Review of All You Ever Wanted to Know About Herbs for Pets [ILLUSTRATED] (Hardcover)

Herbs for Pets is a huge, useful, interesting, well-researched book, illustrated with gorgeous full color photos, and printed on high quality, glossy stock. At first glance it seems like a coffee table book, and thequality of the design and photography reinforce that impression. However,the content exceeds even the highest expectations.

Both authors areexperienced herbalists, and this book is far more than a list of recipesfor dealing with common health problems. It covers the principles andtheories of herbal medicine, as well as ethical issues involved with usingplants.

There are literally hundreds of plant medicines included in thismassive resource. Each entry includes a plant description, information oncultivating and obtaining the plant, a guide to the preparation andadministration of the herb, beautiful, large, clear, color photographs ofthe herbs, and information on contraindications and side effects. There iseasy to understand information about what common maladies can be treated byeach herb contained with the description of each herb. The herb guide aloneis almost 200 pages long, but the book includes more than that. It isfollowed by an excellent encyclopedia of ailments, with practical caresuggestions as well as references to appropriate herbs.

There is even acomprehensive section on nutrition, utilizing the holistic approach thatsets the Tilfords apart as herbalists. They cover nutrition and herbal carefor many species of animals, including dogs, cats, horses, birds, andreptiles. They describe Western, ayurvedic, and Chinese herbs, and giveinformation on how to grow many useful herbs in your own garden. TheTilfords explain different fields of complementary and alternativemedicine, including acupuncture and homeopathy, and indicate which modalityis useful for what conditions. Just when you thought it couldn't get anymore useful comes the guide to losing animals to death and a listing ofholistic veterinarians who work with herbs, as well as holistic veterinaryorganizations. There is even a short list of recommended commercial foodsfor those who aren't ready to make their pets' food themselves.

Still,the cornerstone of the book is the detailed, lushly illustrated herb guide,or materia medica. Each entry is at least two pages long, and most areseveral pages long and include multiple large photographs. The quality ofthis resource cannot be overstated.

If you have an interest in herbalmedicine, for humans or for animals, this book will be a treasured classicand more than earn its shelf space. Its price of around forty dollars mightseem steep if you haven't actually seen the book, but I have seen manybooks of this quality and much less usefulness for twice that amount. Thepublisher intends a price increase of about ten dollars in June, so itmight be wise to get the book sooner rather than later. You won't be sorry!

Product Description
This book is an indispensable resource for pet owners.This attractive, easy-to-read, yet comprehensive guide offers pet owners step-by-step instructions on how to find, prepare, and use herbs to treat common pet ailments.

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