "People and Plants Conservation Series"

Ethnobotany is the study of the classification, use and management of plants by people. It draws on a range of disciplines, including natural and social sciences, to show how conservation of plants and of local knowledge about them can be achieved. Ethnobotany is critical to the growing importance of developing new crops and products such as drugs from traditional plants.
This book is the basic introduction to the field, showing how botany, anthropology, ecology, economics, and linguistics are all employed in the techniques and methods involved. It begins by explaining data collection and hypothesis testing and ends with practical ideas on fieldwork ethics and the application of results to conservation and community development. Case studies illustrate the explanations, demonstrating the importance of collaboration in achieving results. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

Excellent!!
Excellent book, great bridge in the gap in the relevant literature.If you are a budding botanist, it is a must read, very comprehensive and a must-have in order to gather information and follow the scientific method

good if you can get it
This is a good book. I've seen the new edition, which is really just a reprint, with no updating that I could notice -- the computer analysis applications could have used an update, as technology has advanced in the years since its original publication. If you liked the original, you'll like this one.

It's an excellent manual that should be read by anyone planning to go in the field.

I intended to use this book for a class starting in Feb 2004, and since the release date was supposedly late 03 or Jan 04, I felt confident in ordering it. No such luck. It never did arrive, and the distributor was quite unapologetic about not even being able to track where the books were or when they might get to the US (it's a British publishing house).They even told me that I should have known better than to plan on it being out when they said that it would!!

But that's not Gary Martin's fault, and I suppose it's a testament to how popular the book is.Too bad we did not get to use it.

An excellent text for an ethnobotany field methods course.
This book is one of the very few that is perfect for teaching a college level ethnobotany field methods class. It covers the how-tos of data collection, hypothesis testing, plant identification and collection forboth general purposes and for phytochemical analysis. The book alsoincludes sections on anthropological, ecological, economic, linguistic,conservation, and community development skills and knowledge necessary togoing into the field to do ethnobotanical research.

Class curriculum canbe easily organized around the information provided in Martin's book. Theonly drawback to this book is the fact that it sold out very quickly in itsfirst edition and the first reprint, both in 1995, so at the moment itsback ordered waiting on the next reprinting. ... Read more

Product Description
Published on the 100th anniversary of the science of ethnobotany, this volume provides a comprehensive summary of the history and current state of the field. The 36 articles present a truly global perspective on the theory and practice of today's ethnobotany.
... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

Excellent survey
A broad range of excellent papers are collected in this volume that gives a variety of perspectives on the history and field of ethnobotany itself.For example, one point that is made is how difficult it is for a Western scientist who had bee trained in an agroindustrial world to understand both the scientific and culturally relevant aspects of a plant, especially since the scientist perspective is so different from the person who has grown up in a culture so different and dependent on a more intimate relationship with the biological world.It will serve as a fine and authoritative reference for my classes where ethnobotanical investigation has relevance.

Wowsers!
Great book for you plant nerds out there...a book edited by the late great Richard Schultes?...what more can you ask for?

All about Ethnobotany
This book is a great compilation from leading ethnobotanists, describing the field, and bringing pertinent issues to the fore.It is an excellent collection, with well-renowned ethnobotanists like Plotkin, Balick, and Naranjo.It is an excellent source, and tells all about ethnobotany, the science that may preserve human existence now, and in the future. ... Read more

Product Description
Interest in ethnobotany has increased dramatically in recent years. The search for new medicines by the pharmaceutical industry has turned to plant natural products and to ethnobotanical studies as a first step in bioprospecting. These studies are making a valuable contribution to the cataloguing of biological diversity and hence to the conservation of endangered ecosystems and the human societies which depend upon them. Discussing traditional methods of plant management as well as plant use, this textbook is an authoritative and fascinating introduction to this exciting area of plant biology. Citing examples from throughout the world and drawing on a wide range of source materials, the author describes the history of the interactions between plants and people and the concepts, methodology and future direction of ethnobotanical study. Capturing current interest in traditional medicine, as well as the potential for exciting new drug discoveries, Ethnobotany: Principles and Applications is an informative, stimulating and timely text which includes an extensive bibliography. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Wonderful book for ethnobotanists
This book is an interesting review of all the new methodologies use toresearch in ethnobotany. It also show how plants are important for humans,and the relationship between humans and plants. In addition, it contains alot interesting information about the plants and their differentsproperties; such as medicinal, food, etc. ... Read more

Product Description
Few people are aware of the great diversity of resin-producing plants or the remarkable roles resins play for plants and people. Often, the first resin that comes to mind is the glue-like sap of conifers, but in fact many tropical trees and arid-zone shrubs also produce resin. Resins evolved millions of years ago to defend plants against their enemies, as recorded by fossil resins like amber, and humans have used them since prehistory. Plant Resins tells the whole story about these fascinating plant products.

