Reviewed by Heather
An enchanting work bringing together the authors passion with the source material, to give the reader an academic work which is accessible to all learners with an interest in herbs and plants.
Comprised of four parts, in the first Angela Paine explains her inspiration for this book, together with the history of the Medici family in Florence, describing how she came to know about them. Parts two and three then supply the reader with a small selection of those herbs and plants that are still used today. As the author points out, in the original works over 200 herbs are mentioned, although if I have understood correctly, in the translations just over 100 are documented, as some cannot be adequately identified. Even with 100, this book would not have been as available to so many. The author has achieved wider accessibility by supplying very detailed information on their use today, their chemistry and healing properties, together with research that has been carried out on the included thirty one. Part four is a brief mention of the poisonous plants used during this period of history.
The numerous references (48 pages in total) used throughout this book are listed, enabling the reader to take a deeper exploration of any content which stimulates their interest.
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