By: Mim Beim
A book review by Franz Scheurer
This is a guide to growing health-giving plants in your own backyard and it is a very relevant publication as it takes into account local, which means Australian, growing conditions. The book is divided into two parts. The first deals with growing medicinal plants and the preparation of your own medicine. Part two gives an A-Z of medicinal plants and their uses. It is important to understand that this book is not really intended to be read from cover to cover in one sitting, but rather used as a reference. If you suffer from a specific condition, look it up in the index and then read about possible solutions. It also makes it very clear that your health is your own responsibility and this good is intended to be a resource and it is not in any way a substitute for medical advice from your qualified healthcare practitioner. Mim Beim graduated from Nature Care College with the nutrition prize in 1968 and is author of seven books. She served as Head of Naturopathy for the Australian Traditional Medicine Society (ATMS) and is a member of the National Herbalists Association of Australia (NHAA). So you see, she knows what she’s talking about. I seem to have 10 black thumbs but reading her chapter on planting and looking after plants I feel inspired that I might actually be able to do this (no doubt time will tell…). Every medicinal plant in the book gets a short description, a level of how easy/difficult it is to grow, it’s medicinal uses and what it is good for. It tells you exactly how to use it and detailed instructions of how to grow it. It also includes many plants that you would not guess to have medicinal applications.
This is a book for anyone interested in plants, life, the universe and everything.
ISBN 978-0-7333-2804-6
Published by Harper Collins
Available through ABC Books