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A City Herbal
Maida Silverman
Ash Tree Publishing 1990
PB 181
ISBN# 1-888123-001
Review by Christina Francine
Live in the city, but daydream about harvesting healthy herbs? You’d plant
your own if only there was a place to grow them. What is a city dweller to
do? Well, you go wild crafting (picking wild herbs) like country folk,
that’s what. Where, you say? No need to take a long drive. Look around
your area. Chances are those plants crafty enough to sprout between slabs
of concrete or vacant lots are more than a “weed.” Now, you say I see
plants, but how do I know what is safe? You need a reference, right? That’s
where Silverman’s book comes in.
Silverman longed for a fantasy garden once from her city home and attempted
a modest version, yet it didn’t work out. Then, she realized one-day
greenery already grew around her, and so, her study and involvement began.
She realized later that there had to be others who felt as she did and thus
wrote “A City Herbal.”
Hardy herbs/weeds manage to grow in cities. Silverman chose thirty-four
plants special to her and included them in her book. She’d like others to
realize that even in crowded areas with generous acres of buildings, and
blacktop, special plants are found. These hardy inhabitants aren’t a weed
to be spurned, but often offer natural aide and beauty. Silverman narrows
the vast spectrum down to the most common.
Many herbal books are on the market, but how many are specifically for
city-folk?
The Book Contains:
-Author’s Notes
-Acknowledgements
-Introduction
-Bittersweet
-Blackberry
-Bouncing Bet
-Burdock
-Butter-and-Eggs
-Chicory
-Clover, Red
-Clover, White
-Daisy
-Dandelion
-Dock
-Golden Rod
-Ground Ivy
-Japanese Knotweed
-Lady’s Thumb
-Lamb’s Quarters
-Mexican Tea
-Milkweed
-Motherwort
-Mugwort
-Mullein
-Mustards
-Plantain
-Poison Ivy
-Pokeweed
-Prickly Lettuce
-Queen Anne’s Lace
-Ragweed
-Shepherd’s Purse
-Sorrel
-Saw Thistle
-Wild Sumac
-Yarrow
-Appendix
-Glossary
-Selected
Bibliography
-Index
Silverman raises fine points and provides information and sketches of herbs
often found between cemented dwellings. She offers inspiration for those
aching for access to natural plants.
Readers, whether city or country, will find Silverman’s book useful in
becoming acquainted with wild herbs. She’s done her homework. Her
compilation is a useful and organized handbook in alphabetical order. She
thoughtfully provides a glossary for quick study with meanings of herbal
terms and a quick-find index.
I appreciate Silverman’s book, and even though I live in the country, will
use it.
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