For ages, the term resin has been vaguely defined, referring to any sticky plant exudate. Based on recent scientific advances, Jean Langenheim provides the first operational definition of resin, distinguishing true resins from other substances such as gum and latex.

This book takes a unique multidisciplinary approach to the study of plant resins and is the only complete, scientifically up-to-date treatment of them. Divided into three parts for ease of use---production of resin, geologic history and ecology, and ethnobotany---it is accessible to anyone interested in understanding plant resins and their uses.

The author's writing reflects her enthusiasm for this complex subject, and is both precise and uniquely presented. The book is richly illustrated with maps, color and black-and-white photographs, and exquisite line drawings by Jesse Markman. Several appendices, a glossary, and an extensive bibliography with more than 1000 references offer further welcome information. This comprehensive and integrated discussion of resins will appeal to botanists, ecologists, ethnobotanists, chemists, anthropologists, archeologists, museum conservators, and amber enthusiasts. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (6)

Definately a great resource book
This book offers a comprehensive look at the fascinating world of plant resins.It is a must have if you are looking for a single source of information on the subject.Even if you are not in the field (I'm certainly not), it makes for very interesting reading.And has the chemical reactions all diagrammed out for those of you with an interest in the organic chemistry side of things.Be aware that this is written like a text book, for the most part.But the commentary from the author keeps it from being yet another dry school text.

Amber all sorts and accessories
This book is mostly a thorough review of the state of knowledge of amber resins. For this purpose it is excellent but you might find it light on if for you are seeking in depthinformation about other botanical resins. The section on aloeswood is particularly scarce which disappointed me.

"Plant Resins" - a masterpiece of scholarship
This book is the definitive text on plant resins and represents the summation of over forty years of research on the topic by the author. It is logically ordered, highly technical, comprehensive in is coverage and well illustrated. A thorough study of the evolution of resin-producing plants forms the solid botanical foundation of this work. Emphasis is given to the chemistry of the various resins(including amber - fossilized resin) and their distinctive properties. The use of resins by human society throughout the ages forms a fascinating part of the overall story.
If you are looking for a text that will provide you with the latest on plant resins, this is the book for you.

Plant Resins "exudes" essential botanical minutia
My review title may seem contradictory but Langenheim's book is an essential for any serious botanist, professional or amateur.It is full of minutia ("small or trivial detail") as well, which makes it so engaging, especially for the trivia buff.Included in the text are numerous, very well done drawings and photographs illustrating plant parts and functions, and ecological relationships.The biochemistry of plant resins is explained in detail, which may confuse the amateur, but is an important aspect of the text.

Resin & Incense
Far too technical for my needs.Unfortunately, one could not determine that fact from the amount of information given prior to the purchase. ... Read more

Product Description
Florida Ethnobotany provides a cross-cultural examination of how the state's native plants have been used by its various peoples. This compilation includes common names of plants in their historical sequence, weaving together what was formerly esoteric information about each species into a full reference. The author accomplishes the monumental task of translating the common names of species, which offers insight into plant usage and a glimpse into the culture of each ethnic group or tribe. These common botanical names often demonstrate how individuals fit into their societies and how these societies functioned. Although there have been previous studies of plants used by the inhabitants of Florida, this is the first comprehensive synthesis of this flora-rich region that was so pivotal in the history of New World exploration.---------------------Features---------------------· Documents the names and uses of the native plants of Florida by the different peoples of the region · Records nearly 900 species, discussing all uses ranging from the utilitarian to the religious· Includes illustrations for more than 500 species; many drawings created by renowned artists Penny Honychurch and Priscilla Fawcett· Combines locally gathered information with a comprehensive study of early literature about each species· Contains an sixteen-page full color insert· Provides an exhaustive bibliography to serve as a point of departure for further research ... Read more

Product Description
Using riveting stories of fieldwork in remote villages, the authors show how plants have affected nearly every aspect of our lives, deeply influencing the trajectory of human civilization. Includes illustrations. Paper. DLC: Ethnobotany. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Excellent introduction to a fascinating field
Balick and Cox's book provides an excellent introductory text for the field of ethnobotany.It covers a wide range of material, including medical ethnobotany, the origins of foods and indigenous stewardship ofcrop biodiversity, materials science, plant toxins and hallucinogens, andethnobotanical approaches to conservation. Contrary to the last reader'sopinion, the authors make clear their deep concern for indigenous rights. Cox, for example, personally took out a loan for the building of a schoolin Samoa, as described in Nafanua, another excellent book.Other issuesdiscussed also reveal the authors' attempt to further indigenouswell-being.In work with the Akimel O'Odham in southern Arizona, Gary PaulNabhan was able to demonstrate the nutritional value of their traditionaldiet, which had been largely forsaken for all-American junk food, thusleading to severe obesity and heart problems in a people biologicallyadapted to a harsh desert diet.Thus in many cases, the results ofethnobotanical research can have practical, beneficial effects upon thelives of indigenous peoples.

