A previous edition of this book, Los Remedios de la Gente: A Compilation of New Mexican Herbal Medicines and Their Use, first appeared as a 19-page booklet in 1977. Since that lime Michael Moore has continued to collect traditional remedies through the Southwest, The new 108-page volume covers 172 plants, with their primary and secondary uses; toxicity assessment; and dosage forms, arranged alphabetically by primary regional names (mostly Spanish). A useful botanical cross index listing the Spanish, scientific, and primary names of each plant makes the book easy to use. An index of general herb uses and 40 pen and inks by Mimi Kamp are also included. Brief introductory chapters explain how the book is to be used, along with methods of preparation of various dosage forms. What sets this book apart is that it is not a simple ethnobotanical compilation, but the author has gathered, tasted, prepared, and used all of the included plant materials, while observing their use among tradi tional cultures of the Southwest.
Article copyright American Botanical Council.