Medicinal Plants of North America: A Field Guide (Falcon Guides)

Falcon Guides: Medicinal Plants of North America is an extremely informative book for anyone who would like to know more about plants that have been used for their medicinal qualities. The book’s chapters are organized according to where the plants are found. For example, Chapter 1 is “Medicinal Plants of Yards and Meadows”, Chapter 2 is “Medicinal Herbs of Eastern Forested Areas”, Chapter 3 is “Woody Plants of Eastern States” and so on. Also included are a Longevity Index, Jim Meuninck’s Top Garden Herbs, Helpful Websites, and an index of the plant names. The book lists herbal preparations (how to use the herbs) which is quite useful, especially for someone who has never used herbs. Each plant or herb lists its Name, Scientific name, Identification, Habitat, food (how to use it as food), Traditional uses, Modern uses, Veterinarian/Wildlife (How animals in the wild react to it), and any known cautions one must know about the plant or herb. The book has over 160 different plants and herbs to read about.

The first thing I thought of when I started looking through this book is how perfect it would be in a survival kit. Anyone out in the woods would benefit from this field guide and it could save a life in an emergency. It includes common plants like cherries and cranberries and uncommon ones like Gentian and Lobelia. This is a great book with real-life uses.