Good Information--Bad Judgements
Although this book is full of great photos, interesting information about the plants and the worlds where they come from, the authors are clearly more interested in exploiting the knowledge of the natives than attemptingto appreciate the unique tribes, their customs AND the plants they use.This book should be called "The Plants We Can Take from Less AdvancedPeople Than Ourselves". ... Read more

Product Description
Plants provide the food, shelter, medicines, and biomass that underlie sustainable life. One of the earliest and often overlooked uses of plants is the production of smoke, dating to the time of early hominid species. Plant-derived smoke has had an enormous socio-economic impact throughout human history, being burned for medicinal and recreational purposes, magico-religious ceremonies, pest control, food preservation, and flavoring, perfumes, and incense.

This illustrated global compendium documents and describes approximately 2,000 global uses for over 1,400 plant species. The Uses and Abuses of Plant-Derived Smoke is accessibly written and provides a wealth of information on human uses for smoke. Divided into nine main categories of use, the compendium lists plant-derived smoke's medicinal, historical, ceremonial, ritual and recreational uses. Plant use in the production of incense and to preserve and flavor foods and beverages is also included. Each entry includes full binomial names and family, an identification of the person who named the plant, as well as numerous references to other scholarly texts. Of particular interest will be plants such as Tobacco (Nicotiana tabaccum), Boswellia spp (frankincense), and Datura stramonium (smoked as a treatment for asthma all over the world), all of which are described in great detail. ... Read more

Product Description
A compilation of articles by prominent experts in their respective fields on compensation for and collaboration with indigenous people in regard to their knowledge and provision of rare plants which are used for some of the most potent drugs in Western medicine. ... Read more

Product Description
The Baboquivari Mountains, long considered to be a sacred space by the Tohono O’odham people who are native to the area, are the westernmost of the so-called Sky Islands. The mountains form the border between the floristic regions of Chihuahua and Sonora. This encyclopedic work describes the flora of this unique area in detail. It includes descriptions, identifications, ecology, and extensive etymologies of plant names in European and indigenous languages. Daniel Austin also describes pollination biology and seed dispersal and explains how plants in the area have been used by humans, beginning with Native Americans.

The term “sky island” was first used by Weldon Heald in 1967 to describe mountain ranges that are separated from each other by valleys of grassland or desert. The valleys create barriers to the spread of plant species in a way that is similar to the separation of islands in an ocean. The 70,000-square-mile Sky Islands region of southeastern Arizona, southwestern New Mexico, and northwestern Mexico is of particular interest to botanists because of its striking diversity of plant species and habitats. With more than 3,000 species of plants, the region offers a surprising range of tropical and temperate zones. Although others have written about the region, this is the first book to focus exclusively on the plant life of the Baboquivari Mountains.

The book offers an introduction to the history of the region, along with a discussion of human influences, and includes a useful appendix that lists all of the plants known to be growing in the Baboquivari Mountain chain.

... Read more

Product Description
Assembled by two of the most distinguished botanical and ethnological scholars in Britain, this book chronicles the medicinal uses of more than 400 species used by the plain folk of Britain and Ireland. The history of these plants’ usages has been mined from rich firsthand accounts captured by surveys, from more than 1000 manuscript volumes of the Irish Folklore Commission, and from close to 300 other published and unpublished sources. The book includes chosen illustrations from herbals such as those by Bock, Fuchs, and Brunfels, and a selection of color photographs by Deni Bown. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Ethnobotany for europeans--finally!
I absolutely adore this book.I work in a laboratory that focuses on native american herbs and wanted to break free of the pack somewhat.While there is, naturally, some overlap in use between the two cultures, there are some uses and herbs that are not discussed in north american herbals.A must have for anyone serious about herbology! ... Read more

Product Description
•   The most comprehensive book ever written on nature's most effective stress-relieving plant.

•   First paperback edition of the classic comprehensive text originally published by Yale University Press.

This complete guide to kava summarizes the literature and research on a plant that is now considered comparable or superior to anti-stress prescription drugs, and describes its use in the religious, political, and economic life of the Pacific islands for centuries. Beyond its soporific qualities kava is also used throughout the the Pacific as an analgesic, a diuretic, and an anesthetic. There is even evidence suggesting it is effective in the treatment of asthma, tuberculosis, and venereal disease. Exhaustively researched, Kava: The Pacific Elixir offers an extensive survey of this amazing plant from the perspective of the horticulturist, the ethnobotanist, and the pharmacologist.  ... Read more